A federal judge with experience in prominent terrorism cases will speak at the inaugural event of the new Sarasota World Affairs Council.
The Hon. Jon Newman, senior judge of the Second District Court of Appeals in New York City, will speak on “The Federal Courts Confront the War on Terror.” The lecture will be at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Mildred Sainer Pavilion of New College of Florida. A reception will follow from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at College Hall on the New College bayfront.
The Sarasota World Affairs Council, or SWAC, is a member of the largest non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization in the United States dedicated to educating and engaging U.S. residents on global issues. It joins nearly 100 councils across 40 states that reach more than half a million people yearly. SWAC is hosted by the New College Foundation and is a 501(c)3 organization.
Its inaugural event is a lecture in its high-level Foreign Affairs Lecture Program. Judge Newman was the presiding judge in the case of Omar Abdel-Rahman, the “Blind Sheik,” convicted of conspiracy in a terrorism plot. Newman is now involved in the case of four alleged terrorists indicted in New York City.
SWAC plans two more lectures by distinguished international speakers for the spring. In addition, the council is supporting The Great Decisions Program, which is sponsored by the World Affairs Councils. Interested SWAC members meet for weekly for eight small-group discussions of readings with an experienced facilitator. This year’s issues include defense technology, Israel, Turkey, the Islamic awakening, energy independence, food security and climate change, China’s foreign policy, and U.S. trade policy.
To help develop the next generation of peacemakers, SWAC also supports an ongoing program of student-to-student conflict resolution that focuses on developing peer mediation skills. New College students work as mentors to peer mediators in Venice High School, Sarasota High School, and the Sarasota Military Academy.
Because this lecture is an inaugural event, SWAC is offering it free to the public, as well as to SWAC members. College and university students in Sarasota and Manatee counties will have free admission to all of SWAC’s programs. Seating is limited; call 487-4603 or email [email protected] for reservations. Information about membership can be found at www.sarasotawac.org.