Technician
monday october
10 2011
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Students, faculty support Occupy Raleigh protest Students and Raleigh citizens come together to Occupy Raleigh and fight corporate greed.
courtesy of Department of defense
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Capt. Mark Moretti sits hand-in-hand with Shamshir Khan, one of the most senior Korengal Valley elders, April 13, at the Korengal Outpost in Kunar province, Afghanistan. Unlike conventional wars, the counterinsurgency strategy of Afghanistan requires collaboration with agencies of the Afghan government and local tribal leaders.
Ten years after invasion Between 10 years of fighting, rebuilding and headshaking, victory looks to be subtle yet unconfirmed. Mark Herring Features Editor
The terms victory in Afghanistan and the redevelopment of the broken nation seemed far simpler 10 years ago to Army Lt Col Kenneth Ratashak, former commander of the N.C. State Army ROTC detachment. However, the mission of combating al-Qaeda and those who support
them—the Taliban—has remained unchanged. “The Primary goal—get rid of alQaeda and dislodge the Taliban to undermine the safe haven for them to train,” Ratashak said. “That’s why we entered Afghanistan and we are still working to do this.”
The trials of nation-building According to Ratashak, the only changes in Afghanistan are the strategies to achieve this goal, and after 10 years, the war has evolved into a mission of nation building. After driving the Taliban out of power and helping install a parlia-
mentary government under Hamid Karzai, the war shifted to one of securing the country and building infrastructure. “First, you have to gain stability and gain trust between the people and their government,” Ratashak said. “Then create the stability of economic systems so that the government and people of Afghanistan could run their own country in a stable and sustainable manner.” But according to Ratashak, the unforeseen obstacles of warfare, cultural subtleties and the history
invasion continued page 5
surveying the land
700 protesters were arrested at the Brooklyn Bridge as Occupiers attempted to cross. There have also been accounts of police pepper-spraying and beating protesters. As a testament to the movement’s Will Brooks diversity, Congressman Brad Miller Staff Writer appeared at the Occupy Raleigh meetHundreds of people gathered down- ing. It looked as if the movement had town in Moore Square last Sunday to brought people from ages 15 to 65 of begin a local addition to the protests all genders and all ethnicities. Dick Reavis, professor of journalthat have “occupied” most of Ameriism, participated in the Civil Rights ca’s major cities. Students and citizens are fed up with movement of the 1960s, and he also the United States government and participated in last Wednesday’s walkits role in supporting large corpora- out. Reavis believes that the Occupy tions. Occupy Raleigh was formed as protests are very similar in nature to a response to the Occupy Wall Street the student-led protests of the 1960s protests that began Sept. 17 in New in which he took part. “These kids are doing the right York City. Ryan Thomson, a graduate student thing, and I want to help them out,” in sociology, immediately became Reavis said. The Occupy active in Occupy protests could be Raleigh’s student seen as disorgaeffort. nized, but both “[We’re t he O c c upie r s aga inst] capiand the numertalism as it curous issues being rent ly ex ists,” protested are so Thomson said, diverse that there “It’s absolutely is no recognizable disgusting that Dick Reavis, journalism professor. structure. The apthe top percent pearance of disorcan control so much wealth while people are being ganization has caused these strongminded citizens to be seen as a motley kicked out of their houses.” Thomson led a student discussion crew, but they are hopeful that as their in Moore Square Sunday and staged objectives become clearer to the puba walkout last Wednesday. He has also lic, this image could change. Thomson explains that the Occupy gathered students to advertise Occupy Raleigh with flyers reading, “We are Wall Street protests began as an exthe 99 percent,” the motto of the Oc- pression of anger toward the system, but now they are a way for citizens to cupy movement. Protesters are fed up with the federal express their wants and needs. There system, and with a broad problem-set will be a vote to see which issues comes a broad range of protesters. should be on the forefront of protest; Thomson explained that the range of this will allow issues to come afloat protestors includes Tea Partiers, An- rather than broad discontent. At the walkout, Tara Beck, a senior archists, Socialists and many others. This protest was conceived by no in international studies, explained more than word of mouth and Face- how corporate greed has affected her book. It came together swiftly, not personally. “I’ve seen what a corrupt system can just in Raleigh, but also all around do,” Beck said, “My parents are a halfthe country. Citizens gathered to speak one-by- million dollars in medical debt, and one in Moore Square, and it appeared I have family who have been working that everyone at the meeting wanted jobs for 20 years who have been laid to express their disappointment with off.” Savage believes that college-age stuthe current capitalist system. One speaker, Hunter Savage, had just ar- dents could make a huge difference in rived from New York City after a day Occupy protests. “The youth is a huge in the center of the protest on Wall part of this movement. We need to be, because we’re the future,” Savage said. Street. Occupy Raleigh has plans to begin “I spent one day in New York, I spent all of my money to go, I haven’t slept major protests on Oct. 15. Students since Friday and it was totally worth interested in involvement are encouraged to stay updated through the Ocit,” Savage said. Savage explained that in New York cupy Raleigh Facebook group. he was often surrounded by police and thought himself lucky not to have been beaten or arrested. On Oct. 2,
“These kids are doing the right thing, and I want to help them out.”
insidetechnician Being Afghan-American See page 6.
Football is ‘Back in Black’ See page 8.
Volleyball drops third and fourth consecutive matches See page 8.
jordan moore/Technician
Senior in construction engineering, Sam Brewer levels a surveying tool for his CE 301 class Wednesday. Brewer was doing an open traverse — a surveying technique requiring him to take multiple measurements across an area of land.
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