Civil Ground. All media & conversation.

THE
DISPATCH

Every essay, episode, and video produced under the Civil Ground name. Read, listen, watch. Join the conversation on Substack.

Latest from the Dispatch

ISSUE 001

§ Essay & Podcast
WHY WE
DRAFTED A
CONSTITUTION

Nobody asked us to draft a constitution. So we did. If you could design a society from scratch today, knowing everything we know now, what would you actually build? Civil Ground is the answer we wrote down.

Read Issue 001 →
Also in this issue
§ Podcast — EP001 Why We Drafted a Constitution
§ Video Nobody Asked Us Watch on YouTube →
§ All Episodes

THE PODCAST

Two voices. One question per episode. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen.

01
Episode 001 — 11 min
Why We Drafted a Constitution

Nobody asked us to write a constitution. So we did. MichelAngelo and Samantha talk through what Civil Ground is, where it came from, and what we're asking people to do with it.

Michel Holland • Samantha • Year One
02
Jun 2025 · 15 min
They Have a Plan. Do We?

For fifty years one side has been building toward a specific goal. MichelAngelo and Samantha talk through what that looks like, where it points, and what Civil Ground is doing about it.

Spotify → Substack →
§ All Issues

THE ESSAYS

Every issue of the Civil Ground Dispatch, free to read. Published on Substack. Available to everyone.

1
Issue 001 — Founding Essay
Why We Drafted a Constitution

Nobody asked us to write a constitution. So we did. The founding story of Civil Ground, the problem we were trying to solve, and what we built.

Read on Substack →
2
Issue 002 — Analysis
They Have a Plan. Do We?

For fifty years one side has been building toward a specific goal. The Heritage Foundation, ALEC, the Federalist Society. Civil Ground is the answer to that plan.

Read on Substack →
§ All Videos

THE VIDEOS

Short-form text-on-screen video. One idea from the Civil Ground project, stated as plainly as possible. Watch on YouTube, Instagram, and wherever you find us.

§ The Founding
NOBODY
ASKED US
Nobody Asked Us
YouTube • Instagram
§ The Founding Song
NOT
INEVITABLE
Not Inevitable
YouTube
§ The Repair Register
WHAT WOULD
IT TAKE?
What Would It Take?
YouTube
§ Article 5
BUILT NOT
GRANTED
Built Not Granted (Repair Mix)
YouTube
§ Article 3
TERMS AND
CONDITIONS
Terms and Conditions
YouTube
§ Article 3
REST IS NOT
A HANDOUT
Rest Is Not A Handout
YouTube
§ Articles 7 & 16
THOSE THAT
HOLD POWER
Those That Hold Power
YouTube
§ Article 16
QUALIFIED
Qualified
YouTube
§ Articles 7 & 14
GET OUT
OF THE WAY
Get Out Of The Way
YouTube • Instagram
§ Articles 2, 3 & 9
ONE
NOTICE
One Notice
YouTube • Instagram
§ Article 9
THEY HAD
A PLAN
They Have a Plan. Do We?
YouTube • Instagram
§ Article 5
THREE
FIFTHS
Three Fifths
YouTube • Instagram
§ Articles 7 & 16
NO MORE
ONE PERSON
No More One Person In Charge
YouTube • Instagram

Thirteen videos · one idea per card · the full catalog on YouTube

§ The Album

THE MUSIC

Songs of the Fourth Turning, Civil Defense Society
§ Twenty songs, twenty repairs

SONGS OF THE
FOURTH TURNING

Civil Defense Society • LP • 2026

The same argument in a different volume. Each song starts with the person, names the design that put them there, and sings what Civil Ground wrote instead. Nothing here calls for anyone to storm anything. We picked up a pen. Every track is public domain.

Out November 3, 2026 on Spotify, Apple Music, and everywhere else
  1. 01Not Inevitable (4am Remix)
  2. 02One Notice
  3. 03Get Out Of The Way
  4. 04Qualified
  5. 05Some Of Those That Hold Power
  6. 06The Bill Came First
  7. 07Forty Hours
  8. 08Sorting Machine
  9. 09Every Kid Eats
  10. 10Rest Is Not A Handout
  11. 11Terms and Conditions
  12. 12Spoiler
  13. 13The Robe Goes Back on the Hook
  14. 14Ask First
  15. 15Built Not Granted (Repair Mix)
  16. 16Equals (Joy with Bared Teeth)
  17. 17Voted Away
  18. 18What Would It Take
  19. 19Built Not Granted (Cinematic Remix)
  20. 20Built Not Granted (NYC Mix)
§ Join the conversation

THE DISCUSSION
IS ON
SUBSTACK.

Every issue of the Dispatch has a comment thread on Substack. Read an issue. Argue with an article. Tell us what you'd change. That's what the Dispatch is for.

Read the Dispatch → Join Issue 001 discussion →
§ Follow the project

FIND US
EVERYWHERE

Now on Spotify · civilground.org