THE BEACON MAY 2012
SPRING!
ISSUE 4
The Unabomber: Story of a One-Man Wolf Pack Gone Wrong By Kimberly & Michelle Mehrtens Staff Writers
The Evolution of Ted Kaczynski
from college (1968) to prison (1999)
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he last Dom Luke Childs lecture of the year introduced a fascinating and terrifying look into the mind of a domestic terrorist. On April 23, 2012, former FBI agents John Behnke ’76 and Terry Turchie discussed their involvement in the infamous “Unabomber” case. They provided first-hand accounts of the notorious criminal, Ted Kaczynski, as well as photographs of his living quarters and copies of his detailed notes. It was an electrifying talk that revealed the persona, the mentality, of a real-life villain. Rather than watch an episode of “CSI” or “Law & Order,” students were able to witness an actual study of a felon—one who terrorized the United States for eighteen years. Mr. Turchie, a former deputy assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI, centered his presentation mainly on the elaborately detailed and vengeful workings of the Unabomber, as well as his own personal involvement in the FBI investigation. In 1978, a supposed solitary bombing incident at the University of Chicago expanded to subsequent bombings over the years; these bombings grew more advanced and extended to locations such as Salt Lake City and San Francisco. The situation had become what Mr. Turchie called “a bureau-nature case.” Over the years, three people were killed
and twenty-three were injured. In 1994, Mr. Turchie and Mr. Behnke worked together on the case. The Unabomber wrote letters to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Penthouse Magazine stating that he would cease bombing only if at least one of them published his “Terrorist Manifesto.” Mr. Turchie and Mr. Behnke encouraged the newspapers to do so in order to gain more clues, and they were right. Though the FBI had a list of 2,416 Unabomber suspects and thousands of documents within the case, it was only after this manifesto publication that Kaczynski’s brother approached them, recognizing in it the same format of letters he and his brother had exchanged in the past. Analysts pored over the letters, comparing them with the terrorist’s work, and recognized the match. The lead took them to Lincoln, Montana—to a cabin in the woods, where Kaczynski resided. Mr. Turchie and other agents approached Kaczynski and handed him a search warrant; there was no struggle. Upon entering the cabin, they discovered it had no running water, no computer, and no utilities; but it did have a homemade assembly line of parts necessary to build a bomb, as well as a packaged bomb underneath Kaczynski’s bed. The FBI also found written confessions of his crimes, as well as musings behind
Greta ‘12 and Will Behnke ‘15 and their uncle John Behnke ‘76 with his FBI partner Terry Turchie after the Dom Luke Childs Lecture
The Headmaster Search Matthew Benevides Staff Writer
S
ince Dr. James DeVecchi announced his retirement, we have all wondered who will take over the role of Headmaster. Students hope for someone who can embrace twentyfirst century ideas, while faculty and staff seek a superior administrator who can enhance the educational quality
and increase the reputation of the Abbey far outside of New England. As we follow our daily schedule, a group of selected people and a hired Search Consultant work together as Dr. Timothy Flanigan, a member of the Board of Regents, says, “to find the best overall candidate.” The Portsmouth Abbey Headmaster Search Committee and Mr. Lawrence W. Becker, the Senior Search
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his actions—which stemmed from vengeance. Those papers revealed Kaczynski as a detached, analytical mastermind who despised technology. The presenter underlined that the terrorist disliked the noise of airplanes, of motorcycles, and believed that technology was destroying the world; anyone or anything that encouraged further advancement in these endeavors meant to brainwash people, and should thus be punished as well. On a slideshow, Mr. Turchie showed excerpts from Kaczynski’s notes, in which he celebrated a victim’s death and mentioned how “flattered” he was at the pricey reward offered for any information about himself, the Unabomber. In another, Kaczynski stressed that he was not insane and feared the possibility of being “misrepresented” as such. Later in court, already diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic by a psychologist, Kaczynski refused to be regarded as mentally ill. As advised by his lawyer, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a lifetime in jail without parole. Mr. Behnke and Mr. Turchie effectively stressed the importance of relationships in their lives—something Kaczynski greatly lacked. As speculated by psychiatrists, Kaczynski’s use of “we” to refer to himself in writing and his participation in his one-man terrorist group “FC” signified that even he could not cope with the inability to connect with other people. These strategies implied an outlet through which Kaczynski imagined himself as part of a group, a relationship. When asked how he handled his own persistent and demanding commitment to this case, Mr. Turchie replied that people had to forge trusting relationships with others and then “surround yourself with them because then there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.” Mr. Behnke paused before giving his advice and thoughtfully acknowledged that everyone faces professional and personal challenges in life, pointing out the unique quality Portsmouth Abbey School gives to its students. This quality lies in providing students with the “innate ability to face these problems,” or “the ability to have faith that equips you for the challenges in life and equips you to grapple with these difficulties.”
Consultant for Carney, Sandoe & Associates, head the search for the new Headmaster. The Search Committee includes nine members of the Board of Regents and two elected faculty and administration members. The Search Committee meets regularly for a search update and to hear what interest they have received. The role of the faculty representative, Dr. Michael Bonin, is to speak on behalf of the faculty and what they desire or fear in a new Headmaster, and the ad-
ministration representative, Mr. Patrick Burke, performs a similar task for the administration and Abbey staff. Mr. Lawrence W. Becker receives daily calls from possible candidates, and he travels far and wide to find a suitable Headmaster. Mr. Becker works for a recruitment firm that was incorporated in 1977 and has worked successfully with 1,500 schools to provide more than 28,500 people with careers. Mr. Becker re-
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Portsmouth Abbey School 285 Cory’s Lane Portsmouth, RI 02871 (401) 683-2000 www.portsmouthabbey.org
Backdrop to a Crisis By Eden Franz Staff Writer
Fierce violence between the Syrian government and several opposition groups has drawn global attention in the past year. Resentment against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad for failing to enact the reforms he promised upon assuming office in 2000 has resulted in nine thousand fatalities on both sides of this civil strife. The United Nations has made several attempts to encourage a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, but with little success, leaving the question of whether or not the west should simply allow events to play out in this bloody fashion to clear the way for much-needed reform in Syria. The matter is further complicated by the broader implications of the conflict in Syria for other nations in the Middle East, including their neighbor and ally Iran. Syria, originally comprised of Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Palestine and most of modern Israel, was reduced in size greatly during the first World War when France and the United Kingdom took nearly half of the entire country for themselves. Lebanon was not separated from Syria by the French until the 1920s, and relations between the two countries remains strained because Syria has not truly recognized Lebanon’s independence. The current Assad regime came into power in 1970 with the senior Assad’s successful coup, thanks to an almost entirely Alawi military. The Alawis, an offshoot of Shia Islam, mix Muslim teachings with Christianity, and are a minority in Syria to which the Assads belong. Seventy-five percent of all Syrians are Sunni Muslims, who regard the Alawis as little more than heretics. Despite Syria’s exclusive political system, in which the Ba’ath Arab Socialist Party (the elite Alawis) is designated as the sole leader of Syrian society and government, the Assad regime has become Syria’s only stable government since World War II. The recent violence appears to be the result of a decade of frustration at Bashar al-Assad’s failure to carry out promised reforms. Actual events are difficult to confirm because Syria restricts international press access. A number of journalists who have gained entry have been wounded or killed in the violence they were attempting to document. However, social media in supplement to reports from the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) has proved invaluable in updating the Cont’d P4
Gendered Violence in Bangladesh By Kimberly Mehrtens Staff Writer On April 4, 2012, Elora Halim Chowdhury came to UMass Dartmouth to deliver a presentation about acid attacks against women and girls in Bangladesh. A Women’s Studies class sparsely filled the small classroom and the relaxed atmosphere seemed to intensify the feeling of informality; some students had even brought snacks. However, the focus soon became serious as Professor Chowdhury, an Associate Professor of Women’s Studies at UMass Boston, began her lecture. She commenced her slideshow with a picture of her recent book Transnationalism Reversed (SUNY Press, 2011), which delves into the subjects of gendered violence, transnational feminisms, and human rights advocacy (with emphasis on South Asia). Using this as a reference point, she elaborated on the touching points of her slideshow. She described how acid attacks have recently been gaining global media coverage from the Oprah Winfrey Show to the BBC, and how on her recent trip to Bangladesh she was able to interview many female victims. These women’s stories told of several different reasons for such attacks: rejection of sexual advances, refusal of marriage proposals, family or land disputes, and dowries that were not paid. These “reasons” for acid attacks have left many women permanently disfigured, some even going blind. However, many times the victims were never the source of the dispute. In Bangladesh—where 31.5% of the population lives under the poverty line (HIES 2010)—many families sleep together in the same bed, and one of the most active times for acid attacks are at night. One woman, whose face was permanently disfigured, had been sleeping with her sister and cousin in bed when a rejected suitor of her cousin threw a cup of acid through the empty window frame at their faces. The woman got the full brunt of it while her sister and cousin were splashed. When they tried to press charges, the man, who had friends in the government, was protected and hid-
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