Wednesday, November 10, 2004

by Greg Leiserson
Managing Editor

Early last Thursday morning, a resident of Worth dormitory opened his door to find three intruders, one of whom was armed with what is believed to have been a handgun, who asked about his identity and about drug-related activity. The three searched his room and then left without further incident.

As a result, Director of Public Safety Owen Redgrave is encouraging students to remain mindful of two approaches to campus safety: locking doors and reporting suspicious behavior. Redgrave said that he believes the community does a good job of reporting suspicious behavior to Public Safety, which investigates such reports on a regular basis, but that students remain unconvinced that the hassle of locking doors is worth the added safety.

One of the advantages Redgrave sees in a close-knit community such as Swat is the large number of community members, including faculty, who are concerned about the overall well-being of the community and who report suspicious behavior. However, he noted that it is difficult to say when a crime has been prevented.

Redgrave said that he believes this incident to be the first campus incident involving a handgun since an armed robbery four years ago.

In an email to campus RAs, the Deans suggested that students exercise discretion in providing access to the dorms for people they do not recognize. Students may refuse access to a visitor, and they are encouraged to do so if they don’t recognize the individual and s/he does not look to be an appropriate age for a college student.

The Swarthmore Police Department is doing the primary investigation for the incident, but Redgrave says that he is unaware of any significant developments at this time.

*****

by Micaela Baranello
Gazette Reporter

Dr. Jerrold M. Post spoke yesterday on the “socio-cultural underpinnings of terrorist psychology” to a large audience in the Scheuer Room. Dr. Post, a psychiatrist, has worked with many government agencies, including the CIA, and Garth Sheldon-Coulson ’07 described him as one of the premier experts in political psychology in his introduction. Dr. Post’s talk, entitled “When Hatred is Bred in the Bone” touched on the different varieties of terrorism, their causes and aims, and measures that can be taken against them.

Dr. Post said that terrorism first began in the late 1960s and early 70s. His definition of terrorism, a criminal act by a subnational group aimed at non-combatants, often with a symbolic meaning and intended for a larger audience and influence, requires the modern media to be effective. Mass media, Dr. Post said, are not only observers but active participants in terrorist acts because of their efforts to publicize the results through news stories.

Dr. Post then outlined different types of terrorism, labeling the perpetrators casually as “crazies, criminals and crusaders.” It is the crusaders who most interest him. He divided them into several groups by their aims, including groups such as right wing terrorists and religious extremists. Dr. Post emphasized that “The Cause is Not the Cause,” meaning that people do not become terrorists because of their belief in a cause but because of some other social problem.

Dr. Post then addressed the kinds of societies that foster terrorism, focusing on Palestine, where children are indoctrinated to the Palestinian cause and trained to use weapons from a tragically young age. Religious fundamentalists’ aim, he emphasized, is to eliminate modernity rather than create dialogue. He described how Islamic suicide bombers can consider themselves to be martyrs instead of considering themselves to be committing suicide, an act prohibited by the Koran.
He described the structure of Al Qaeda, where any empty spot caused by capture can easily be filled. He called the Bush claim that 75 percent of Al Qaeda leaders have been captured or killed as “nonsense.” Even with the capture of bin Laden, Post argued, Al Qaeda depends on the appeal of Islamic terrorism rather than his personal charisma. For counter terrorism measures, Dr. Post proposed stopping recruiters, promoting dissent in existing groups, reducing external support for terrorist groups, and protecting vulnerable groups from terrorists.

Dr. Post’s somber closing was that the only way to fully eliminate terrorism is to eliminate democracy. Thus the only course of action available is to do our best to reduce it. A short question-and-answer session followed the lecture.

*****

* Attorney General John Ashcroft announced yesterday that he would resign from the top Justice Department post. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans will also not return for Bush’s second term. Ashcroft has been a very high-profile attorney general, often coming under intense criticism for perceived disrespect to civil rights. Larry Thompson, currently serving as deputy attorney general, is the favorite for Ashcroft’s job, which would make him the first black attorney general. Ashcroft said in a note to President Bush that “The demands of justice are both rewarding and depleting.” It has been suggested that Ashcroft never forged strong bonds with the Bush White House, and that he politicized his office excessively. Mercer Reynolds, a businessman from hard-won swing state Ohio and Bush’s campaign finance chairman, is considered the leading candidate for Evans’s position.

* Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat is teetering on the brink of death in a deep coma. It is doubted that he will ever recover. Palestinian leaders are seeking to bury him in Ramallah, which is seen as a concession to Israel as Arafat has previously sought a burial sight in Jerusalem. His condition is still a bit mysterious, with many conflicting reports emerging over the past few weeks. Last night he suffered a brain hemorrhage and his death is considered imminent. The Palestinian Authority has indicated that they would not consider euthanasia if he remains in his coma for a long time, but their exact actions remain unclear.

* In Iraq, Americans have wrested around one third of Falluja from the insurgents over the past two days. Despite claims by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that Iraqi forces are leading the attacks and the US is providing support, the New York Times suggests that the reality is the opposite, with Iraqis mostly searching houses after battles end. The US last tried to reclaim Falluja last April, but reports of enormous civilian casualties stopped the action. Insurgents have controlled the city since May. At least 10 American soldiers and two Iraqi soldiers have been confirmed dead so far. “It is shaping up to be the biggest battle in a couple of weeks,” Jon Stewart of the Daily Show claims.

*****

Free Culture Fest: Mark Hosler, founding member of the band Negativland, lectures: “Adventures in Illegal Art: Creative Media Resistance and Negativland”
Science Center 101, 5:00 p.m.

Indian film screening: “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”
LPAC 301, 7:00 p.m.

Orville Schell lectures: “Rights issues in China and Tibet”
LPAC Cinema, 8:00 p.m.

Tai Chi class
Upper Tarble, 8:00 p.m.

Film Society movie screening
Science Center 101, 9:00 p.m.

Rhythm N Motion workshop: Dance Hall
Dance Studio in LPAC, 9:00 p.m.

VOX (Swarthmore Voices for Choice) meeting
Kohlberg 302, 9:15 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

Today:
Men’s Soccer hosts Lebanon Valley in ECAC Quarterfinal, 7:00 p.m.

Tomorrow:
There are no contests scheduled for tomorrow.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved.”
–John Ashcroft, in his letter of resignation dated November 2

*****

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