I’m sharing a disturbing (edited by me) email that I received today from the National Butterfly Center. They were vocal about their fight against the Trump border wall incursion onto private land in Texas and they’re paying a heavy price for their opposition:
“We are writing to let you know the National Butterfly Center will be closed Friday, Jan. 28 - Sunday, Jan. 30, due to credible threats we have received from a former state official, regarding activities planned by the We Stand America event, taking place in McAllen, TX, this weekend.
This MAGA, mid-term election rally, hosted by Trump's former National Security Advisor and pardoned-criminal, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, is the national, kick-off event for what they are calling their "Take Action Tour."
We were alerted to this event on Friday, Jan. 21, following a visit by a congressional candidate from Virginia. She appeared with a friend, who claimed to be a Secret Service agent, and demanded access to the river so they could "see the rafts with the illegal crossing" our property. (See fake photo of rafts at our dock composed and disseminated by Kolfage & crew.) When asked to leave, they attempted to film Marianna, while reiterating the malicious and defamatory lies of Steve Bannon and Brian Kolfage, whose concerted, public attacks against the North American Butterfly Association, the National Butterfly Center, and our director, Marianna, remain the subject of the lawsuit we have brought against their "dark money" fundraising organization, We Build the Wall.
We made the difficult decision to close the center when Marianna was advised by the former state official (whose daughter is the Hidalgo County GOP chairperson) that she should be armed at all times or out of town this weekend, because the We Stand America events include a "Trump Train"-style, "caravan to the border." He said the National Butterfly Center would likely be a stop on this "take action tour," and she and the center are targets.
This 3-day, fundraising event organized by Trump operatives is just too similar to the 3-day Wall-o-thon organized by Bannon, Kolfage and Tommy Fisher, in celebration of their first, private border wall project (prior to their Mission project,) that likely incited the Wal-mart Massacre in El Paso.
We simply cannot risk the safety and lives of our staff and visitors during this dangerous time.
As if we needed further confirmation of the violent sentiment being stirred up against us, this morning, as we drove to work, we found someone had ripped down the National Butterfly Center sign, erected by the Texas Department of Transportation.
We truly appreciate your support and understanding at this time.
We still cannot believe we are at the center of this maelstrom of malevolence rising in the United States.
The majority of our staff are hourly-wage earners, and we have made the decision to pay them for the 3 days of unexpected closure, because this disruption to our operations caused by the disparagement of our organization should not result in their suffering the loss of wages that feed their families and pay their bills.
Similarly, this 3-day closure--over a weekend--will further compound the financial strain the center continues to experience as a result of COVID.
Right now, we need people to understand what is happening; not just to us, but to the country.
We appreciate your continued support, and appreciate any assistance you may be able to provide at this time.
With gratitude and great sadness,
Everyone at the National Butterfly Center”
It’s amazing to me that a business that shelters a beautiful and necessary part of our biosphere, the butterfly, has to put up with a MAGA attack.
I’ve put Rose Milkweed, also called Swamp Milkweed, in my yard to help avert the extinction of these beautiful insects. Butterflies play a crucial role in pollination, the food chain, and the ecosystem. However, pollution, pesticide use, deforestation, and climate change are a threat to their existence. Rose Milkweed is a showy pink blooming species that is a food plant for Monarch butterfly caterpillars and a nectar source for adult butterflies. It can thrive in wet or damp soil with temperatures at 65 — 75 degrees. Please join me in planting it to help the butterflies survive us.
Also, please consider donating to:
The National Butterfly Center
3333 Butterfly Park Drive
Mission, TX 78572
