thebattalion
news for you b-cs area Register to vote The last day to submit voter registration applications for the College Station city elections ends Oct. 4. Voter application forms can be found online at http:// brazosvotes.org, or obtained at the Voter Registration ofďŹ ce at 300 E. William Joel Bryan Parkway, Bryan, Texas. Victoria Daugherty, special to The Battalion
Police kick off National Night Out The Bryan Police Department and the College Station Police Department, with other organizations, will have an annual kickoff event to prevent crime Saturday. This event is known as National Night Out. The event shows potential criminals that communities are organized and will stand together to ďŹ ght against crime. “What the cities, University and county hope to accomplish is for the community to come together in partnership with local law enforcement,â€? said OfďŹ cer John Agnew, College Station Police Department. “The desired effect is for everyone to come out and have fun and gear up for the actual National Night Out on Oct. 5. ... We hope by having this pre-event, we will get people signed up for their own block party in their neighborhoods.â€? The Bryan-College Station community will be joining more than 15,000 other communities across 50 states and military bases worldwide. “We try to come by and visit every block party to mingle and listen to any problems in your area,â€? Agnew said.
â—? friday,
september 24, 2010
â—? serving
texas a&m since 1893
� first paper free – additional copies $1 �☛ Š 2010 student media
Where the world clashes Coming up
Conflict affects military operations, U.S. image
T
why do so few Americans concur he Israeli/Palestinian with my opening statement? conflict is one of the Because too many Americans definitive issues of fail to recognize just how deeply our time. It doesn’t matthis issue impacts the entire region ter which Middle Eastern and are unwilling to take the time city you might strike up a to truly understand its significance. conversation with a local in, Adam The commander of U.S. central from Cairo to Kabul, one Harpham command, Gen. David Petraeus, thing that will come up with passion and anger is Palestine. senior international laid it out best in his report to the studies major U.S. Armed Services Committee It directly affects U.S. miliin March. tary operations in the Iraqi “The enduring hostilities between Isand Afghan theaters and provides the rael and some of its neighbors present discornerstone of the ideological campaign tinct challenges to our ability to advance for Jihadist violence. So the question is:
our interests ... tensions often flare into violence and large-scale armed confrontations ... foments anti-American sentiment ... Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments ... weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world ... al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support ... [and] gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hizballah and Hamas.� Simply put, the struggle between Israel
◗ The modern history of the conict ◗ Perspectives on the U.S.’s policy on the issue ◗ Aggies who spent this summer in the Middle East
See Conflict on page 6
Obama calls for peace in a year
Photos by Jeffery Frankens — THE BATTALION
Above, a wall in Dheisheh Refugee Camp, south of Bethlehem, displays graffiti pleaing to end the occupation and stop the building of the wall, which Israel is building to separate the two countries of Palestine and Israel. Below, the Dome of the Rock stands on the Temple Mount behind the Western Wall.
Thomas Levitt, special to The Battalion
Ben Feller Associated Press UNITED NATIONS — Grasping for peace, President Barack Obama on Thursday challenged a pessimistic world to overcome decades of shattered promises and help Israelis and Palestinians close a historic deal within a year. “This time will be different,� he declared, offering a nowor-never choice between Mideast stability and perpetual bloodshed. To a hushed audience of global leaders, Obama made Mideast peace the dominant theme of his yearly address to the U.N. General Assembly, a sign of the fragile state of the latest talks and the importance he attaches to their success. Nearly every other topic of his international agenda was shoved to the margins, save for a vigorous call for support of human rights. In a message to allies and foes alike, Obama devoted the final passage of his speech to a need for people to live freely, and he warned that “we will call out those who suppress ideas.� While he spoke of tyranny by the Taliban and in North Korea, he did not single out allies that the U.S. has accused of repressing their people, such as Russia and China. With fresh Mideast peace talks seemingly on the brink of collapse, Obama took on skeptics directly. He challenged
Israelis and Palestinians to make compromises, exhorted supporters on both sides to show real backing instead of empty talk and painted a grim picture of what will happen if the current effort is consigned to the long list of failed attempts. “If an agreement is not reached, Palestinians will never know the pride and dignity that comes with their own state,� Obama said. “Israelis will never know the certainty and security that comes with sovereign and stable neighbors. ... More blood will be shed. This Holy Land will remain a symbol of our differences instead of our common humanity.� The speech came amid a wider burst of presidential diplomacy in New York. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed an afternoon session of the assembly. At one point he said that some in the world have speculated that Americans were actually behind the Sept. 11 terror attacks and that they were staged in an attempt to assure Israel’s survival. At that, the U.S. delegation walked out. The search for Mideast peace always tests the limits of U.S. presidential power, and this time is no different. There See United Nations on page 6
Northside halls to be torn down for new residence Connie Thompson Special to The Battalion On-campus living is the preferred residence choice of many Aggies. For some, their choices may be limited come August 2011, but not for long. Demolition for Crocker, Moore and McInnis halls is scheduled for summer 2011 to allot space for a state-ofthe-art residence facility. In 2007, the Department of Residence Life and the Residence Hall Association student leadership conducted a campus-wide study and generated short- and long-term plans for enhancing the on-campus student living environment. These plans pushed for high-quality, long-term living options for students to ensure on-campus facilities continue to be the choice in student accommodations.
See Construction on page 2
manhattan txfr 2mor nite in rudder. ask 4 student rush & get $10 tix. Pg. 1-09.24.10.indd 1
McInnis Hall is one of three residence halls to be demolished in 2011. The halls are being torn down to make room for a new hall.
The 600-bed Northside residence, yet to be named, is scheduled to open in August 2013. Crocker, Moore and McInnis halls house approximately the same number as the new facility. The hall will be Texas A&M’s first new residence facility since 1989. The capital plan for the project, which was approved at the Board of Regents meeting in July, is estimated to cost $58 million. “Building a new Northside residence hall is the next major step in our ongoing effort to enhance service to our students living on campus,� said Chareny Rydl, director of Residence Life. “The new facility also will allow us to better manage increased campus enrollment projections, create desired academic enhancement and collaboration Meagan O’Toole-Pitts — THE BATTALION
Rush tickets avail at MSC Box OďŹƒce! THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER IN CONCERT
Sponsored by
Tomorrow Night! Š‡’–‡�„‡” Ťŧ ŊĨżŢ Š—††‡” —†‹–‘”‹—�
‹Â?‹–‡† Â?—Â?„‡” ‘ˆ ”—•Š –‹…Â?‡–• ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡Ċ Š—•Š –‹…Â?‡–• ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡ ˆ”‘Â? 10 AM – 7 PM today at MSC Box OďŹƒce. Student ID required. ‹Â?‹– ĹŚ –‹…Â?‡–• ’‡” •–—†‡Â?–Ċ —•Š ‘懔 Â?‘– ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡ ‘Â? ™‡„Ċ
9/23/10 8:33 PM