Mexican Flag Incident at UNM Unfurls Debate

Peter Lynch never imagined that pulling a Mexican flag from a university flagpole and ripping it apart would thrust him into the center of a nationwide argument. Lynch, a University of New Mexico student and Air Force veteran, said he was angry on Sept. 17 when he saw the Mexican flag flying without the United States flag, a violation of flag etiquette. "I was livid with the situation, and it wasn't the fact that it was the Mexican flag," said Lynch, 30. "It was the fact that it was any foreign banner." UNM police charged Lynch with misdemeanor criminal damage to property. Lynch and the university concede that the incident resulted from miscommunication— someone simply failed to take down the Mexican flag when the U.S. flag was lowered. But it obviously touched a nerve, sparking strong reaction from both sides. POLL: Should the student who lowered and tore up the Mexican flag at UNM be prosecuted? Yes No Background story Belshaw: Apology Should Be the End of Flag Flap Email comments Local talk show lines were flooded with calls, blogs were abuzz, letters and e-mails poured into the Journal and hundreds of motorcyclists are making plans to rally on Oct. 7, the day of UNM President David Schmidly's inauguration. Was it an act of patriotism or an act of hate?

The Mexican Student Association, which took part in raising the Mexican flag, called Lynch's action an "act of hate." "Charges have been brought against said individual ... in order to vindicate this act of hate," states the Mexican Student Association news release issued soon after the incident. Schmidly, in his weekly e-mail, called the flag-ripping a "deplorable act." "There are other ways to express dissatisfaction that do not involve the willful destruction of a nation's symbol," he said. Others defend Lynch's acts as those of a patriot simply trying to right a wrong. Charles Evans is a Korean War veteran who has sent money to Lynch for his defense. The flag "represents what every one of us was willing to fight and die for," he said. "We don't worship the flag. It represents what we stand for: freedom, democracy. That's what the American flag stands for, so don't degrade it." UNM sociology professor Richard Wood's take on the flag flap: People are feeling angst over globalization and identity, particularly with millions of immigrants in the nation. "The flag is a really powerful symbol for folks," he said. "Next to religious symbols, it's probably one of the most potent kinds of symbols we have." Airing of views The Mexican flag, flying in commemoration of Mexican Independence Day, was never supposed to be left up by itself. It had been raised by the Mexican Student Association on Sept. 14. When Army ROTC members went to retire the U.S. and state flags that evening, they left the Mexican flag because they thought students from the Mexican Student Association would return that same evening to take it down. That didn't happen. On the following Monday, Army ROTC students who were supposed to raise the U.S. and state flags forgot to do so. Lynch said that, before he yanked the Mexican flag, he contacted the UNM dean's office and Army ROTC and waited for the problem to be fixed. When nothing was done, Lynch took matters into his own hands, pulling down the flag, ripping it apart and handing it over to the Air Force ROTC office. If convicted, Lynch faces up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $500. The reaction: The telephones rang off the hook at KKOB-AM (770) during the morning and afternoon talk shows last week as listeners jockeyed to express their views. "I just brought it up one day on a slow news day," KKOB talk show host Jim Villanucci said. "The phones just went crazy ... I was a little bit surprised about the reaction." Villanucci said the most consistent view was that, while Lynch shouldn't have torn the flag, he was justified in taking it down. Paul Caputo, a retired police officer and Marine veteran, said he's expecting at least 1,500 people to be outside the Pit at 10:30 a.m. on the day of Schmidly's inauguration. Caputo plans to present Schmidly with a new American flag. The presentation will conclude a motorcycle rally Caputo is organizing to honor the U.S. flag and to raise money for Lynch's defense. Both the Daily Lobo, UNM's student newspaper, and the Journal have received many letters about the incident. "I feel it ludicrous and somewhat backward to charge Peter Lynch for taking down some other country's flag, which was being displayed in a public place without the American flag above it or around it," wrote Patti Winklepleck in a letter to the Journal. "This is not Mexico, and I don't understand why the Hispanics have such a hard time with this concept." People on national blogs have weighed in. One, FireSociety.com, featured the Daily Lobo article about the incident in which Schmidly is quoted as saying, "For God's sake, New Mexico was part of Mexico at one time. There's tremendous ties, and we have a large population of Hispanics that live in our state and many of them have relatives and connections to Mexico." To that, one blog poster— identified as p. hunt— wrote, "Bud, just where are you coming from??? New Mexico is not part of Mexico now, and how many of the Mexicans here are illegals? It was OK for the U.S. flag to be flown upside down under the Mexican flag when they were protesting??? The U.S. flag takes presidence (sic) over all other countries!!! This man should be fired." 'A little carried away' While the vast majority of writers posting on blogs voiced support for Lynch, some were critical of his actions. One contributor to armchairgeneral.com wrote: "Why, instead, did he simply not get an American flag and run it up next to the Mexican one if he had a problem?" Letters to the Lobo have been mixed. UNM student Andres Saenz wrote, "I truly admire and thank Peter Ryan Lynch for his eight years of military service to our country, but I believe that he was absolutely wrong in destroying the Mexican flag." Lynch said his actions weren't motivated by hate or racism. So why didn't Lynch just take the flag down and hand it over instead of ripping it apart? "I may have gotten a little carried away," Lynch said, but he's glad that people are talking about how the flag should be treated. Lynch said he was reacting to seeing another nation's flag flying alone on U.S. Constitution Day. "It was all Americans that were being insulted," Lynch said. Wood, the sociology professor, said he thinks that for both sides, it's about feeling threatened, feeling that their world is changing fast in ways they don't control. "What I think is going on is folks, in seeing the flag in their mind desecrated, it draws all kinds of emotions," Wood said. "It sparks all kinds of feelings that then get acted out politically, and that's true both for folks for whom the Mexican flag is a sacred kind of symbol ... and it's also true for other kinds of Americans who feel that the American flag has been desecrated ..." Caputo, the motorcycle rally organizer, said he and others are upset that some are trying to turn Lynch's actions into an ethnic issue or a hate crime. "The big insult is that a foreign flag flying on our soil unaccompanied basically states that we have been conquered," Caputo said. "I don't know how you feel about it, but as long as I'm alive, we haven't been conquered." He said that, although it appeared "no one was to blame," he still thinks that Lynch should not have been charged. Evans said he doesn't think the students responsible for the Mexican flag flying alone meant any harm. "I don't think they meant to insult America by any means," he said.

The Mexican Student Association, which took part in raising the Mexican flag, called Lynch's action an "act of hate."

"Charges have been brought against said individual ... in order to vindicate this act of hate," states the Mexican Student Association news release issued soon after the incident.

Schmidly, in his weekly e-mail, called the flag-ripping a "deplorable act."

"There are other ways to express dissatisfaction that do not involve the willful destruction of a nation's symbol," he said.

Others defend Lynch's acts as those of a patriot simply trying to right a wrong.

Charles Evans is a Korean War veteran who has sent money to Lynch for his defense.

The flag "represents what every one of us was willing to fight and die for," he said. "We don't worship the flag. It represents what we stand for: freedom, democracy. That's what the American flag stands for, so don't degrade it."

UNM sociology professor Richard Wood's take on the flag flap: People are feeling angst over globalization and identity, particularly with millions of immigrants in the nation. "The flag is a really powerful symbol for folks," he said. "Next to religious symbols, it's probably one of the most potent kinds of symbols we have."

Airing of views The Mexican flag, flying in commemoration of Mexican Independence Day, was never supposed to be left up by itself.

It had been raised by the Mexican Student Association on Sept. 14.

When Army ROTC members went to retire the U.S. and state flags that evening, they left the Mexican flag because they thought students from the Mexican Student Association would return that same evening to take it down.

That didn't happen.

On the following Monday, Army ROTC students who were supposed to raise the U.S. and state flags forgot to do so.

Lynch said that, before he yanked the Mexican flag, he contacted the UNM dean's office and Army ROTC and waited for the problem to be fixed.

When nothing was done, Lynch took matters into his own hands, pulling down the flag, ripping it apart and handing it over to the Air Force ROTC office.

If convicted, Lynch faces up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $500.

The reaction: The telephones rang off the hook at KKOB-AM (770) during the morning and afternoon talk shows last week as listeners jockeyed to express their views.

"I just brought it up one day on a slow news day," KKOB talk show host Jim Villanucci said. "The phones just went crazy ... I was a little bit surprised about the reaction." Villanucci said the most consistent view was that, while Lynch shouldn't have torn the flag, he was justified in taking it down.

Paul Caputo, a retired police officer and Marine veteran, said he's expecting at least 1,500 people to be outside the Pit at 10:30 a.m. on the day of Schmidly's inauguration. Caputo plans to present Schmidly with a new American flag. The presentation will conclude a motorcycle rally Caputo is organizing to honor the U.S. flag and to raise money for Lynch's defense.

Both the Daily Lobo, UNM's student newspaper, and the Journal have received many letters about the incident. "I feel it ludicrous and somewhat backward to charge Peter Lynch for taking down some other country's flag, which was being displayed in a public place without the American flag above it or around it," wrote Patti Winklepleck in a letter to the Journal. "This is not Mexico, and I don't understand why the Hispanics have such a hard time with this concept."

People on national blogs have weighed in. One, FireSociety.com, featured the Daily Lobo article about the incident in which Schmidly is quoted as saying, "For God's sake, New Mexico was part of Mexico at one time. There's tremendous ties, and we have a large population of Hispanics that live in our state and many of them have relatives and connections to Mexico."

To that, one blog poster— identified as p. hunt— wrote, "Bud, just where are you coming from??? New Mexico is not part of Mexico now, and how many of the Mexicans here are illegals? It was OK for the U.S. flag to be flown upside down under the Mexican flag when they were protesting??? The U.S. flag takes presidence (sic) over all other countries!!! This man should be fired."

'A little carried away' While the vast majority of writers posting on blogs voiced support for Lynch, some were critical of his actions. One contributor to armchairgeneral.com wrote: "Why, instead, did he simply not get an American flag and run it up next to the Mexican one if he had a problem?"

Letters to the Lobo have been mixed. UNM student Andres Saenz wrote, "I truly admire and thank Peter Ryan Lynch for his eight years of military service to our country, but I believe that he was absolutely wrong in destroying the Mexican flag."

Lynch said his actions weren't motivated by hate or racism. So why didn't Lynch just take the flag down and hand it over instead of ripping it apart? "I may have gotten a little carried away," Lynch said, but he's glad that people are talking about how the flag should be treated.

Lynch said he was reacting to seeing another nation's flag flying alone on U.S. Constitution Day. "It was all Americans that were being insulted," Lynch said.

Wood, the sociology professor, said he thinks that for both sides, it's about feeling threatened, feeling that their world is changing fast in ways they don't control. "What I think is going on is folks, in seeing the flag in their mind desecrated, it draws all kinds of emotions," Wood said. "It sparks all kinds of feelings that then get acted out politically, and that's true both for folks for whom the Mexican flag is a sacred kind of symbol ... and it's also true for other kinds of Americans who feel that the American flag has been desecrated ..."

Caputo, the motorcycle rally organizer, said he and others are upset that some are trying to turn Lynch's actions into an ethnic issue or a hate crime. "The big insult is that a foreign flag flying on our soil unaccompanied basically states that we have been conquered," Caputo said. "I don't know how you feel about it, but as long as I'm alive, we haven't been conquered." He said that, although it appeared "no one was to blame," he still thinks that Lynch should not have been charged.

Evans said he doesn't think the students responsible for the Mexican flag flying alone meant any harm. "I don't think they meant to insult America by any means," he said.

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