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Show Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 Page 10 Views&Opilli011 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com OurVi ew AboutUS Editor in Chief Patrick Oden Logan Lurker prompts proactive measures News Editor Rachel A. Christensen Assistant News Editor Catherine Meidell F or weeks, the Logan Lurker has been at large. He has hit multiple apartments numerous times. Yet many residents have kept quiet, not wanting to create a hassle for the cops or themselves. Many individuals may feel the information they have is of little or no benefit to the police. It is our duty to speak up and not let these problems continue. By keeping quiet and thinking the cops have other issues to worry about, it's perpetuating the situation and putting other citizens at risk. When situations occur, such as a suspicious man lurking around in your apartment, report the situation to the police as soon as possible. Tell individuals who can help. Keeping quiet will only result in the situation to happen to someone else. Do your job, try to put a stop to it. Be aware of the situation at hand and protect yourself. You may think nothing happens in Logan. Guess again. Protect yourself and your belongings. Lock your door whether you are home. Locking the doors and worrying about a key may seem like a burden, but it is better to be overcautious than not at all. Many things that may not seem like a big deal, are things that need to be looked over and taken seriously. Check your windows every night to make sure they're locked. Do not place valuable belongings in windows that are in plain view to the public. Be aware of the people who come in and out of your apartment. These things may seem a little over the top, but if it prevents your gaming system from being stolen during the night, it is worth the 30 seconds of looking things over. We may think we won't have an encounter with the Logan Lurker, but it may happen. We need to be prepared for such an experience. And if, unfortunately, it happens to you, speak up. Call the police as soon as possible. It will not get better until something is said and the Logan Lurker is not on the streets anymore. Ask Miss Jones Dear Miss Jones, This letter may come to you as a surprise, but I really prayed to God to help me choose somebody that will be my true partner. My name is Augusto Nandu Savimbi. I am the first son of Mr. Jonas Savinbi, the leader of the UNITA movement in Angola. Maybe you know that my father was killed recently in Angola by the Angola government soldiers and has been buried. Two weeks before he died (maybe he know he will die) he called me and showed me a box containing U.S. $35 million and some diamond value about U.S. $18 million. He send the box to a security company overseas in one country in the West, for safe keeping with a false name. He give me the certificate of deposit and the code number. With that I collect the box anytime I want. Now I want because my father is dead, and I need the money to take care of my family left behind of about five wives and 25 children. I am now hiding, as the government of Angola look for me to kill and also the former commanders of my father want to get me also. I have to be careful of my movement that is why I need your help to get the box and keep it until I can escape and meet you and you help me invest the money in your country or where it is good. Akinsheye Savimbi Dear Mr. Savimbi, I know that everyone says it, but truly, I understand the fear you are going through when someone is trying to kill you. In the '60s, I was part of this lovely family living in Spahn Ranch in the Californian desert. We were uniting to fight against the gross injustices being committed to earth. When our leader suggested doing some heinous crimes, I began to question his actual goals. I told my brothers and sisters in the family that I thought what was being planned was wrong. They soon turned against me and told God (that's what we called the leader) what I was saying. God put out an order for me to be killed. When I found out, I ran. I ran and didn't look back. For months I couldn't go anywhere without constantly looking over my shoulder. It was only when the family was arrested, tried and put in jail that I was able to relax. I'm sorry for the loss of your father losing a loved one is always hard. But from your message I can see that you have a strong head on your shoulders. I'm not exactly sure why you're contacting me to help you remove the safety deposit box and I'm pretty sure they don't print The Statesman in Angola, so truthfully I'm a little curious as to who told you about my advice column. Do you happen to know whether you have any ties to Utah? The reason I ask is because your wife and child situation seems pretty familiar. As I wait for your next message, I'll be looking into different investments. Are you looking for a mutual fund, stocks, a CD or maybe some bonds? Best of luck, Akinsheye, stay safe. I hope to hear back from you soon. Good luck and remember: "With as many times as Miss. Jones has been around the block, her directions must be good." E-mail your questions to be answered by Miss Jones to statesman. miss.jones@ gmail.com or find her on Facebook. Features Editor Courtnie Packer Assistant Features Editor Benjamin Wood Sports Editor Connor Jones Assistant Sports Editor Matt Sonnenberg Copy Editor Mark Vuong The sit-ins that changed America: The '60s-era protests that energized the civil rights movement T he "sixties" were understood and, yet, the born on Feb. 1, 1960, most important for today's 50 years ago this young activists. week, when four AfricanWe forget how troubled American college students the civil rights movement staged the first was in January sit-in at a seg1960. It was regated lunch The sit-ins six years after Brown, but counter in owed more Greensboro, fewer than one to Little in 100 black N.C.Sincethen, the mythology students in the Richard and of the '60s has South attended Levi's than to dominated the an integrated Jesus and the school. And idea of youthful activism. Bible during the four Of the three years after the big events of end of the bus the early civil rights move- boycott, Martin Luther ment - the 1954 Brown King Jr. struggled to build v. Board of Education on that victory. Many wordecision, the 1955-56 ried that the civil rights Montgomery bus boycott movement had ground to and the sit-ins - the sit-ins a halt. Then Greensboro have always been the least changed everything. OFAIAN DEFICIT PRONCTION In the time before Twitter, the rapid spread of the sit-ins was shocking. The first sit-in was an impulsive act, led by college students. They spread to Nashville, Atlanta, Miami, Durham, N.C., and Little Rock, Ark. - more than 70 cities and towns in eight weeks. By summer, more than 50,000 people had taken part in one. At the time, this was not just the largest black protest against segregation ever; it was the largest outburst of civil disobedience in American history. The sit-ins rewrote the rules of protest. They were remark- See '60s, page 11 e.. mr, toga51-,, CA24.ECKR,1154.., Photo Editors Pete Smithsuth Steve Sellers Web Editor Karlie Brand About letters • Letters should be limited to 400 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or email address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). Letters will not be printed without this verification. • Letters representing groups - or more than one individual - must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. • Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters - no exceptions. • Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105, or can be e-mailed to United Nations Congo mission at crossroads e U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo is close to losing all credibility. On its 10-year watch, millions of Congolese have been killed or displaced, raped or forced to toil in mines for precious minerals. The U.N. troops, known as MONUC, certainly are not to blame for those atrocities or for the country's civil strife _ rebels from neighboring Rwanda are mostly at fault. But Congolese soldiers fighting the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda, or FDLR, also have been accused of persecuting civilians, and they, unlike the rebels, have had the logistical support of troops provided by the U.N. Sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo at the end of the 1990s, the peacekeepers provide fuel and food, medical aid, transportation and firepower to help government troops retake areas controlled by the FDLR. Their mission: Assist the government and protect civilians. The problem is that those goals sometimes conflict. In November, the U.N. announced it had pulled logistical support for one army unit after determining it had intentionally killed 62 civilians. And last month, Human Rights Watch said that although a notorious lieutenant colonel, Innocent Zimurinda, had reportedly ordered another massacre, he remained in command of a unit receiving rations, fuel and other U.N. support. That's why, when it came time for the Security Council to decide whether to withdraw the peacekeepers or extend their mission, groups Th frequently at odds with one another were united in wanting the U.N. forces out _ international human rights organizations and nongovernmental agencies working in Africa, the Congolese government and even many of the citizens the peacekeepers had been sent to protect. The Security Council, however, in an act of diplomatic dexterity that satisfied no one, late last month extended MONUC's stay, but for only five months instead of the usual year. The question remains: Can the U.N. help the government overcome rebels who torture and kill civilians without assisting, even inadvertently, Congolese soldiers who are allegedly engaged in similar human rights abuses? With the extension, a new phase of MONUC's mission begins this month. It's called "AmaniLeo," Swahili for "Peace Today." Its goals include helping Congolese troops secure territory already liberated from rebels, destabilizing the FDLR and encouraging its recruits to lay down their weapons. And the U.N.'s top official for Congo went there to hold discussions on improving civilian protection. Ten years have seen little success in this area, and many are skeptical that it can be achieved. But that's what has to happen if MONUC's credibility is to be restored. And it has to happen in the next five months. The following editorial appeared in the Jan. 30 edition of The Los Angeles Times. statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu , or click on www.aggietownsquare.com for more letter guidelines and a box to submit letters. (Link: About Us.) Sound Off Leave your comments on the stories and columns you find in The Utah Statesman at aggietownsquare.com |