525 Kumquat Court
Sarasota FL 34236
Paine
Join Florida Veterans for Common Sense (FLVCS) for 2023 Thomas Paine Birthday party celebrating the life of one of our nation’s founding patriots.
When: Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 5:30 P.M. EST in-person
and 6:30 P.M. virtual
Where: Fogartyville Community Media & Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota FL 34236
Cost: $30 in-person and $15 virtual. In-person cost includes buffet
Buy your tickets now! Don’t delay. Seating is limited.
Purchase TicketsEach year, FLVCS awards the Thomas Paine Award to a patriot who follows in the legacy of Thomas Paine to defend our democracy and advance the promise of America.
This year’s Thomas Paine Award winner is
U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin
Rep. Raskin will be the featured speaker. He will be speaking on his role as the lead impeachment manager for the second impeachment of President Donald Trump in response to the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
United States Congressman Jamie Raskin has represented the 8th District of Maryland in the House of Representatives since 2017, having been a member of the Maryland Senate in the ten previous years. Congressman Raskin is a graduate of Harvard College, and, in 1987, a magnum cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School.
Before coming to Congress in 2017 Jamie Raskin taught Constitutional Law at American University, Washington, School of Law, for twenty five years, and in this period he also pursued justice and democratic ideals in wide variety of contexts: he was General Counsel to the Rainbow Coalition founded by Jesse Jackson, in the Maryland Senate he sponsored bills to legalize same sex marriage, to abolish the death penalty, and to legalize medical marijuana. An equal opportunity defender of civil rights, Jamie Raskin represented Ross Perot regarding his exclusion from the 1996 presidential debates. These are but a few of Representative Raskin’s myriad activities in the pursuit of democratic and civil rights and virtues over the last thirty years.
Representative Raskin rose brilliantly to national attention in 2021 as the lead impeachment manager for the Senate trial during Trump’s second impeachment, and this past year as a member of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.
Thomas Paine’s Legacy
The FLVCS party honors the legacy of Thomas Paine who is credited with turning the American rebellion into the American Revolution for Independence through his best selling political tract, Common Sense. He was the first to use the term United States of America. He wrote The Crisis Papers at the behest of General George Washington. Paine’s call to action rallied the Continental Army troops to continue the fight after the retreat and defeat at New York. Contemporaries noted, “Without the pen of Paine, Washington would have wielded his sword in vain.”
Paine believed in war only as a last resort. He was an entrepreneur while always championing the rights of the poor, enslaved, and downtrodden. Paine was the first to suggest social security. He tolerated all religions and strived to do good to make his fellow citizens happy.
About FLVCS
FLVCS is an active veteran’s group. Working with its sister 501 (c)(3), Florida Veterans for Common Sense Fund, Inc. (FLVCS Fund) it has helped sponsor and initiate such projects as Courts Assisting Veterans, the first statewide Women’s Veterans Conference, The Sarasota Stand Down for Homeless Veterans, Green Path Veterans Farms (now-Operation Eco Vets), and Sarasota Urban Reforestation (SURF) that plants Microforests, and more.
FLVCS is a 501 (c)(4). Our priorities are protecting our democracy and combating climate change. Ticket costs are not tax deductible. If you register for the virtual event, you will receive a link to watch the event when your credit card is charged a few days before the party.
Purchase Tickets Now!
Return to FLVCS Calendar