Scholars & Scribes Review the Rulings: The Supreme Court's 2007-2008 Term

Start Time 10:00:00

Host: The Heritage Foundation. The Supreme Court’s 2007 Term is over, but the serious analysis has just begun. Was this term a victory for the conservative block, or did Justice Kennedy again prove a spoiler in the most important cases? As usual, this year’s decisions raise as many questions as they answer. What regulations of firearms are reasonable after Heller? Will citizens’ exercise of Second Amendment rights create war zones in American cities, or will guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens reduce the threat of gang violence? How will the Bush Administration, Congress and the courts deal with the constitutional claims of detainees now that constitutional protections extend to parts of Cuba—and perhaps beyond? Will this lead to the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo? Was the Supreme Court right in its ruling or only politically correct? The High Court also issued key decisions upholding the Indiana voter identification law (Crawford) that may affect the 2008 elections, the death penalty (Baze and Kennedy), punitive damages involving the Valdez oil spill (Exxon), and the applicability of international law in the United States (Medellin). Please join the Heritage Foundation’s distinguished panels of scholars and scribes analyze the latest term of the Court, the justices’ performance, and what it all means for America.

Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream

Start Time 14:00:00

Host: American Enterprise Institute. After two terms of the Bush presidency, the Republican Party faces severe political and policy challenges. Despite a divisive Democratic presidential nomination contest, the GOP’s presumptive nominee is struggling to compete for funds and votes. The outlook in Congress is worse. Since losing majorities in both chambers in 2006, the GOP has suffered a string of special election defeats in supposedly safe House districts and will be hard-pressed to prevent further congressional losses in the fall. The Republican Party seems similarly adrift intellectually. Can Republicans recover and find a new way to success? In Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream, Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam argue that Democrats’ cultural liberalism has made their party inherently hostile to the interests and values of the working class, and the GOP needs a new agenda that speaks to the working class’s social and economic anxieties. Addressing issues from immigration and taxes to health care and the environment, the authors call for the Republican Party to forge policies that focus on strengthening the cultural foundations of social mobility. On July 8, 2008, AEI will host a presentation of the arguments in their new book, followed by a critical discussion of its themes by Ruy Teixeira of the Center for American Progress. AEI resident fellow David Frum will moderate.

2008 Capital Campus Texas

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Organizer: Mercatus Center. The Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University will co-host a retreat that will provide legislative staffers with an academic perspective on today’s pressing policy issues. Bus transportation will be available from downtown Austin to the Westin Riverwalk in San Antonio.

CBD/TRIPS: A 360 Review of Access and Benefit Sharing; Multilateral Developments and National Initiatives

Start Time 08:00:00

Host: Institute for Policy Innovation. The relationship between the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Geneva-based organizations like the World Trade Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organization has garnered increasing scrutiny in recent years, particularly in the area of Access and Benefit Sharing. At the same time, little attention has been paid to the CBD’s substantial progress towards negotiation of a comprehensive International Regime to regulate sustainable use of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their commercialization. Join the Institute for Policy Innovation for a policy briefing in Geneva that will provide new perspectives on the ongoing CBD negotiations that recently reached consensus on a road-map to a comprehensive International Regime by 2010 and how Geneva-based organizations and national governments can best support the CBD in its comprehensive ABS mandate.

The Future of Insurance Regulation

Start Time 08:30:00

Host: American Enterprise Institute. Co-sponsors: Brooking Institution, Georgia State University. The Treasury Department’s plan to reform the federal regulatory structure for financial services has focused unusual attention on the insurance sector, which is part of the financial services industry but regulated solely at the state level. Among other things, the Treasury recommended that insurers have the option, like banks, to obtain a federal charter and be regulated solely at the federal level. This would establish a system of dual regulation—at both the federal and state levels—and would make significant changes in the competitive structure of the insurance industry. The impetus for these substantial changes, according to their proponents, comes from changes in the marketplace itself: insurance companies now compete with banks and securities firms across a broad range of activities, and in a world of globalizing financial services, the absence of a national supervisor may impair the competitive position of U.S. companies. Opponents contend that state regulation is better for U.S. consumers and is perfectly sufficient to allow insurers to compete in global markets. This conference will review some of the salient features of the insurance market and insurance regulation today.

U.S. Trade Policy at a Crossroads

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: Hudson Institute. American workers are among the most productive and prosperous in the world. Yet public sentiment has grown skeptical of open international trade and investment. Polls suggest that “protectionism” no longer bears negative connotations. Presidential candidates and other politicians condemn international trade arrangements such as NAFTA. The House of Representatives recently broke with decades of precedent to strip the Colombia trade agreement of fast-track treatment, potentially taking the agreement off the legislative agenda indefinitely. Other trade agreements with Panama and South Korea hang in limbo. Is America turning its back on the open international economic system created in the wake of World War II? What is driving this public anxiety that politicians are reflecting? What are the implications for U.S. international leadership, and for American workers? How will the Bush Administration and the Democratic Congress deal with pending agreements, and what are the prospects for trade policy after January 20, 2009? The Hudson Institute, a non-partisan think tank, has organized this event to explore the future of U.S. trade policy with policymakers and experts.

Eagle Forum Collegians Leadership Summit 2008

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Organizer: Eagle Forum. For 15 years, Eagle Forum Collegians has hosted a gathering of college students from across the nation for a multi-day conference intended to educate students about the crises facing their college campuses, inspire action against professors and policies with a Liberal Agenda and share stories of SUCCESS from current and former college students who took on the Left at their school - AND WON! Eagle Forum Collegians is pleased to announce the 2008 Leadership Summit. On July 10 and 11, 2008, come listen to great speakers, from seasoned politicians to authors to experts in various fields, network with fellow conservative college students, and learn all the things your liberal professors don’t want you to know.

FreedomFest 2008

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Host: FreedomFest. FreedomFest is an annual festival described in many ways: The world’s largest gathering of free minds … ..The Trade Show for Liberty … An intellectual feast in a fun town … Three glorious days of “great ideas, great books, and great thinkers.” FreedomFest invites the “best and the brightest” from around the world to talk, strategize, socialize, and celebrate liberty and we want you to join us. Eight Great Debates in ‘08. Our theme this year is “8 Great Debates in ‘08?” You’ll not want to miss the main event as two #1 New York Times Bestselling Authors Christopher Hitchens (God Is Not Great) and Dinesh D’Souza (What’s So Great About Christianity?) take off the gloves in an explosive debate: “War, Terrorism & Geo-Political Crisis: Is Religion the Solution or the Problem?” Other debate topics include: Can You Beat the Market With Less Risk?;Islam: Radical or Peaceful?; Did Shakespeare Write Shakespeare? Single Payer National Health Insurance: Yes or No? Should the World Return to the Gold Standard? Was the Civil War Necessary?

The Profits of Pimping:Abolishing Sex Trafficking in the United States

Start Time 09:00:00

Host: Hudson Institute. Center for Employment Policy at Hudson Institute will host a conference focusing on sex trafficking in the United States. With last month’s release of the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons report, valuable information about sex trafficking abroad has been gained. The conference will help answer questions about this issue. What is the extent of the problem, and what are some possible solutions?

Fighting Words: A Tale of How Liberals Created Neo-Conservatism

Start Time 16:00:00

Host: American Enterprise Institute. AEI senior fellow Ben J. Wattenberg, a Washington icon and iconoclast, will discuss his new book. In Fighting Words: A Tale of How Liberals Created Neo-Conservatism, Wattenberg chronicles his own political and intellectual journey and examines how it has mirrored the country’s evolving psyche. AEI resident fellow Michael Barone and the Brookings Institution’s E. J. Dionne will comment.

Securing Economic Growth through Trade Facilitation

Start Time 12:00:00

Cato Institute. Improving the international trading system does not depend solely on new, comprehensive multilateral agreements. Countries can realize significant gains in commercial flows by undertaking trade facilitation—reforms that decrease administrative and physical impediments to transporting goods and services across borders. According to recent studies from several international economic institutions and a new Cato paper, trade facilitation reforms could increase global trade flows even more than further reductions in tariff rates and are primarily and substantially in the interest of the country implementing reform. Please join Cato trade scholar Daniel Ikenson and World Bank economist Simeon Djankov to discuss how to expand international commerce even without new multilateral trade agreements.

Center for the Environment Annual Luncheon and Policy Conference Featuring Skeptical Environmentalist Bjorn Lomborg

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Organizer: Washington Policy Center. The first morning session will address climate change, the most significant environmental issue of the day. It will examine the latest scientific information available and how policies should adjust to meet this new information. The second session will explore how policymakers can use markets to improve environmental stewardship without falling prey to trendy but ineffective solutions such as “green” building standards for public buildings and biofuels. At lunch author Bjørn Lomborg will be the keynote speaker. Mr. Lomborg’s best sellers include Cool It and The Skeptical Environmentalist. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2004 and one of the “50 people who could save the planet” by the UK Guardian in 2008. The Daily Telegraph called The Skeptical Environmentalist “... probably the most important book on the environment ever written.” In 2004 he started the Copenhagen Consensus, a conference of Nobel prize winning economists who come together to prioritize the best solutions for the world’s greatest challenges.

No Means No: How Ireland Blocked the European Union's Lisbon Treaty

Start Time 11:00:00

Host: The Heritage Foundation. Join the Heritage Foundation as Declan Ganley, a modern-day freedom fighter, analyzes Ireland’s democratic decision to reject the Libson Treaty and what the EU will do next. When the French and Dutch spectacularly rejected the European Constitution in 2005, analysts and commentators proclaimed the death of the grandiose project. But less than two years later, the European Union breathed life back into the corpse, recasting it as the Lisbon Treaty. The Treaty still contains the building blocks of a United States of Europe and will shift power from member states to Brussels in critical areas of policymaking, including defense, security, and energy. Above all, the treaty underscores the EU’s ambitions to become a global power and challenge American leadership on the world stage. Ireland proved to be the only member state brave enough to put the Treaty to a public referendum. Declan Ganley led the “No” campaign, arguing that the Treaty would weaken Ireland’s position in Europe, and do nothing to address democracy and unaccountability in Brussels. Prior to Ireland’s referendum, The Times newspaper commented that in the event of a “No” vote, “there will be only one name on the lips of defeated eurocrats: Declan Ganley.” 53 percent of Irish voters resoundingly rejected the Treaty on June 12. The Polish and Czech Governments have now proclaimed the Lisbon Treaty dead. However, almost every other European leader has pledged to take the Treaty forward, even if Ireland’s membership in the European Union is the price to pay.

McCain and Obama: Comparing Their Economic Platforms

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: The Cato Institute. After an extended primary season, the 2008 presidential campaign is finally under way and the candidates are presenting—at least in some areas—starkly different economic policy proposals. Sen. John McCain is a career-long free trader, consistently voting against trade barriers and subsidies. Sen. Barack Obama, although possessing a shorter voting record, puts greater restrictions on his support for free trade and favors a time-out on new trade agreements and extensive review—and possible renegotiation—of existing ones. On fiscal policy, Sen. McCain wants lower taxes while Sen. Obama proposes to shift the tax burden to wealthier Americans. According to the National Taxpayers Union, Sen. McCain has endorsed $68 billion of additional government spending per year and Sen. Obama has called for nearly $344 billion of bigger government. How would these policies strengthen the U.S. economy or damage it? If Obama is elected, would Congress simply rubber-stamp his proposals? If McCain wins, would Congress approve his agenda? Join the Cato Institute as the panel discusses the McCain and Obama tax, spending, and trade plans.

The Role of Lawyers in the National Security Council and Issues for the Upcoming Transition

Start Time 08:15:00

Host: Hudson Institute. The Legal Working Group of the Project on National Security Reform (PNSR) is pleased to invite you to a presentation hosted by he Honorable James E. Baker, Former Legal Advisor to the National Security Council. Judge Baker will provide an overview of the mission and responsibilities of the Office of Legal Advisor, as well as the current and future role of lawyers generally within the National Security Council system. In addition, he will outline the most pressing issues related to the National Security Council structure and process facing the upcoming presidential transition teams. The audience is invited to participate.

Broadband Gets Personal: An International Perspective on Mobile Broadband

Start Time 08:30:00

Host: Institute for Policy Innovation. Join the Institute for Policy Innovation for a lively policy discussion and briefing that will provide an international perspective on current policy debates regarding mobile broadband deployment, network management and spectrum policy. Discussants will move beyond the sound bytes and explore questions such as: What is the state of broadband deployment in the EU? Asia? Africa? Elsewhere? Is the reality of deployment at odds with the content of the OECD’s Broadband Reports? What role does mobile broadband play in economies around the world? What is the consumer demand for wireless broadband outside the U.S., and how is consumer demand for wireless broadband shaped by the availability of fixed alternatives? What role(s) do governments play? Are there lessons the U.S. can learn from abroad regarding spectrum policies that worked, and those that haven’t?

The Frontline Country Team: A New Model for Building Security Partnerships

Start Time 10:00:00

Host: American Enterprise Institute. In the Long War on terrorism, the capabilities of America’s allies and local security partners will determine whether we achieve our goals in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond. Building and sustaining these partnerships has proven to be a great challenge, as well as a delicate task to manage from afar. To better understand current U.S. programs for security cooperation and propose how they might be improved in the future, AEI fellows Christopher Griffin and Thomas Donnelly have written “The Frontline Country Team: A Model for Engagement.” In this new report, the authors advocate the creation of frontline country teams in which the U.S. ambassador, supported by military assistance and an advisory group from within the embassy, will direct U.S. security partnerships in the Long War. Griffin and Donnelly stress that the success of the country team depends on enhancing the ambassador’s leadership authority and effectively integrating the interagency operations on the ground. At this event, Griffin and Donnelly will present their proposals and discuss the challenges of strengthening partnerships with allies in the Long War. Commenting will be two experts who have directed security cooperation operations at the country team level: former ambassador to Pakistan Robert Oakley and Colonel Robert Killebrew, U.S. Army (Retired).

A Combatant Commander’s Perspective on the Asia-Pacific

Start Time 11:00:00

Host: The Heritage Foundation. Admiral Timothy J. Keating is the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command based out of Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. He is a 1971 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a native of Dayton, Ohio. Admiral Keating completed flight training in August of 1973 before being deployed to the Mediterranean aboard the USS Nimitz. In May of 1987, Admiral Keating was named as the commander of The Strike Fighter Squadron 87 (VFA-87) aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Admiral Keating participated in Operation Desert Storm in January 1991 as the as Deputy Commander, Carrier Air Wing Seventeen. He later served as the Deputy Director for Operations, Operations Directorate, on the Joint Staff in Washington, from August 1996 until June 1998. He then assumed command of Carrier Group Five, based out of Yokosuka, Japan. In September 2000, Admiral Keating reported to OPNAV in Washington as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Plans, Policy and Operations (N3/N5). In February 2002, he assumed command of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet. From October 13, 2003 to October 21, 2004, Admiral Keating served as the Director, Joint Staff. Admiral Keating assumed command of North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command on November 5, 2004. He assumed command of U.S. Pacific Command March 23, 2007. Admiral Keating’s numerous awards include the Distinguished Defense Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and others.

Above Empyrean: A Novel of the Final Days of the War on Islamic Terrorism

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: The Heritage Foundation. Bruce Herschensohn has been a television and radio political commentator for the more than two decades. After service in the United States Air Force and founding his own motion picture company, he was appointed Director of Motion Pictures and Television for the United States Information Agency. In 1969, he was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in the Federal Government. He also served as a Deputy Special Assistant to President Nixon. Herschensohn taught “The U.S. Image Abroad” at the University of Maryland, occupied the Nixon Chair at Whittier College teaching “U.S. Foreign and Domestic Policies,” and was Chairman of the University Board at Pepperdine University. In 1992, he was the Republican nominee for the United States Senate in California. He was a Fellow at the John F. Kennedy Institute of Politics at Harvard University and, from 1993 to 2001, a Distinguished Fellow of the Claremont Institute. He is currently teaching “The World Leadership Role of the United States” at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and is a non-resident Associate Fellow of the Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Individual Freedom.

Lincoln's Political Faith: Does It Still Have a Place in Presidential Leadership

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: The Center of the American Experiment. Join the Center of the American Experiment Luncheon Forum at which Joseph Fornieri talks about Abraham Lincoln’s “unique blending of religion and politics.” In his Lyceum Address of 1838, a young Lincoln called for a “political religion” to be “preached from the pulpit.” In his Second Inaugural, a more mature Lincoln called for “firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right.” And throughout the Civil War, he invoked the nation’s “political faith” against what he saw as the twin evils of disunion and slavery. In the midst of another presidential campaign waged during another war, what’s the current relevance of Lincoln’s invocations of divine authority? Bluntly if impossibly put, could he get by with similar beliefs and language today? More specifically if ironically put, are the greatest threats to Lincoln’s approach presently emanating from several pulpits themselves around the country where an audacity of hatred has been out-thundering an audacity of hope?

U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

Start Time 15:00:00

Host: Hudson Institute. The Project on National Security Reform is pleased to invite you to a Roundtable on Interagency Reform discussing a case study on “U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement,” by Patrick Mendis, PhD, and Leah Green. The proposed U.S.-Indian civil nuclear cooperation accord represents a transformation in American nuclear nonproliferation policy. By examining the policy shift and the security implications of the proposal, this case study illustrates the challenges of adjusting long-standing policy guidelines to conform with new strategic frameworks. It also provides insight for future interactions in which broader strategic ties and policy goals transcend traditional security concerns. The key concern of the proposed U.S.-India nuclear deal—balancing nonproliferation goals with other foreign policy objectives—is one that will remain relevant with respect to India even if the nuclear agreement falls through.

The Future of American Conservatism

Start Time 17:00:00

Host: Goldwater Institute. Can the conservative “fusionism” that united libertarians and traditionalists in the 20th century survive into the future? Who are the intellectual heirs to Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, and Milton Friedman? What does it mean to be a conservative in America today? The Goldwater Institute will host a spirited discussion of the conservative movement’s past, present, and future featuring David Boaz, Executive Vice President of the Cato Institute and author of The Politics of Freedom; Mickey Edwards, former Member of Congress and author of Reclaiming Conservatism; and Al Regnery, publisher of The American Spectator and author of Upstream: The Ascendance of American Conservatism.

Special Screening of the Documentary, The Birth of Freedom

Start Time 19:00:00

Host: The Heritage Foundation and Acton Institute. Why would anyone believe that all men are created equal? That all should be free? Why would any nation consider this a self-evident truth? For the millions around the world who have never tasted liberty, the question cries for an answer. How is freedom born? The American Founders said that all men are created equal and are endowed with certain unalienable rights – that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They called this a self-evident truth. Eighty-seven years later, Abraham Lincoln reaffirmed this idea on the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg. And in 1963 these same words echoed from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as Martin Luther King, Jr. urged America to fulfill the promise of its founding. But humans are separated by enormous differences in talent and circumstance. Why would anyone believe that all men are created equal? That all should be free? That all deserve a voice in choosing their leaders? Why would any nation consider this a self-evident truth? For the millions around the world who have never tasted liberty, the question cries for an answer Join us for a screening of the Acton Institute’s new documentary – The Birth of Freedom – tracing the historical development of the principles of liberty and freedom that endow us as a people and sustain us as a nation.

The Atlas Experience

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Organizer: Atlas Economic Research Foundation. An exclusive opportunity for lovers of freedom to join together for enlightening lectures, fine dining, intimate discussion salons, and refreshing local tours. Registration fees: $400/individual, $700/couple, $150/child. Special hotel rate of $250/night. Respond by June 20, either online or by mail (Atlas Economic Research Foundation, 2000 N. 14th Street, Suite 550, Arlington, VA 22201).

China and Latin America: An Update

Start Time 08:30:00

Host: Hudson Institute. With the Beijing Olympics just around the corner, international attention has focused on China’s support of the Sudanese government and on China’s human rights record. Yet little has been said about China’s growing influence in Latin America, both through economic ties and through growing ideological ties with anti-American regimes such as Venezuela and Bolivia. Recently, China has expanded diplomatic ties with Costa Rica and claims potential new allegiances with other Latin American nations. Does this economic and diplomatic expansion pose a threat to the liberal democratic regimes opposed to radical populist regimes such as Venezuela? What are the economic, political and international implications of these increasing ties? To answer these questions, Hudson Institute is pleased to host Evan Ellis, of Booz Allen Hamilton who will present remarks, followed by a commentary from Hudson Institute Senior Fellows Charles Horner and Rod Hunter.

Notions of Liberty in Islam

Start Time 15:30:00

Host: The Heritage Foundation. Al-Qaeda seeks to paint the war on terrorism as a war on Islam and provoke a “clash of civilizations” that raises barriers between the West and the Muslim world. In the dialectic of the terrorists, concepts of human rights, democratic principles, equality before the law, and religious freedom are incompatible with the Muslim faith. Join the Heritage Foundation for a discussion with experts that seeks to clarify the debate by examining the compatibility of the religion of Islam with classical liberal values of individual liberty and religious freedom. The program will focus on trends and developments related to concepts of liberty in Muslim societies and prospects for the future. How can the West engage effectively in Muslim societies to explore these crucial questions in a substantive and respectful manner? What is the thinking and debate taking place among Muslim scholars worldwide on concepts of liberty in the religion of Islam?

AFF July Roundtable: Conservatives and the Academy

Start Time 18:30:00

Organizer: America's Future Foundation. The dysfunctional state of the Academy has been well known to conservatives since William F. Buckley published God and Man at Yale 50 years ago. Once the Baby Boomer generation started getting tenure, the situation only got worse. The Right has largely ceded control of higher education to the Left, with a few exceptions. Some conservatives attend an openly conservative college to ensure a proper education. Is this a sound strategy, or is a more systematic approach needed? Can we afford to abandon the Academy? This month’s roundtable begins with a reception at 6:30; the discussion will begin at 7pm. Entry is free for members. Please RSVP to Cindy@americasfuture.org.

Defending the American Dream Summit – Texas

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Host: Americans for Prosperity. Carry the REVOLUTION Forward Use New Media: Redefine citizens’ role in public policy Rally. The voices of average Americans are drowned out by lobbyists and special interests. The resulting policies threatened to destroy our American Dream. We must battle higher property taxes, out-of-control government spending, job-killing regulations, and endless red tape. Organize. Let’s take it to the next level. Send a powerful message to politicians, special interests, and the mainstream media by taking part in the Revolution Defending the American Dream Summit - Texas. Mobilize. Join America’s foremost free-market voices, top experts on new media and grassroots mobilization, at Texas’s largest gathering of citizen leaders. This summit will be a massive show of force for our shared belief in lower taxes and more limited government. Battle. Powerful liberal online pundits from across the country will be convening, at the same time across town, in what they call the most concentrated gathering of high-profile progressive bloggers to date. Please join us to defend Texas’s honor and protect taxpayer interests!

Cato University Summer 2008

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Host: Cato Institute. Would you like to meet like-minded people from all over the world? Or have a spectacular vacation while sharing ideas on how freedom will be advanced, enhanced, and defended? If so, Cato University is definitely for you. Cato University is the Cato Institute’s premier educational event of the year. This annual program brings together outstanding faculty and participants from across the country and, often, from around the globe—business and professional people, retirees, small business owners, high school and college students, employees of large and small firms and many others who share a commitment to liberty and learning. In addition, Cato University has become for many an opportunity to create a family legacy of liberty—with parents participating with children; grandparents sharing the experience with grandchildren; and, all three generations joining together.

Grover Norquist Luncheon and Book Signing

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: Institute for Policy Innovation. Please join the Institute for Policy Innovation for a special luncheon and book signing featuring Grover Norquist, author of Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government’s Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives, published by HarperCollins Publishers. Mr. Norquist has been one of Washington’s most effective issues management strategists for over two decades. He is president of Americans for Tax Reform, a coalition of taxpayer groups, individuals and businesses opposed to higher taxes at both the federal, state and local levels, created at the request of President Ronald Reagan. ATR organizes the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” which asks all candidates for federal and state office to commit themselves in writing to oppose all tax increases.

2008 Abstinence Clearinghouse Leadership Conference

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Host: Abstinence Clearinghouse. The Abstinence Clearinghouse International Leadership Conference is the first, largest and only international conference that caters specifically to the abstinence educators. By focusing on the issues that matter most to advocates of abstinence, each year, the Abstinence Leadership Conference draws larger crowds of the decision makers and educators that need your products and programs, than any other conference.

After Bush: The Case for Continuity in Foreign Policy

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: Hudson Institute. Join Timothy Lynch and Robert Singh, authors of the compelling new book, After Bush: The Case for Continuity in Foreign Policy, to discuss their latest work. They make the argument that, rather than repudiate the actions of the past eight years, the next President should continue current foreign policies. Lynch and Singh also offer a positive audit of the war on terror, contending that it is properly understood as a second Cold War and that its central tenets are consistent with policies shaped by former administrations, both Republican and Democratic. Perhaps most controversial, the authors predict that, despite current attitudes, Bush’s successors will take on the war against radical Islamist terror with similar moxie.

Asia: Lessons and Opportunities

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: Acton Institute. Director of programs at the Acton Institute, Michael Miller, will speak on the Asia, tracing its history and its place in the world today. The rising economic and political power of Asia creates opportunities and challenges for the global economy. How did Asia develop, and what can other developing countries learn from Asia’s remarkable growth? What role will Christianity play in the expansion of Asia?

One Man’s America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: Cato Institute. Featuring the author, George F. Will, with an introduction by Edward H. Crane, President, Cato Institute. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author will discuss his new book, which is a compilation of his columns. Lunch to follow.

9th Annual Freedom21 National Conference: Connecting the Dots to Agenda 21

Start Time 13:00:00

Host: Freedom21. Freedom 21 is conceived to be an on-going celebration of the principles of self-governance that empowers America. Its purpose is to focus public attention on just how wonderful it is to be an American, and more important, exactly what makes it so wonderful. It is conceived to be an on-going national "teach-in" through which communities around the country participate in a range of activities which educate and appreciate the fundamental principles of American self-governance. In 17 sessions over three days, dozens of speakers will address such topics as animal rights, the Constitution, the economy, education, freedom, global warming, gun control, Real ID, religion, and taxes.

Is the Gulf Coast Open for Business?

Start Time 09:00:00

Host: Mercatus Center. Three years after Hurricane Katrina, rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast have been plagued by well-documented challenges. But left largely unexplored is the question of what’s working on the ground. In Louisiana and Mississippi, entrepreneurs and the commercial sector have been quietly playing a critical role in helping communities rebuild, create jobs, and re-establish a sense of normality. A panel discussion with The Honorable Tim Roemer, former Congressman from Indiana and Mercatus Center Distinguished Scholar; Paul Conway, Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding; Emily Byram, Friends of New Orleans; Tim Williamson, Idea Village; Matt Mayer, Provisum Strategies; Steven Horwitz, Mercatus Center Senior Scholar; and Carol DeVita, Urban Institute will answer the questions: What’s working in the commercial sector in post-Katrina recovery? Why is it working? And, how can public policy better support the critical role that commercial actors, from small entrepreneurs to large companies, play in responding to disasters and rebuilding communities?

AEI Election Watch 2008 (Session 7)

Start Time 08:30:00

Host: American Enterprise Institute. AEI’s Election Watch series, which began in 1982, is the longest-running election program in Washington. Panelists: Michael Barone, Karlyn Bowman, John C. Fortier, Norman J. Ornstein.

The Friedman Legacy for Freedom Event

Start Time 09:30:00

Organizer: Georgia Public Policy Foundation. Milton Friedman, honored around the world as one of the greatest champions of freedom, would have been 96 years old on July 31, 2008. In his last decade, Friedman concentrated his work on educational freedom. School choice, which gives parent the right to choose the education for their children instead of handing them over to a government bureaucracy, was his last great crusade. He and his wife Rose founded the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation in 1996 to promote school choice for all students. Currently, there are 23 school choice programs in operation throughout the nation, serving 190,000 students in 14 states plus the District of Columbia. To help us all remember and honor Mr. Friedman’s vision and the impact that his life’s work has had on the freedom that we enjoy today, The Georgia Public Policy Foundation, along with Black Alliance for Educational Options and Center for an Educated Georgia, will be leading the celebration of Milton Friedman Day in Georgia on July 31, Friedman’s birthday. Speaker Pro Tempore Eric Johnson will keynote the event by giving an update on the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship and other successes in school choice. This event will also be a great opportunity to learn more about the newly implemented Education Tax-Credit and how to apply for scholarships through this program. If you value liberty and freedom of choice in education, join us on July 31 in thanking and honoring the man who did so much to preserve, protect, and defend it.

Friedman Legacy Lunch

Start Time 11:30:00

Host: Heartland Institute. No economist in the twentieth century was more influential than Milton Friedman, who passed away in November 2006, and the impact of his ideas will extend far into the future. To honor Friedman, and to recognize his influence and examine its full import, July 31, 2008 has been declared the second annual Milton Friedman Legacy Day – a celebration of the economist’s positive impact on American life and business, and the spread of the benefits of free markets to nations around the globe. Organizations including academia, private-sector companies, publishers, and think tanks will mark the day in a variety of presentations that focus on Milton Friedman the economist. But Robert Chitester, a long-time confidant of Friedman and CEO of Free To Choose Media, the company that produced Friedman’s seminal PBS-TV series, “Free To Choose,” has another idea. Recalled Chitester, “I shared well over a hundred intimate dinner gatherings with Milton, [his wife] Rose, and a few others, plus numerous private chats at their homes in Vermont and Sea Ranch, and their apartment in San Francisco. He was the most consistent and effective advocate for freedom I’ve ever met. “Yet even at 94, he maintained a child-like curiosity about people and their endeavors. He was passionate about physical endeavors as well as intellectual challenges, his smile was open and welcoming, his laugh spontaneously explosive. Those who disagreed with his ideas often portrayed him as tough and relentless. As we celebrate his world-changing scholarship, I want people to remember the ever-present twinkle in the eye of this man I was so fortunate to call friend.” Chitester will share that view of Milton Friedman at the second annual Friedman Legacy Lunch presented by The Heartland Institute on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at Lloyd’s restaurant, at the corner of Madison Street and Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago. Registration opens at 11:30 a.m., with lunch served at 12:00 noon. Cost $20. Seating is limited, so please register today by calling Tonya Houston at 312/377-4000. Or register online at http://friedmanlegacylunch.eventsbot.com/

Online Chat with John Stossel In Honor of Economist Milton Friedman

Start Time 12:00:00

Young America's Foundation and partner townhall.com are sponsoring a live chat with John Stossel to celebrate Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman's accomplishments and his "positive impact on American life and business, and the spread of the benefits of free markets to nations around the globe." All are invited to attend the chat and submit questions prior and during the chat. Link to submit questions will be available soon.

The Atlas Society Graduate Seminar 2008

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Organizer: The Atlas Society. The Graduate Seminar in Objectivist Philosophy and Method is a week of lectures, discussions, and workshops designed for graduate students, junior faculty, and post-doctoral scholars of philosophy and related fields such as history, political science, and psychology. It is organized by The Atlas Society (TAS), the center for Objectivism. TAS founder David Kelley, Ph.D. and TAS Director of Programs William Thomas, M.A will be the lead instructors for this intimate and intensive week of intellectual development. They will possibly be assisted by other faculty as yet to be named. Instruction in 2008 will focus on Objectivist conceptions of politics and law and the issues that surround them. The Objectivist approach will be compared with other views, including libertarian and mainstream views. Topics covered will include, inter alia, individual rights, the ethical basis of liberty, the justification of government, the institutional structure of government and law, legal standards and forms, and foreign policy. The Graduate Seminar will be held August 3 - 8 at George Washington University in downtown Washington, D.C, near the TAS offices. Attendance will be strictly limited to maintain a productive small-group setting and maximize the benefit participants can gain from taking part. Students taking part will be required to write a short paper. The seminar is free of charge to qualified student and professional scholar participants. Participants are provided with a single room on the G.W.U. campus and a stipend to cover food expenses at the seminar. A limited number of travel stipends to a maximum of $300 will also be available, with preference in making travel awards given to those who apply by May 16. (Applications from non-professional scholars with exceptional qualifications will be considered, though few or none may be accepted, and any such participants would need to pay a seminar fee of $900 or $180/day.)

The National Conservative Student Conference

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Host: Young America’s Foundation. The National Conservative Student Conference is the signature college conference of Young America’s Foundation. The only event of its kind, the intensive six-day conference brings young people together with conservatism’s biggest stars, and provides an entry point into the conservative movement.

State Policy Network Open House

Start Time 17:30:00

Host: State Policy Network. Come celebrate the opening of State Policy Network’s new office. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served. Please RSVP to Laurel Tacoma at (703) 243-1655 or tacoma@spn.org.

The Birth of Freedom: A look at Judeo-Christian Tradition to the Rise of Political and Economic Freedom in the West

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: Acton Institute. Join Jay Richards, Research Fellow and Director of Acton Media at the Acton Institute, as he talks and leads a discussion about some of the themes from Acton's new documentary, The Birth of Freedom. The film treats the contributions of the Judeo-Christian tradition to the rise of political and economic freedom in the West.

Mont Pelerin Society General Meeting 2008

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2008 State Policy Network 16th Annual Meeting & K-12 Education Reform Summit

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Host: State Policy Network. Confirmed Speakers: Hon. David M. Walker, president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former Comptroller General of the United States; Hon. Elaine Chao, Secretary, United States Department of Labor; and Dr. Howard Fuller, Chairman, Black Alliance for Educational Opportunities.

Headliner Luncheon in Raleigh, NC with Roy Spencer

Start Time 12:00:00

Organizer: John Locke Foundation. Have lunch with one of the world’s most renowned and outspoken global climate experts. In his newest book, Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor, Dr. Spencer, presents scientifically based, but understandable information on the global warming debate and shows that the fears about global warming are greatly exaggerated. He also notes that many of the individuals behind the hysteria are not scientists, but actors, politicians, and musicians. Price: $25.00.

The Supreme Court: Past and Prologue

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Host: Cato Institute. This looks at the October 2007 and October 2008 terms, in order to celebrate Constitution Day as well as the publication of the seventh volume of the annual Cato Supreme Court Review. Panel 1 is: The Constitution Restored? Revisiting the First, Second, and Fourth Amendments. Panel 2 discusses: Challenges at Home and Abroad: International Law and The War on Terror. Panel 3 covers: The Business of the Court: Securities, Energy, Regulation, and panel 4 is: Looking Ahead: October Term 2008.

2008 Freedom and Opportunity Luncheon

Start Time 11:30:00

Host: The Maine Heritage Policy Center. Join the Maine Heritage Policy Center for the 2008 Freedom and Opportunity Luncheon with a Keynote Address from John Stossel, ABCNEWS Correspondent, Co-anchor of 20/200, and author.

AEI Election Watch 2008 (Session 8)

Start Time 08:30:00

Host: American Enterprise Institute. AEI’s Election Watch series, which began in 1982, is the longest-running election program in Washington. Panelists: Michael Barone, Karlyn Bowman, John C. Fortier, Norman J. Ornstein.

Headliner Luncheon: The 2008 Elections

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: John Locke Foundation. Join the Locke Foundation for an intriguing inside look at the upcoming 2008 elections with Robert Novak, who has covered Washington politics for over 50 years and is one of the most respected and widely read political columnists in the United States. In his autobiography, The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington, Novak provides a fascinating look at how his career and Washington politics evolved over the last 50 years. A native of Joliet, Illinois, Robert Novak began his newspaper career at the Joliet Herald-News and the Champaign-Urbana (Ill.) Courier, where he worked while attending the University of Illinois. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Novak joined the Associated Press, working in bureaus in Omaha, Lincoln, Indianapolis and later Washington, where he covered Congress. Novak then joined the Washington Bureau of The Wall Street Journal as Senate correspondent and political reporter, becoming chief congressional correspondent for the Journal in 1961.In 1963, Novak began a 30-year collaboration with the late Rowland Evans, writing a political column called “Inside Report,” featuring behind-the-scenes political scuttlebutt. They also shared the Evans & Novak TV show. After Evans died of cancer in 2001, Novak valiantly carried on alone, writing his columns and appearing as a perpetual talking head on TV without his longtime companion.

What's Wrong With Latin America?

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: Acton Institute. Latin America is a continent seemingly in a perpetual state of crisis. Chronic political instability, economic decline, and social instability are the norm rather than the exception in most Latin American nations. In this lecture, Dr. Samuel Gregg outlines the deeper reasons for Latin America’s problems, its apparent inability to escape endless cycles of crisis and political extremism, and the most basic steps that need to be taken if Latin America is to have any chance of political stability and economic prosperity.

Nevada Policy Research Institute 17th Anniversary Dinner

Start Time 18:00:00

Keynote speaker: Rich Lowry, editor of National Review Honorees: Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons and NPRI founder Judy Cresanta

Headliner Luncheon in Winston-Salem, NC with Michael Barone

Start Time 12:00:00

Organizer: John Locke Foundation. Join the Locke Foundation as Michael Barone presents an exciting and in depth look at the 2008 elections. Barone is a senior writer with U.S. News & World Report and a chief political contributor for the Fox News Channel. He is also the principal co-author of The Almanac of American Politics, published by the National Journal every two years. The Almanac is a vital tool for understanding and assessing the nation’s political landscape—past, present and future. He writes for many publications, including The Economist, The New York Times, The Detroit Press, American Enterprise, and The Daily Telegraph of London. He is also the author of numerous books, including, Our First Revolution: The Remarkable British Upheaval That Inspired America’s Founding Fathers, Hard America, Soft America: Competition vs. Coddling and the Competition for the Nation’s Future, and Our Country: The Shaping of America from Roosevelt to Reagan. Barone has traveled to all 50 states and all 435 congressional districts. He has also traveled to 37 foreign countries and has reported on elections in Russia, Mexico, Italy and Britain. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School and was an editor of the Harvard Crimson and the Yale Law Journal. Price: $25.00.

Headliner Luncheon: Update on War on Terrorism

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: John Locke Foundation. Join the Locke Foundation for a luncheon featuring, Lt. General Thomas McInerney. General McInerney will provide an update on the War on Terrorism. For 35 years, General McInerney served as a pilot, commander, and strategic planner in the U.S. Air Force. He retired from military service as Assistant Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Director of the Defense Performance Review, reporting to the Secretary of Defense. He led the Pentagon’s “reinventing government” effort, visiting more than 100 leading-edge commercial companies to assimilate their ideas about business re-engineering, focusing on making the government perform better at less cost. General McInerney graduated from the United States Military Academy and earned a Master’s degree in international relations from George Washington University. He also attended the Armed Forces Staff College and National War College. General McInerney is the senior Fox News Military Analyst and co-author of the book, Endgame: The Blueprint for the Victory in the War on Terror.

Gun Rights Policy Conference 2008

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Organizer: Second Amendment Foundation. Come meet national gun rights leaders and your fellow grassroots activists at the 23rd Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC 2008) in Phoenix, Arizona, September 26, 27, & 28, 2008. This is your once-a-year chance to network and get an insider look and plan pro-gun rights strategies for the coming year. Past GRPCs have outlined victory plans and made public the latest firearms trends. They allow you a first-hand chance to hear movement leaders—and make your voice heard. This year we’ll take a look at critical issues such as: city gun bans, youth violence, “smart” guns, concealed carry, federal legislation, legal actions, gun show regulation, state and local activity. We’ll also preview the upcoming Presidential Elections and analyze the U.S. Supreme Court Heller Decision.

Washington Policy Center 2008 Annual Dinner

Start Time 18:00:00

Host: Washington Policy Center. Join Washington Policy Center for their annual fundraising dinner, the Northwest's premier policy event. The dinner event will feature 2008 Columbia Award Recipient, Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic.

From Brown to “Bong Hits”: Assessing a Half-Century of Judicial Involvement in Education

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Host: American Enterprise Institute. The past fifty years have seen a striking rise in judicial supervision of education. From race to speech, from religion to school funding, from discipline to special education, few realms of education policy have escaped the courtroom.

AEI Election Watch 2008 (Session 9)

Start Time 08:30:00

Host: American Enterprise Institute. AEI’s Election Watch series, which began in 1982, is the longest-running election program in Washington. Panelists: Michael Barone, Karlyn Bowman, John C. Fortier, Norman J. Ornstein.

Why This Election Matters

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: National Center for Policy Analysis. Speaker: Steve Forbes Chairman and CEO of Forbes, Inc. and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine.

AEI Election Watch 2008 (Session 10)

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: American Enterprise Institute. AEI’s Election Watch series, which began in 1982, is the longest-running election program in Washington. Panelists: Michael Barone, Karlyn Bowman, John C. Fortier, Norman J. Ornstein.

6th Africa Resource Bank Meeting

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Organizer: Inter Region Economic Network. The theme is commercializing Africa's resources to promote prosperity, and aiming to identify efficient ways of exploiting Africa’s resources for the benefit of Africans. The meeting targets business and industry players, government and policy makers, media, academia, think tanks and the Civil Society.

Chris Wallace

Start Time 12:00:00

Host: National Center for Policy Analysis. Veteran broadcast journalist Chris Wallace is the host of FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Fox Broadcasting Company’s Sunday morning public affairs program. He also contributes to the network’s political and election news coverage. He joined the Fox Network in 2003.

Atlas Freedom Dinner

Start Time 17:00:00

Host: Atlas Economic Research Foundation. Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Ronald Reagan, will give the keynote address at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation’s annual Freedom Dinner. Launched in 2004, the Atlas Freedom Dinner celebrates World Freedom Day and the Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Celebrating Liberty with George F. Will

Start Time 18:00:00

Organizer: Pacific Research Institute. The organization's Annual Gala Dinner. To reserve contact Cindy Chin at cchin@pacificresearch.org.

Cato Institute 26th Annual Monetary Conference: Lessons From the Subprime Crisis

Start Time 08:00:00