Editor,
Was Peter Lynch not guilty?
His petty misdemeanor deserved every bit of punishment he received. His probably artificial apologies and ROTC status does not make him immune to the law.
"Justice for all" includes Lynch. He complains of the reverse racism that he suffered, but for what reason did he pull down the flag in the first place? Had it been a Confederate flag, would he have torn it up so violently? I think he deserves to be punished for the anger and disrespect that he caused.
Every bit of his sentence was deserved, and I think it will do Lynch some good to pick up trash on the side of the road with fellow Americans of Mexican descent. I don't expect he will truly feel apologetic about ripping up a Mexican flag, but he should feel hated.
Racism is a horrible thing that we, unfortunately, must live with in this world. And it is ignorant people like him who keep America stuck in a time of war and hate.
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Lynch is right that racism goes both ways, but accusing UNM of bias in his case is ludicrous. He did what he did. He was not an innocent and fault-immune Army boy.
He stirred this trouble up for himself. If he cared so much that the U.S. flag was incorrectly displayed, then there were many other ways to have correctedˇthat.
In his letter published in the Daily Lobo on Wednesday, he quoted the U.S. Flag Code as stating that "the flag should be displayed on all days, especially in September; Constitution day, Sept.17. In addition, the flag should be displayed daily on or near the main administration building of every public institution." If Lynch really feels that patriotic about it, he should buy a flag for UNM buildings and El Centro de la Raza. Otherwise, he just looks like another American who is patriotic by oppressing others and starting wars.
Melissa Gonzales
UNM student
