PRESS RELEASE

Founder Thomas Paine’s Birthday to be Celebrated at Florida Veterans for Common Sense Annual Dinner that will Benefit Green Path Veterans Farms. 

(Sarasota, FL) Florida Veterans for Common Sense Fund Inc. is holding its annual dinner and birthday celebration honoring patriot and founding father, Thomas Paine, on Saturday evening, February 3, 2018 at The Francis, 1289 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota, FL 34236 941-552-9650 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
A highlight will be a talk by Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (USA Ret.), former aide to Colin Powell.

Thomas Paine’s thoughts and writings were critical in the formation of the United States of America as an independent country. He wrote Common Sense that transformed a colonial rebellion into a revolution for independence, and The American Crisis Papers, at the behest of George Washington, that encouraged the Continental Army to take the offensive after the abandonment of New York. Paine was the first to use the term United States. His writings are still relevant today. As he said, “These are the times that try men’s souls…,” and, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”

The celebration will include dinner and a keynote speech by Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (USA Ret.). Wilkerson is the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William & Mary. He previously taught for six year in the University Honors Program at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. He holds an advanced degree in International Relations and another in National Security Studies.

Wilkerson served 31 years in the U.S. Army and is a Vietnam Veteran. Some career highlights are service as the Director of the U.S. Marine Corps War College at Quantico, Virginia and special assistant to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell.

Upon confirmation as Secretary of State, Secretary Powell placed Wilkerson on his Policy Planning Staff. His last positions in government were as Secretary of State Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff (2002-2005) and Associate Director of the State Department’s Policy Planning staff under the directorship of Ambassador Richard N. Haas.

Wilkerson has spoken to groups all across America including the United States Congress. He has written extensively on military and national security affairs, and has been published in a number of professional journals such as the Naval Institutes’ Proceedings, and The Naval War College Review as well as in newspapers and magazines. He has appeared on television with Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, Rachel Maddow, and many others as well as in documentaries such Alex Gibney’s “Taxi to the Dark Side” and Charles Ferguson’s “No End in Sight.”

At the celebration, the Florida Veterans for Common Sense Thomas Paine Award will be presented to an individual who embodies and carries on the patriotic and service legacy of Thomas Paine.

Each year, patriots celebrate Thomas Paine’s birthday from coast to coast. The one in the Sarasota/Manatee area is always one of the largest, and this year’s event promises to be the biggest and best yet.

Tickets are $75 and can be purchased on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/thomas-paine-birthday-celebration-tickets-41576754191?aff=ehomecard