The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
NEWS BRIEFS
WASHINGTON
Obama to shut
down Guantanamo
detention center
President Barack Obama will
begin overhauling U.S. national
security policy today with orders to
close the Guantanamo Bay deten-
tion center, review military trials
of terror suspects and end harsh
interrogations, two government
officials said.
Together, the three executive
orders and a presidential directive
will reshape how the United States
prosecutes and questions al-Qaida,
Taliban or other foreign fighters
who pose a threat to Americans.
A senior Obama administra-
tion official said the president
would sign an order today to shut-
ter the Guantanamo prison within
one year, fulfilling his campaign
promise to close a facility that crit-
ics around the world say violates
domestic and international detain-
ee rights. The aide spoke on con-
dition of anonymity because the
order has not yet been issued.
A draft copy of the order,
obtained Wednesday by The Asso-
ciated Press, notes that "in view of
significantcconcerns raised by these
detentions, both within the United
States and internationally, prompt
and appropriate disposition of the
individuals currently detained at
Guantanamo and closure of the
facility would further the national
security and foreign policy inter-
ests of the United States and the
interests of justice."
WASHINGTON
Senate confirms
Clinton as
secretary of state
The Senate confirmed Hillary
Rodham Clinton as secretary of
state yesterday as President Barack
Obama moved to make his imprint
on U.S. foreign policy, mobilizing a
fresh team of veteran advisers and
reaching out to world leaders.
The Senate voted 94-2, with
Republican Sens. David Vitter of
Louisiana and Jim DeMint of South
Carolina opposing.
Republicans and Democrats
alike said her swift confirmation
was necessary so that Obama could
begin tackling the major foreign
policy issues at hand, including
two wars, increased violence in
the Middle East and the threat of a
nuclear-armed Iran.
"It is essential that we pro-
vide the president with the tools
and resources he needs to effect
change, and that starts with put-
ting a national security team in
place as soon as possible," said Sen.
John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of
the Foreign Relations Committee.
Obama's presidential rival, Sen.
John McCain, was among those
who spoke in Clinton's favor.
ALBANY, N.Y.
Kennedy decides
she won't bid for
NY Senate seat
Caroline Kennedysayssheisdrop-
ping out of a bid to win appointment
to the U.S. Senate seat once held by
her slain uncle, Bobby Kennedy.
In a statement released early
today, she says she told Gov. David
Paterson that she is abandoning her
attempt to succeed Hillary Rodham
Clinton for personal reasons.
Her uncle, Sen. Edward Kenne-
dy, suffered a seizure on Inaugura-
tion Day.
Spokesmen for Caroline Kennedy
and for Paterson, who will make the
appointmenttofilltheseat,wouldn't
comment.
MAGEE
From Page 1A
later, Magee carries with him the
same mindset as he begins over-
seeing this campus's safety.
"I would like to make the place
saferthanitalreadyis," Mageesaid.
"I want to enhance the department
to make it more visible, to look at
the police officers as partners in
the whole social sector of govern-
ment services.
"I want people to feel very com-
fortable," he added, "from the
youngest freshman to the oldest
grad student."
In March of last year, Bill Bess,
the director of DPS at the time,
announced his retirement. Shortly
after, Hank Baier, associate vice
president of Facilities and Opera-
tions, appointed a search commit-
tee to finda replacement for Bess as
the head of DPS.
After screening about 250 can-
didates from colleges and uni-
versities across the country, the
committee's search was eventually
scaled down to six. Those six were
brought to Ann Arbor to be inter-
viewed in person. The number
was then cut to two, leaving Laura
Wilson, chief of police at Stanford
University, and Magee as the final
candidates for the position.
"When we saw Ken Magee,"
Baier said in an interview this
month, "what was most intriguing
to us, he has a professional resume,
but most impressive to us was he
grew up in the community."
Magee was born in Ann Arbor
in 1958 and grew up in his parent's
home just off of Hill Street. His
father, a neurologist at the Univer-
sity Hospital and a professor in the
Medical School, and his mother,
who received her master's degree
in social work from the University,
indoctrinated him in the ways of
maize and blue at a very young age.
"When you're born and raised in
this town, you develop a very, very
deep interest and love and affec-
tion for the University," Magee said
with a grin. "As a little boy growing
up, the campus was my playground.
I would ride my bike down to the
Diag every day."
"You'd ride your bike to a vend-
ing machine somewhere on cam-
pus, whether it be at the Union or
whatever," he said. "As an eight- or
nine-year-old boy you could do that
back then."
Magee began his education as a
youngboy at Angell Elementary on
South University Avenue, and later
attended Tappan Junior High,
finally graduating from Huron
High School in 1975.
After high school, Magee moved
to East Lansing and enrolled in
Michigan State University, begin-
ning the first phase of a 33-year-long
journey that would eventually bring
him right back to where he started.
Magee received his bachelor's
in criminal justice from MSU in
1979, graduating with high hon-
ors. The summer after graduation
he attended the police academy
at Grand Valley State University
where he was elected student body
president, graduating at the top of
his class.
"I enjoyed the heck out of it,"
Magee said of his time at the acad-
emy. "And then I was fortunate
enough, shortly thereafter, almost
a year later, to be hired by the Jack-
son Michigan Police Department."
Magee spent four years in Jack-
son - four emotional, trying years.
Four years that found him laid off
for a period of time due to budget
cuts. Four years that produced
two shootings - one of which was
a half a world away - that both
greatly affected his career. And
four years that helped to shape and
define his life.
In February of 1982, Craig Scott, a
28-year-old Michigan state trooper,
pulled over a speeding car on U.S.
Route 127, just outside of Jackson.
After the driver failed to produce a
registration for the vehicle, which
turned out to be stolen, Scott attempt-
ed to place him under arrest.
As Scott was helping the suspect
into the back of his patrol car, the
passenger of the vehicle pulled a
.38-calibre revolver from his back
pocket, snuck up behind the troop-
er and fired three rounds into his
back from three feet away.
At the time of the incident,
Magee was driving along the
highway on his way to MSU for a
graduate school course in criminal
justice.
When he saw Scott's abandoned
patrol car on the side of the road,
Magee pulled over and exited his
vehicle, stumbling upon the fallen
state trooper.
"I got out, I rendered first aid to
trooper Scott and got on his police
radio and radioed out our loca-
tion," Magee said. "And Craig, he
died in my arms on the way to the
hospital."
After leaving Jackson in 1983,
Magee applied to become a federal
agent, receiving his first post in
Detroit.
As an undercover agent for the
DEA, Magee worked on the
largest cocaine and marijuana
bust in the history of Michi-
gan, confiscating nearly 600
kilograms of cocaine and about
9 tons of marijuana on Sept. 3,
1987.
Magee was transferred to
Bogota, Colombia in 1988, start-
ing a tw
would e'
In Bo
DEA, se
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and sho
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state tr
the side
Charles
McCulle
from th
gena, Co
taken to
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"T
IW
thi
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hip and
McCullo
and thrc
escaped
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"I wa
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agent as
Rene Be
Magee a
and Mc(
get whai
After
case, Ma
itez sev
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was cap
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during h
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co-year tour of duty that spectator and wounded 111 others.
ventually turn into seven. "It just so happened I was very
got, Magee worked for the near the bomb when the bomb went
arching for Rene Benitez, off," Magee said. "I worked on the
responsible for kidnapping little girl that lived, and I worked
oting two federal agents. on her mother that died."
bruary of 1982, the same Several years later, Magee was
hat Magee held the dying selected as the only federal agent
ooper in his arms along to testify against Eric Rudolph, the
of the road, DEA agents man responsible for the bombing.
Martinez and Kelley And then on April 16, 2002,
ough were kidnapped while he was stationed in the Pacif-
eir hotel rooms in Carta- ic Northwest, working as a super-
lombia by drug traffickers, visor for the DEA, Magee received
a remote location and shot news that his older brother, Bobby,
blank range. had died of a drug overdose.
although they were shot But despite the obvious emo-
times, Martinez in the tional and psychological damages
that come with losing a loved one, a
brother, Magee has taken the expe-
his is where rience and used it for good.
"I figured it would be advanta-
as born, and geous to take personal tragedies
and turn them into professional
is is where I treasures," Magee said. "And that's
what's happened in my family, and
ant to die." some of the things I've seen with
my own eyes. Take those personal
tragedies and make professional
treasures by utilizing those sto-
i through the chest and ries and examples to interact with
sugh in the knee, groin young people, or people who have
ough the neck, both agents substance abuse problems."
and recovered from their That is something Magee con-
tirnually stresses, using misfortune,
s very, very adamant that using personal tragedies and tak-
s one of my goals as an ing those experiences to help the
ssigned to Bogota, to see people around you.
enitez brought to justice," For Magee, it's not about the
aid. "I promised (Martinez adventure and the mystique. It's
Cullough) I would not for- not about the awards or the recog-
t happened to them." nition either. It's about the people,
years of working on the helpingthem feel safe and secure.
gee eventually caughtBen- So instead of slowing down and
en years later, in October settling in at the age of 50, when
ling it "one of the proudest, federal agents are eligible to retire,
s" of his career. Magee knew he was going to con-
96, one year after Benitez tinue to use his more than 25 years
tured, Magee was assigned of experience, and he knew exactly
at the Summer Olympics where he was going to use it.
ta. Magee's only night off "That's why I came home,"
is time in Atlanta was the Magee said. "It is home and it's a
f the Centennial Olympic wonderful place tobe and I bring a
)mbing, which killed one lot of those experiences that I had
Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 3A
on the road, for many, many years,
almost three decades."
Magee didn't know in what sort
of capacity he would be working
in Ann Arbor, he just knew that he
wanted to come back to the place
of his childhood. Magee said it
was just a matter of coincidence
that when he decided to return,
the position at the University was
available.
And with just a couple of months
as the department's new head,
Magee said he already has a clear
vision to enhance the department.
"My goal is to bring additional
investigative expertise here, my
goal is to eventually take a fresh
look at substance abuse problems
and problems that occur here with-
in the community," Magee said.
"My goal, additionally, is to take a
look at other crime-fighting tech-
niques that we might have for use
in the whole public safety arena."
Magee's philosophical approach
to law enforcement, he said,
depends on three basic things:
"Imagine a problem, be proactive
and be creative to try and figure
out a solution to the problembefore
it occurs," he said.
One ofhismaingoals,startingday
one, hesaid,is to increase the visibil-
ity of DPS. Magee said he wants stu-
dents, faculty and the entire campus
community to see the department's
presence on campus.
"As important as it is to be safe,
it's equally important to feel safe,"
he said, "because it gives you peace
of mind."
So as he settles in to his new
office, unpacks a couple of plaques
and tosses away a few more, Magee
understands that he's beginning a
new chapter of his life, one that, he
hopes, will be his last.
"I plan on being here a longtime,
this is not a stepping stone for me,"
he said. "Everything I did for the
last 30 years was a steppingstone to
get here and to be here and be fortu-
nate enough to get this position."
SHOE STORE
From Page 1A
In addition to the Ann Arbor
location that Fowler owns, there
are other Sole Sisters stores in
Detroit, Royal Oak and Rochester,
which are each run by different
women.
Fowler said she chose Ann
Arbor because it was home to the
University - a connection she sus-
pected would boost sales.
Though she has only been open
for business for six months,Fowler
said foot traffic from Main Street
has kept her store busy. The only
drawback to the location, she said,
is that it's not closer to campus.
With students as her target
market, Fowler said she suspected
business would be better if she
were a few blocks closer to State
Street. To get younger customers
in her store, Fowler said she now
offers a 10-percent discount for
students every Monday.
"Once people find out about us,
I'm sure they'll come," she said.
If you answered yes to both questionsyou
may be eligible to participate in a TOEFL*
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To be eligible you must:
* Be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate
student at a 4-year institution in the U.S.
" Have taken the TOEFL test in the past
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Study participants will:
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* Complete a brief online survey
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L
Va.Tech student
fatally stabbed
A female student was stabbed to . 7
death yesterday night on Virginia
Tech's campus, the first killing
at the school since a deadly mass
shooting there in 2007.
The killing triggered a crisis noti- 8
fication system that was revamped
after the shooting rampage, beam- 1 7
ing an electronic warning around
7:45 p.m. that students should stay in 8
place while police investigated. Stu-
dents were told about an hour later 4
they could resume normal activity.
A male suspect was taken into
custody around 7:10 p.m., accord-
ing to a university news release.
Campus police responding, to an
emergency call found the man and
a knife they believe was used at the
scene, a cafe in the Graduate Life 5
Center.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
Marian Wright Edelman
xfounder and president of the Children's Defense Fund
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:00-5:30 pm
Michigan Union Ballroom, University of Michigan,
530 S. State Street, Ann Arbor
Attendees will receive a free copy of Edelman's book,
The Sea Is So Wide and My Boat Is So Small: Charting a
Course for the Next Generation.
Free and open to the public. Reception to follow.
www.fordschool.umich.edu
For more information, call Jill at 734-615-3893.
Gerald R. Ford PC StudentsofColer
School of Public Policy in Public Policy
NATIONAL POVERTY
UNIVERSITY UP MICHIGAN CENTER