launch glut/opengl window from max object

I am trying to make a C/C++ plugin for MaxMSP (with the MaxSDK-5.0.8 on OS X with Max 5.0.8 - build 40079). I want the plugin to open a GLUT openGL window when it is sent a bang. For those that are curious, inside this opengl window is a music notation display I am programming in C++. No, I do not want to use Jitter, Javascript, the LCD panel object, Jgraphics.h, etc. etc. I have gotten the MaxSDK & my notation GLUT OpenGL code to compile, but when I try to launch my opengl window the plugin severely freezes or crashes Max.

This is what I tried
1. Using XCode, I compiled and linked my new maxmsp plugin; copied new plugin into the /Applications/Max5/plugins folder
2. (Re)started MaxMSP
3. created object in the patcher and tried to send it a bang

This is where the problem gets a little complex:

a) So long as I don't try to launch a GLUT window (eg send a bang) while the plugin is running inside maxmsp, the plugin works fine. The inlets, outlets and some basic calculations worked fine, so I believe the .mxo is compiled and linked correctly. The plugin is loaded in Max and works fine -- again, so long as no GLUT windows are opened. I just want to be clear this isn't a compiling/linking problem, its a runtime error specifically related to GLUT or OpenGL and MaxMSP.

b) I narrowed down the openGL / Glut culprit that causes the crash: the function "glutMainLoop();". glutMainLoop(); is the GLUT call which opens a GLUT window and starts the GLUT event loop. If this line is present in the code, Max will quasi-lock up, where the GUI is still live but the keyboard won't work.

The console.app output looks like this when I open max, create my object, and send it a bang:

10/6/09 10:29:52 PM [0x0-0x24b24b].com.cycling74.MaxMSP[86679] Max: db
update complete
10/6/09 10:30:18 PM MaxMSP[86679] GLUT Warning: glutInit being called
a second time.

(As one final step: because there was a quasi-lock up in Max, I tried running the glutMainLoop(); in a posix thread - I didn't know if this would make a difference, so I tried. Unfortunately, caused GLUT to complain that it needs to run in the "main thread" to run.)

Therefore, two questions arise...:

1. How can I make this work? What is the problem?

2. Why does GLUT think GLUT is being launched a second time?

I could make a 100% separate standalone app for the GLUT window, and communicate between Max and the standalone via a socket, OSC, or something like that. However, I really would rather not have to program all of that. I would like this to work as a plugin from inside max. THanks