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Wednesday, January 26, 2011
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Issue 10
E D I T O R I A L L Y
Vol. 116
I N D E P E N D E N T
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Noam Chomsky lectures on nation’s problems Topics presented to packed crowd included role of government, public relations aspects of government, he also said it could have very severe consequences. “The most serious case is in Pakistan where there is a threat of radical Islamists getting a hold of nuclear weapons,” he said. Chomsky said this “guiding principle” is not a recent thing, though. “Throughout American history, there has been a constant struggle over who should control and who should obey,” he said. “The Founding Fathers were ambivalent about democracy.” Chomsky added that James Madison, one of the framers of the
he said. “The government is closing plants when they could turn them over to the workers and let them run it for profit.” Student Life Editor He also discussed how history plays a role in today’s public relations and marketing industries. Renowned linguist, philosopher and political activist Noam “By World War I, the business class realized that because of new Chomsky spoke to a packed house Tuesday night. freedoms, it was impossible to control the public by force, so they An emeritus professor of linguistics at Massachusetts Institute of need new means,” he said. “They tried to control of opinion and attiTechnology, Chomsky opened the lecture by telling the audience he tude to divert people from the public arena. This is why the public wanted to address “some serious problems we’re having here at relations industry was started.” home.” Chomsky called elections “The guiding principle (for today “public relations extravAmerican government) is that aganzas.” as long as the public is under “You don’t want to provide control, everything is fine,” he information about the candisaid. “(The traditional argudates; that’s the last thing you ment is) the powerful should want to do,” he said. “So you gain ends by any possible delude people with slogans.” means. As long as the public is In regards to political parkept under control, public will ties, Chomsky said they have doesn’t matter.” shifted sharply to the right. Chomsky referred back to “Democrats today are this principle many times what used to be moderate throughout his lecture and said Republicans, and today’s it was the base of many of the Republicans are so deep in nation’s problems. the pockets of business, you He said the principle was a have to have a magnifying security threat to the U.S. and glass to find them,” he said. was at the root of both terror Chomsky also discussed and the huge military budget tax cuts and their benefit to that is strangling the economy. the wealthy. “The military budget is half “There has been a spectacof the deficit,” Chomsky said. Tia Patron• The Daily Beacon ular increase in wealth in the Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon “The other half is the heavily privatized health care system. Renowned philosopher Noam Chomsky speaks at AMB’s A large crowd consisting of students, faculty and the top 1 percent of the populaWe would not have debt and Cox Auditorium on Tuesday, Jan. 25. Chomsky has written public wait in long lines in the AMB lobby for the doors tion,” he said. “The Bush tax might even have a surplus if we on topics ranging from theoretical roots of syntax to the to Cox Auditorium to open for the Noam Chomsky lec- cuts of 2011 were made to did not have (the health care underpinnings of American hegemony. ture on Tuesday, Jan. 25. The line extended to the bot- benefit the rich but were crafted so people would not system).” tom of the Hill before the auditorium opened. realize what was happening.” Chomsky also discussed terConstitution, was concerned that if He said Social Security rorism and the post-Sept. 11 United States. also plays into this. “Bush said terrorists committed crimes because they hate our free- voters could determine policy, it would challenge the privileged. “This is why he put the power in the hands of the Senate, whose “Social Security is actually in good shape, despite what you read,” doms,” he said. primary task is to protect the opulent minority against the majority,” he said. “The rich want to get rid of Social Security, because it is based Contrary to this statement, Chomsky said that Muslims actually he said. on the principles of compassion and solidarity, and (the spread of hate our policies, not our freedoms. Chomsky also discussed the history of the labor movement and these principles) could be dangerous for the rich.” Chomsky said United States’ policies actually benefit Jihadists. how it applies to issues today. Students said they gained valuable insights from Chomsky’s lec“The U.S. remains Bin Laden’s only ally,” he said. “The United States has a violent labor history,” he said. “The ral- ture. Chomsky discussed the United States’ support of dictatorships in “I though he did a very good job of historically representing what Egypt, Tunisia, Georgia, Jordan and Colombia. He said this too falls lying cry of the late 19th-century labor movement was, ‘Those who work in mills should own them,’” he said. has been covered up in this country,” Cori Kunberger, senior in psyunder the “guiding principle.” Chomsky said this holds significance today, specifically with the chology, said. “A post-Sept. 11 poll showed anger because of U.S. support of dicautomobile industry. Chomsky ended his lecture with a question for the audience. tatorships and blocking democracy,” he said. “Obama took over the auto industry, so the government owns it,” “Will we subject ourselves to the guiding principle?” he said. Though Chomsky said the “guiding principle” was apparent in all
Kristian Smith
Russia increasing airport security Associated Press MOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed “retribution is inevitable” for the suicide bombing that killed 35 people at Russia's busiest airport, while President Dmitry Medvedev demanded robust checks at all transport hubs and lashed out at the airport for lax security. NTV television showed a photograph of what it said was the detached head of the suspected bomber, a man who appeared to be in his 30s. Investigators said DNA testing will be necessary before he can be identified. No claims of responsibility have been made for the attack Monday at Domodedovo Airport, which also left 180 people injured. Suspicion is likely to fall, however, on Islamist separatist insurgents from Chechnya or elsewhere in Russia's restive Caucasus region who have been battling Russian authority for over 15 years. Chechen insurgents have claimed responsibility for previous attacks in Moscow, including a double suicide bombing on the capital’s subway system in March 2010 that killed 40 people. They also have hit Domodedovo Airport before, with two suicide bombers slipping through its security in 2004 to kill 90 people. Authorities in the Czech Republic and Ukraine beefed up airport security Tuesday in response to the blast. The British agency responsible for Europe's busiest airport, London’s Heathrow, refused to comment on any new possible security measures but has said security is always under review. Putin has built much of his reputation on his harsh stance against terror but he did not elaborate on what kind of retribution he had in mind during a government meeting Tuesday. Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon Medvedev described Domodedovo Airport Swimmers ready for the start of a race at UT’s Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic security as being in “a state of anarchy” and said Center on Jan. 22. The Vols’ swimming and diving teams would go on to defeat two its management must bear key responsibility for the security failures that contributed to Monday's top-15 teams, Georgia and Indiana. UT competes next against No. 5 Florida.
blast. Airport management objected, saying transport police were responsible for the inspection of people coming into the international arrivals area where the bombing took place. The Russian president also vowed to fire or discipline government security officials for any lapses. The blast undermines confidence in Russia’s security ahead of Medvedev’s high-profile appearance this week seeking investors at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The attack also called into question Russia’s ability to safely host major international events like the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2018 World Cup. Still, the International Olympic Committee declared Tuesday that it has “no doubt” that Russia will deliver a safe Winter Games in Sochi, even though the Black Sea resort is relatively close to the volatile North Caucasus region. “Security at Sochi 2014 is already highest priority and plans (are) constantly under review,” Sochi organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said. Many athletes, officials and visitors traveling to Sochi will need to take connecting flights in Moscow. Aviation security experts have been warning since the Sept. 11 attacks that the crowds at many airports present a tempting target for suicide bombers. The latest bombing exposed the unprotected underbelly of airport security — the international arrivals area, packed with families, taxi drivers and businesspeople. Few airports in the world control the entrances to such areas. Putin rose to power largely on his toughagainst-terror image, including a famous vow that Chechen rebels would be hunted down and killed “in the outhouse.” But despite launching the second Russia-Chechnya war and pushing harsh against suspected rebels, he was unable to wipe out the Chechen insurgency during his 2000-2008 presidency.