Defending the Colors

Peter Ryan Lynch heads to trial Tuesday morning to defend himself for his September defense of the colors of the United States of America. As you will recall, Lynch found the Mexican national flag being flown unaccompanied by the U.S. flag in front of Scholes Hall at UNM. He notified the ROTC and an hour and a half later when nothing had been done to correct the violation of the U.S. Flag Code, Lynch - a military veteran - took matters into his own hands by tearing the flag down (read our posts here).

Almost immediately The Center of the Race (El Centro de la Raza) started crying hate crime while taking no responsibility for their role in the Great Flag Flap of 2007 (read about it here). Lynch denied any racial motivation and posted a letter right here explaining his actions (read it here).

What has been absolutely stunning to us is that the DA chose to prosecute this case in the first place. But of course anything is possible when our DA chooses to prosecute people like Elton John Richard for trying to enforce the law and protect his property and family... but we digress.

Despite offering to replace the ripped Mexican flag - an offer refused by The Center of the Race - Mr. Lynch will find himself facing a DA and undoubtedly representatives of El Centro de la Raza whose main objective is not the administration of justice but rather the continuation of the victim status racial politics that gives them their power.

Eye Poll: Defending the Flag

Not surprisingly (at least to us), Eye readers overwhelmingly decided that the charges against Peter Ryan Lynch should be dropped. 48% of readers felt that Mr. Lynch's actions were justifiable and charges should be dropped, another 34% felt that he should replace the flag and then the charges should be dropped, another 9% felt that he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, 6% felt he should be prosecuted for criminal destruction of property and hate crimes, and 3% didn't know (review the results here).

82% of readers took the position that the charges should be dropped. It's important to protect the symbols of our country and our freedom. The first step toward losing our liberty is forgetting the symbols that remind us of the existence of that liberty. When we dishonor our own flag we tread on the very real freedoms that it represents; which inevitably leads to the loss of those freedoms. Eye readers have simply sided with a man who felt it was his duty to defend our flag.

About a week and a half ago APD Chief Ray Schultz told us that those of us who live in Albuquerque and are victims of crime are hurting our crime stat rankings by "over reporting" violent crime. The Chief went on to state that he "feel[s] safe." Since the Chief would like us to "feel" safe because he does, we'd like to know how you feel. Don't forget to vote in this week's Eye Poll!

Hate

Let's start with a full disclosure - we hate the concept of "hate crime." It's a foolish concept that somehow someone who commits a criminal act out of "hate" is in someway more evil or dangerous than someone who commits that same crime for a cold calculated reason.

If someone is killed because of their race, sexual orientation, or religion, they are no deader than the person who's killed for their wallet. More importantly, the damage to their families and the unimaginable grief felt by their loved ones is no more poignant, and no more important.

In our opinion, the very idea of a "hate crime" cheapens the very real suffering of the victims of non-hate crimes. It also creates opportunities for unscrupulous people and organizations to cry "hate crime" for their own gain and to achieve their own objectives.

The Center of the Race is one such organization. More commonly known as El Centro de la Raza and founded in the 1960's their stated mission is to celebrate Latino cultures. They are also the group given permission to raise the Mexican National Flag in order to celebrate Mexican Independence; the group that also "forgot" to return and remove it. They were the first to raise the banner of victimization, the first to cry "racism" and "hate crime," and the last to admit any responsibility for their roll in a series of screw-ups that lead to Peter Ryan Lynch's removal of and subsequent shredding of the Mexican flag.

(Sidebar)
When you read "The Center of the Race" what group did you honestly believe we were talking about? When translated to English El Centro de la Raza sounded to us like some white supremacist organization. Since "race" is part of their name, could it be that race plays an important role in their thinking? Isn't that a form of racism in and of itself?
(End Sidebar)

In point of fact, El Centro de la Raza still has not taken any responsibility and our Eyes tell us that they have forwarded to the U.S. Attorney a photo taken from a MySpace video of Mr. Lynch shooting targets at a range as proof of his racist beliefs (view the video here). The Center of the Race wants Mr. Lynch to be prosecuted for "hate crimes."

The target being used looks to us like the one to the right. Could it be a man that comes from an ethnic minority... sure. But our Eyes tell us that the same target is used by a number of police departments across the country, including the Miami Dade police department. We hardly believe that shooting at a commonly available target is evidence of racism.

Even if the video was proof positive of some form of racist belief, it's not proof that Mr. Lynch's actions including ripping the Mexican flag to pieces, was racially motivated.

As further proof of "hate," El Centro de la Raza, on its website presents a couple of posts that they attribute to Mr. Lynch; posts that were found on MySpace.com. Let's assume that they are genuine ( in fact we believe they are), when we read his comments in context and not parsed for effect, we find the language a bit too vulgar and probably over the top, but Mr. Lynch is actually advocating open boarders stating "seriously stop wasting our time on them, let them in and tax them." (Read the la Raza PDF of Mr. Lynch's post here.)

Would we choose to express our beliefs in the manner that Mr. Lynch did... no. But one of the freedoms that the flag he is so concerned about honoring - the flag of the United States of America - is the freedom to express himself. You may not agree with him, you may not like his message, and you may not like the way he said it, but at least for now he has every right to say it.

We'd point out that those same freedoms are guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, symbolized by the flag that they helped dishonor and are being freely exercised by students who are members of El Centro de la Raza; a group with "race" in their name and "hate" on their lips. Frankly, we wouldn't have it any other way.

Flag Flap: Rally Plans

We told you that we'd update you as soon as we found out more about the upcoming veteran flag rally. Organizer Paul Caputo told our Eyes they plan to depart from Thunderbird Harley Davidson this Sunday at 9:30 am and head down to The Pit for the flag presentation. Bikers who would like to participate are encouraged to arrive at the dealership a bit before the 9:30 departure. The dealership is located on Alameda west of I-25. For those who don't ride a motorcycle, you're encouraged to meet the bikers in the parking lot of The Pit at 10:30 am for the flag presentation to UNM President, David Schmidly.

----- Correction ------
We had originally written that Thunderbird Harley Davidson was on Paseo del Norte. That was and is incorrect as a reader rightfully let us know. Sorry about the confusuion

Flag Flap - Update

Our Eyes tell us that Peter Ryan Lynch infamous Mexican flag ripper and some (including us) would call patriot, is scheduled to appear before Judge Clyde Demersseman this Wednesday, October 3rd at 8:30 am. The charge of course is criminal damage to property stemming from Mr. Lynch's removal of the Mexican national flag from a UNM flag pole that was being improperly flown by the university no matter who is to blame or how many people screwed up and left it flying unaccompanied by the flag of the United States.

Our understanding is that Mr. Lynch has since tried to replace the Mexican flag in question, but the offer was rejected by El Centro de la Raza, the student organization whose flag was torn (and who either intentionally left it flying or "forgot" to take it down) summarily rejected the offer. If there's damage here we believe that the first organization responsible for the damage is the one claiming victim status, El Centro de la Raza. After all, they were the ones who raised the Mexican flag; they should have been responsible enough to lower it at the end of the day.

In other related news, our Eyes tell us that a group of veterans is planning a motorcycle rally in support of Mr. Lynch. The rally is to take place outside of The Pit during the inauguration of new UNM President David Schmidly. The group is reportedly going to try and present President Schmidly with the flag of the United States of America.

According to our Eyes, Sheriff Darren White (a veteran himself) has asked to be included in the rally which will no doubt put additional pressure on Mr. Schmidly to receive the gift being offered by the veterans. In addition, APD's motorcycle officers have asked to be relieved of traffic duty a little early at the Balloon Fiesta in order to attend and Chief Ray Schultz is said to have asked to be included.

(Sidebar)
It's a little odd that Chief Schultz would want to attend in light of the recent APD SOP debacle that in effect made Albuquerque a Sanctuary City. One of the groups over at UNM, Estudiantes Contemporáneos del Norte, seems to advocate not only flying the Mexican flag over most of what is New Mexico, but the overthrow of the U.S. government through illegal immigration; a policy that is certainly aided by APD's newly adopted SOP.
(End Sidebar)

We haven't heard exactly what the plans of the veterans are, but we do know that they'd like to see as many people down at the Pit as possible. We'll keep an Eye on it and let you know as soon as we do.

Eye Poll: Katherine Martinez Soundly Defeats O'Malley

In another surprising turn of events, Katherine Martinez (M) who is running against City Council President Debbie O'Malley (D) soundly defeated Ms. O'Malley in this past week's Eye Poll. Ms. Martinez received 69% to Ms. O'Malley's 31% in an unscientific poll that can only be described as bucking the conventional wisdom (view the results here).

We honestly don't know how this will play out Tuesday. Our hunch is that the incumbent O'Malley will hold the seat easily, particularly if this election turns out to be a referendum on the Almighty Marty. However, if the election comes down to Councilor O'Malley's propensity to spend our tax dollars and her less than warm and fuzzy personality the Eye Poll may end up being a harbinger of things to come.

This week we wade into the tempestuous waters of the Flag Flap. We understand that Peter Ryan Lynch is receiving large amounts of support from Eye readers along with free legal services from attorney John D'Amato.

Curiously, the Saturday UNM Homecoming football game featured more United States flags than we have ever seen in University Stadium. We couldn't help but wonder if the administration was trying to project a sense of patriotism to donors and alumni after taking a beating in the press over the Mexican Flag Flap.

Frankly we were glad to see Old Glory featured so prominently and the crowd spontaneously singing our national anthem sent chills up our spine. We hate the fact that it takes a series of screw-ups, unfounded charges, and constant media attention to remind most of us that the American flag represents more than just a government, but freedom, liberty, and the sacrifices of patriots that made them possible.

Let us know what you think should happen to Mr. Lynch in this week's Eye Poll. Don't forget to vote!

Letters to The Eye: Peter Ryan Lynch Responds

We received this as a comment to our Fault and Desecration post. Although we can't verify that it is from Mr. Lynch, its content leads us to believe that it is indeed written by Mr. Lynch. His comment was well written and provides a detailed explanation of his actions with regard to the Mexican national flag. As with most stories, there's more to this one than meets the eye.

Peter Ryan Lynch Responds

My fellow Americans,

My name is Peter Ryan Lynch; I am a student at UNM. I am a decorated 8-year veteran of the US military, honorably discharge this July. I am appalled a foreign banner flew unaccompanied on UNM campus flagpole for three days, including a US holiday. I am an American passionate about our country and I would feel the same way if it were ANY foreign banner.

The Mexican flag was flying over UNM campus unaccompanied by an American flag on U.S. Constitution Day 17 September 2007.

According to United States Code (Federal Law):
"The flag should be displayed on all days especially on… Constitution Day, September 17…."

"The flag should be displayed daily on or near the main administration building of every public institution."

"The flag should be displayed during school days in or near every schoolhouse."

Throughout history, flying a nation’s banner is a claim of ownership. To do this on U.S. Constitution Day is an insult to all Americans. I am outraged that UNM administration allowed this happen. I thought before my class was over they would address the issue. I left class, and the foreign banner was still unaccompanied. I went to the dean’s office, pleading for action. I also notified Army ROTC, who has the honor of raising and lowering the US flag on UNM campus this month. I waited one and one half-hours after these notifications to take action myself. I made a profound statement and tore down this foreign banner. My actions although overzealous, are warranted.

Americans have one of the most diverse cultures on the planet, we embrace our differences, and unless you are a foreign visitor or illegal immigrant then your nationality is American! We are all equals under the Constitution and Stars and Stripes that protect us. Americans should fly their historical nations’ banners with pride. UNM is a public institution, governed by the laws of our nation, and on 17 September 2007, Federal law was broken; American’s are insulted. I am livid, with all the press coverage, only Julian "Top" Martinez said anything in my defense. Furthermore, the press has a responsibility to gather all the facts before printing.

I would like to assure El Centro de la Raza that hate or racism did not motivate my actions. I ask UNM administration specifically, David Schmidly (University President), Rita Martinez-Purson (Interim Vice President for Academic Diversity), and Cheo Torres (Vice President for Academic Affairs), to apologize to all the American Students, including Mexican-American students, for allowing a foreign banner to fly over UNM for three days in violation of Federal laws.

Sincerely,
Peter Ryan Lynch