Thread: Desert Museum to fly both flags again

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Desert Museum to fly both flags again
Outcry followed bow to complaints and threats about symbol of Mexico
By Brady McCombs
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.13.2007
advertisementThe U.S. and Mexican flags are going back up at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
The 15 board members present at Thursday evening's special meeting voted unanimously to once again fly the flags, reversing a previous decision to take both down following escalating complaints about the Mexican flag from visitors and threats to the museum's animals.
"Our work is not about border issues, it's not about immigration issues," said Robert Edison, executive administrative director of the museum. "It's about helping people understand that the Sonoran Desert exists in two countries."
But the museum is increasing its spending on security, and will work with local law enforcement to develop protocol for dealing with threats to its staff or animals in the future.
The museum received about 250 phone calls, e-mails and faxes in the past couple of days from people who were disappointed in the decision to remove the flags, Edison said. Some wanted both flags back up but many more wanted the museum to fly only the U.S. flag, he said. The board, however, did not consider that option.
While the U.S. flag represents the museum's patriotism, the Mexican flag shows respect for its southern neighbor's component of the museum, he said. About two-thirds of the the Sonoran Desert, and 75 percent of its biodiversity, are in Mexico.
"We have this long heritage of flying both flags and what they represent, and that is what we're are going to return to," Edison said.
The flags are scheduled to go back up by early next week with both flying at the same height, per international protocol, Edison said. The flags have flown side by side since 1954. Museum officials believe the Mexican flag was a gift from a Sonoran governor.
Board of trustees chairwoman Sophia Kaluzniacki admitted that the threats — including an anonymous phone call in April from a man who said that unless the Mexican flag was taken down the museum would be boycotted "or worse" — played a much bigger role in the board's original decision to take the flags down than she admitted earlier this week. She had said on Tuesday that escalating complaints from visitors were the main thrust behind the decision.
"The board didn't want to take the flags down in the first place; however, we made that decision to do that based on security issues," said Kaluzniacki, a Green Valley veterinarian.
To help ensure the safety of the museum's animals and staff, the board voted to allocate an additional $100,000 for more security personnel and technology, a significant increase in the current security budget of $220,000. The museum's total operating budget is $6.3 million, Edison said.
"I hope this decision will send a message that we're not going to be threatened," Kaluzniacki said. "We'll deal with them, but we're not going to back down just because we are threatened."
The museum is also going to move forward with plans for an interpretive station that explains the museum's binational focus. The station, which will feature a map of the Sonoran Desert, is expected to be opened near the museum's entrance within 30 to 60 days.
Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry applauded the decision to put the flags back up, saying it's important that the natural history museum — the top tourist destination in the county — accurately reflect the Sonoran Desert, which is a cross-border desert.
"It (the Sonoran Desert) was located there long before there were any borders," Huckelberry said. "We all acknowledge we have a border and immigration problem, but arguing over a position of a symbol that is really historic isn't going to solve that problem."
Joan Bundy, an attorney with the Tohono O'odham Nation's office of the prosecutor, said the board made the right move in reversing an ill-advised decision. She was saddened by the museum's decision to bow to people with radical political viewpoints, but was pleased to hear the spirit of the museum would remain intact, she said.
"It almost feels likes an island when you go there where politics really doesn't enter, and unfortunately the museum felt it had to bow to politics," said Bundy, who lives in Tucson. "The museum stands for a cross-border, international organization."
Longtime Tucson resident Murray Rulney doesn't object to the Mexican flag's being flown again as long as the U.S. flag is returned to the flagpole. He was irate about the U.S. flag's being taken down.
"The American flag shouldn't be taken down to appease any group," said Rulney, 70. "I don't like our colors being taken down, especially in a time of war."
The public outcry about the board's original decision surprised both Edison and Kaluzniacki. Some people said they planned not to visit the museum anymore until the U.S. flag — or in some cases, both flags — flew again, Edison said.
Fortunately, the majority of the calls and e-mails were civil, respectful representations of people's views, with only a few angry callers and no threats, Edison said.
If complaints keep coming from visitors asking why the Mexican flag is being flown or why it's at the same height as the U.S. flag — the museum has been receiving such inquiries about three to five times a week for the past year — the museum will be ready with a response, Edison said.
"We are going to explain that it is part of the museum's heritage dating back to the early '50s, and the flags are flown in great part to represent the binational conservation and educational endeavors of the museum regarding the Sonoran Desert," he said.
The museum also plans to have handouts available on the cross-border history, Kaluzniacki said.
While any decision at the museum could be changed by a board vote, Edison said there are no plans to revisit this one.
"We're standing by this decision," he said.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum decided to put both the Mexican and U.S. flags back up at the museum. How do you feel about the flag controversy?

I think both flags should fly at the museum 57 %
I think only the U.S. flag should fly at the museum 40 %
I think both flags should remain down 1 %
Not sure 1 %

Total number of votes 325

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum decided to put both the Mexican and U.S. flags back up at the museum. How do you feel about the flag controversy?

I think both flags should fly at the museum 56 %
I think only the U.S. flag should fly at the museum 41 %
I think both flags should remain down 1 %
Not sure 1 %

Total number of votes 336

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum decided to put both the Mexican and U.S. flags back up at the museum. How do you feel about the flag controversy?

I think both flags should fly at the museum 56 %
I think only the U.S. flag should fly at the museum 41 %
I think both flags should remain down 2 %
Not sure 1 %

Total number of votes 389


Come on folks, let's let them know what we think about the Mexican flag flying abreast of our American flag on American soil!

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum decided to put both the Mexican and U.S. flags back up at the museum. How do you feel about the flag controversy?

I think both flags should fly at the museum 56 %

I think only the U.S. flag should fly at the museum 41 %

I think both flags should remain down 2 %

Not sure 1 %

Total number of votes 411

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum decided to put both the Mexican and U.S. flags back up at the museum. How do you feel about the flag controversy?
I think both flags should fly at the museum 58 %
I think only the U.S. flag should fly at the museum 40 %
I think both flags should remain down 1 %
Not sure 1 %

Total number of votes 542

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum decided to put both the Mexican and U.S. flags back up at the museum. How do you feel about the flag controversy?


I think both flags should fly at the museum 50 %
I think only the U.S. flag should fly at the museum 48 %
I think both flags should remain down 1 %
Not sure 1 %

Total number of votes 663

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum decided to put both the Mexican and U.S. flags back up at the museum. How do you feel about the flag controversy?

I think both flags should fly at the museum 49 %
I think only the U.S. flag should fly at the museum 49 %
I think both flags should remain down 1 %
Not sure 1 %

Total number of votes 679

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum decided to put both the Mexican and U.S. flags back up at the museum. How do you feel about the flag controversy?

I think both flags should fly at the museum 45 %

I think only the U.S. flag should fly at the museum 52 %

I think both flags should remain down 1 %

Not sure 1 %

Total number of votes 748

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum decided to put both the Mexican and U.S. flags back up at the museum. How do you feel about the flag controversy?

I think both flags should fly at the museum 45 %

I think only the U.S. flag should fly at the museum 53 %

I think both flags should remain down 1 %

Not sure 1 %

Total number of votes 756

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum decided to put both the Mexican and U.S. flags back up at the museum. How do you feel about the flag controversy?

I think both flags should fly at the museum 44 %
I think only the U.S. flag should fly at the museum 54 %
I think both flags should remain down 1 %
Not sure 1 %

Total number of votes 779