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Desecration of flag is not necessarily a hate crime
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Editor,
In response to the article in Wednesday's Daily Lobo about a Mexican flag being taken down and damaged by an individual, I would like to say that while the willful damaging of a flag is considered disrespectful, why all the talk about hate crimes?
Last time I checked, it was illegal to fly a foreign flag unless there is an American flag displayed one flag-length above it.
What Peter Lynch did was wrong, but is it really a hate crime? As an American of Scottish-Irish descent, I have noticed a running trend of racism through the core of UNM. White students would never be allowed to form a club only for whites or be allowed to have a white history month. There is certainly no organization devoted to helping white students with tuition. For better or worse, the U.S. beat Mexico and drafted the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848, making New Mexico part of American territory.
That means we get to fly the American flag here.
Hate crime? No. It's just another random, irresponsible act of blind patriotism.
Alex Fields
UNM student
In response to the article in Wednesday's Daily Lobo about a Mexican flag being taken down and damaged by an individual, I would like to say that while the willful damaging of a flag is considered disrespectful, why all the talk about hate crimes?
Last time I checked, it was illegal to fly a foreign flag unless there is an American flag displayed one flag-length above it.
What Peter Lynch did was wrong, but is it really a hate crime? As an American of Scottish-Irish descent, I have noticed a running trend of racism through the core of UNM. White students would never be allowed to form a club only for whites or be allowed to have a white history month. There is certainly no organization devoted to helping white students with tuition. For better or worse, the U.S. beat Mexico and drafted the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848, making New Mexico part of American territory.
That means we get to fly the American flag here.
Hate crime? No. It's just another random, irresponsible act of blind patriotism.
Alex Fields
UNM student
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Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Himself
posted 9/24/07 @ 4:21 AM MST
The only thing the PC crowd can do is scream "racist" or "hate Crime", when something is done they don't like. They have no rational arguement. It is illegal to fly any flag except the American flag, in the United States. (Continued…)
Kenny Hatten
posted 9/24/07 @ 8:24 AM MST
Dear Editor,
I am at a loss to understand how removing a foreign nation's flag from one of OUR universities constitutes a "hate" crime(Oh, how I despise that PC term, but that's a whole other letter!). (Continued…)
growler
mateo
posted 9/24/07 @ 11:30 AM MST
Peter Lynch's action to remove the flag was not a mistake, nor was it wrongful. Mr. Lynch's mistake was in desecrating a flag representing a foreign nation with student representatives attending our university. (Continued…)
IBMMuseum
posted 9/25/07 @ 7:58 PM MST
And when was the last time you checked U.S. Flag Code? I'm not understanding the flag lengths and "accompanying" comments when referring to the UNM campus. (Continued…)
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