Free Republic

Police said five people were hospitalized after a shooting incident in Bladensburg, Maryland. Roads were closed at the intersection of Annapolis Road and Bladensburg Road in Colmar Manor while authorities investigate the scene of the shooting, Bladensburg police said. "We will be holding a News Briefing to provide an update on the contact shooting at Annapolis Rd/Bladensburg Rd. The briefing will take place at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park located at 4500 Annapolis Rd and it will be held at 3:00pm," the police department said.

A large cross in Bladensburg, Maryland has been a source of controversy for years as we awaited the Supreme Court's decision on whether the symbol can continue to stand. A local post of The American Legion erected the Bladensburg Peace Cross in 1925. To most, the statue was dedicated to the memory of 49 local heroes who gave their lives serving in the U.S. Armed Forces in WWI. To the Humanist Association, it was an unconstitutional eyesore. They sued in 2014 arguing the cross violated the Establishment Clause and demanded its removal. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth...

The ‘Peace Cross,’ a 93-year-old World War I memorial, may be torn down unless Supreme Court Acts (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it filed an amicus curiae brief in the United States Supreme Court asking the court to reverse a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which ruled that government recognition and upkeep of a World War I memorial cross is in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution. ( The American Legion, et al. v. American Humanist Association, et al.; Maryland National Capital Park and...

There is a very real possibility that war memorial crosses at Arlington National Cemetery could be in jeopardy, a federal judge warned in a chilling dissent to a court case involving the fate of a 90-year-old monument honoring soldiers in Bladensburg, Maryland. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday refused to revisit an October decision that declared the 90-year-old "Peace Cross" was unconstitutional because it rests on public property. The monument is a memorial to the 49 men from Prince George's County, Maryland who died fighting for liberty in World War I. The memorial, paid for by the...

When I lived in Maryland and commuted a few miles to my Washington Times job, I often drove by a huge World War I memorial known as the “Peace Cross.” Every so often I thought: I wonder if someone is going to file a lawsuit against the monument, claiming to be offended by it.It’s true that the Supreme Court has said there’s no legal basis in removing a monument simply because one person is offended by it – but these are strange times. Look at what the new iconoclasm is doing to some Civil War monuments and could do to...

A federal appeals court has found that a 40-foot-tall cross on a Maryland state highway median just outside Washington violates the U.S. Constitution. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Richmond ruled Wednesday that the 92-year-old monument known as the Bladensburg cross amounts to government sponsorship of a particular religion. […] The American Humanist Association said it endorses Christianity while ignoring non-Christian veterans. …

<p>The monument, also known as the Peace Cross, is lit up at night and located in a median between the busy interchange of Baltimore Avenue (U.S. 1) and Annapolis Road (Maryland 450) in Prince George's County. It was formally dedicated in 1925, and a plaque on the monument lists the names of 49 county residents who died in World War I....</p>

The American Humanist Association filed a lawsuit last week in federal court in Maryland calling for the removal of Bladensburg’s 40-foot Memorial Peace Cross, which honors men from Prince George’s County who died during World War I. The association and three individual plaintiffs contend that the cross, which is on state property, violates the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. The cross was dedicated in 1925. ...One of the individual plaintiffs, Steven Lowe of Washington, contends that the cross "associates a Christian religious symbol with the state and gives the impression that the state supports and approves of...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. God Bless America...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members...