Published: Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009

Updated: Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009

Graham to kick off speakers series

Former Florida governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham on Wednesday will kick off a speakers series organized by a Sarasota public affairs organization.

In an interview last week, Graham said he wasn’t sure what would be the topic of his speech before the Forum Truth organization, but his 38-year career in public service plus his post-retirement activities offer plenty of fodder.

For instance, he recently co-wrote a book, “America, the Owner’s Manual: Making Government Work for You.”

Using 11 case studies, Graham said the book is designed “to provide to people who want to be more than spectators in democracy ... a road map of how to do that.”

The challenge in getting more people involved in the system is that too many people do not have the basic skills or knowledge about American civics, Graham said.

“I think one of the reasons why there has been such a decline in citizenship ... is because people are intimidated about being involved,” Graham said. “They never learned the skills of citizenship.”

For the past two years, Graham has chaired a special government commission studying the threat of bio-terrorism and other weapons of mass destruction against the United States.

He said the recent response to outbreaks of H1N1 flu show the United States is not doing enough to protect itself.

Officials knew more than six months ago that H1N1 would be a problem this winter, but “in spite of that, the president just declared an emergency, all over the country people are lining up to get shots and there is not enough vaccine available,” Graham said.

“If it is a man-made pandemic, we will have zero time to respond,” Graham warned.

“If we are not ready when that moment arrives, the game is over.”

Graham has remained active in public life as a lecturer, author and senior statesman since retiring from the U.S. Senate in 2004 after 18 years of service.

Earlier this month, Graham and fellow former governors Jeb Bush, Bob Martinez and Reubin Askew joined in a campaign to lobby state lawmakers to restore funding for the Florida Forever land acquisition and conservation program.

Graham’s speech is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota.

Other speakers slated for the Forum Truth series include Time magazine reporter Mark Thompson, Jan. 7; journalist and author Hedrick Smith, Feb. 4; and journalist and commentator Cynthia Tucker, March 24.

Tickets Graham’s speech are $20 for Forum Truth members, and $25 for non-members.

For more information, visit ForumTruth.org or call (941) 349-8350.