How Politics and Museums Mix

yada-yada-yada...so many words, saying so very little. All that "good neighbor" and "social conscience" hooey is nothing but a cover up for greed.

Social conscience my eye; if these people HAD a social conscience, they wouldn't treat the neighborhood like a giant nightclub.

So John McCain came to town; big deal. I'm sure the Museum made a bundle off the hall rental.

Cuz they sure as heck didn't donate use of Fleischmann to the "cause" of healing the earth, or our social fabric, or anything else. Ask their management how much they charge for a shindig like this. If they were really so socially conscious, they'd have donated the facility, gratis, for this and other "town hall" meetings.

The truth is that this facility will do anything for a buck.

For those living in the neighborhood, it's a never-ending parade of year-round noisy booze-soaked parties, weddings, "wine tastings" (more booze), and sordid soirees of all sorts, unleashing drunk drivers and noise on us and the entire city..

Don't let the nice little lofty "Natural History Museum" title fool you; this is nothing but a very beautiful, but very much "for rent to the highest bidder" commercial party facility.

I know. I used to live in the neighborhood.

Quit polishing your self-installed halo at the area's expense, Dr. Hutterer. The Museum is nothing but a very pretty cash cow for your organization and its management at the expense of the area.

And your neighbors all know it.

As a child I spent time at the Museum, then so did my children. Lived down the street for many years. In SB one does what one must, to survive as an organization.

I appreciate what Mr. Hutterer has to say and the fact that he was given a platform to respond. Though I am definitely not a fan of partisan politics and certainly appalled by Mr. McCain and what we all know he would love to do to our offshore waters given a chance. So yes, I see the irony in all of this as well. But I can also see the wisdom in having him stand in the midst of our community.

Thanks for publishing Mr. Hutterer. The global POV is often lost in SB's infamous NIMBYist chatter.

Mr Hutterer's disingenuous rationale for accepting pro-war, pro-warrantless government spying, and anti-abortion candidate McCain smacks of a smoothly written PR piece. The Museum has fallen on hard times when it has to suck up to anti-environmental Republicans for funds. It's particularly galling when McCain supports an end to the ban on drilling off our coast, and whatever Hutterer SAYS his non-profit institution is essentially supporting a political campaign. The IRS ought to look into their non-profit status. Too bad for Santa Barbara.

I would like to address Dr. Dan's comments with the following quote from the above-mentioned article: "We would be delighted, if Senator Barack Obama and his campaign were to hold a similar meeting at the Museum."

Karl Hutterer has made is clear that opposing viewpoints are welcome and would be given equal time at the museum. Having said that, it's established that he is NOT being partial toward one side or the other in this issue. so what is the fuss? Furthermore, simply shutting down debate is not the answer. This is a pluralistic society, and those who don't like that can certainly have the choice of packing their bags and go to the Middle East, North Korea, or any other place where conformity to The System is the rule.

Saying that the museum, or anywhere else for that matter, is not an appropriate place for debate--and acting upon such an idea--sets a dangerous precedent for a winner-take-all situation. All viewpoints need to be discussed.

The fact that some people are offended by certain viewpoints should not be reason for shutting down debate. One of the founding principles of this country is the free exchange of ideas but in this age of political correctness this idea is being pushed to the side.

People need to get over themselves. If they are so sure that they have valid ideas about politics or religion, they would not be threatened by someone expressing opposing sentiments. As that saying goes "Build a better mousetrap.

For the record, while I am undecided as to who will get my vote in the upcoming presidential election, I long ago decided that neither McCain nor Obama will receive my vote so I do not have a dog in this fight ergo I'm not a supporter--stealth or otherwise--of John McCain.

I am appalled at the decision of the Natural History Museum. Most museums around the country have it in their policies to deny political events of any kind when they rent their facilities. This is to avoid just the kind of appearance that McCain put forth - using the stature and scientific position of the Natural History Museum to sugar-coat his policies. Let's not forget that it is McCain who wants to reopen offshore drilling - and he suggests this in Santa Barbara, of all places? The site of the 2nd worst oil spill disaster in this country?

I find the museum director's "explanation" nothing more than pablum, and feel that he should have had a firmer backbone on this issue. Perhaps he was pressured by Republican trustees to accomodate the Governor and McCain? If so, he should come clean about who suggested the museum as a site for this event.

The Museum trustees need to revisit their Museum Rental Policies and Guidelines regarding political events, and change them immediately.

We in the community, who are members of the museum, demand this. For our family, we will withhold future support of the museum until we are reassured that new policies are in place.

People get too wrapped up in balkanized politics. It wouldn't have mattered where McCain spoke from, someoene would no doubt cast a scarlet letter on the venue and curse it for allowing "any" politico on the property.

In Santa Barbara, it's no new thing to rail on something not liberal enough. Just look back at the jeering and booing of the 9 and 10 year olds wearing Boy Scout uniforms during the fourth of July parade a few years ago. Shameful, and who's fooling who here. Had the man who removed the US flag from his plane and replaced it with an "O" been the speaker, the authors names of these quippets would have been different.