Mt. Soledad cross and veterans memorial above San Diego (soledadmemorial.com)
Posted on 11/23/2004 11:50:02 PM PST by JohnHuang2
As part of its massive omnibus spending bill, Congress has acted to designate a disputed area in San Diego, Calif., as a national veterans memorial, a move that helps those hoping to save a 43-foot tall cross that has stood for 50 years.
The Thomas More Law Center, a law firm that has been involved in the fight to save the cross, announced yesterday that Reps. Duncan Hunter and Randy "Duke" Cunningham, both Republicans representing districts near San Diego, inserted the memorial designation in the spending bill, which passed both houses of Congress on Saturday and is expected to signed by President Bush.
Mt. Soledad cross and veterans memorial above San Diego (soledadmemorial.com) |
Phillip Paulson is the atheist who has mounted a 15-year legal battle – with help from the American Civil Liberties Union – to remove the cross. The structure has stood on Mount Soledad for 50 years.
He told the San Diego Union-Tribune: "Jihad Jesus Republicans need to understand that the separation of church and state has kept this country from getting into religious wars. … If God was powerful, there would not be a need for the government to go in and force a religious agenda on nonbelieving citizens."
The ACLU called the new designation "political gamesmanship."
Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Law Center, responded to Paulson's comments:
"Those who want the Mount Soledad cross removed erroneously base their case on the metaphor 'separation of church and state,' a phrase nowhere in the Constitution. This cross and memorial, soon to be officially designated a national veterans memorial, is constitutionally permissible. It's time to stop government by the ACLU and for the ACLU."
San Diego attorney Charles LiMandri, director of the Law Center's western regional office, who has led the effort to save the cross, called the congressional action "an act of God." He said Congress was not unconstitutionally endorsing religion because it intended to honor veterans in the same manner as the crosses at Arlington National Cemetery.
As WorldNetDaily reported, earlier this year the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association made a private agreement with the ACLU to remove the cross and relocate it to private property – provoking a lawsuit by a former Navy pilot.
The battle began in 1989 when Paulsen filed suit, and a court ordered the city to remove the cross. San Diego responded by placing the property up for sale, with the approval of 76 percent of voters. But the subsequent sale was ruled unconstitutional after Paulsen objected, arguing the sale had the effect of preserving the cross.
In 1998, the city sold the property to the Mt. Soledad War Memorial Association, which again was challenged in court. The sale originally was upheld but later ruled unconstitutional by the full panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco and remanded back to district court to work out a remedy.
During its brief period of ownership, the Memorial Association made significant improvements, including extensive landscaping and the addition of more than 3,000 plaques honoring military veterans.
Thompson said he doesn't expect the congressional action to end the legal battle, but he hopes the City of San Diego and the Veterans Memorial Association will now get behind efforts to save the cross.
According to the congressional designation, once the City of San Diego donates the land to the United States, the secretary of the interior would administer the memorial as a unit of the National Park System, giving the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association the right to continue maintaining the cross and surrounding granite memorial walls and plaques.
Pot -> Kettle -> Black.
Put a sock in it, Leftists. America was founded on Christian principles. Don't like it? Try moving to an atheistic communist "utopia."
Time to bring the ACLU under scrutiny for Sedetion or WHATEVER!! Maybe that HAM SANDWHICH they always talk about!
"Jihad Jesus Republicans "
Another nuanced and tolerant remark coming from the peace and love leftists.
Bears repeating ;-)
Ah, yes -- the loving and caring Democrats.
How come the ACLU has been allowed to run things all over the place,from Christmas pageants to crooses on city seals or in public places.Where is the money coming from? No way the hands of all these guys are clean. Whhy is everybodt afraid of them?
GOOD Question !! Try the "FORD FOUNDATION" on yahoo search! That's one of the contributors. Trezza's Little group of Foundations also helps. They are quite a group along with Soro's and his Ilk.
There needs to be some sunshine on these Socialists. They are part of the overthrow of the Constitution! I know I'm wierd !! Time will Tell !!
Atheists and the Christian-hating aclu should not dictate anything to anybody. The secular socialist lefties preach tolerance and diversity, uh, except for Christians (yea, I know, everyone says it, just like typing it in). One "uncomfortable" idiot shouldn't decide public policy. Life is good, must keep fighting.
Don't worry -- the point can't be repeated often enough.
Apparently, he's a man with a taste for the "warmer" climates.
The ACLU called the new designation "political gamesmanship."
This compares with the ACLU designation "Christianity Persecutors".
The contrast is stark. One is a prisoner to hate and the other someone who willingly submits in love.
Time to do an end run around these ACLU loons.
Words fail me..
Jihad Jesus eh?
Be not deceived, God is not mocked.
Bump
Moral Absolutes + ACLU Jihad Ping!
Sorry, I had to ping this out too. There were a couple of articles about the devout atheist cult member and his war against this cross a while ago on FR.
Good to see that people are fighting back. Amazing that even after the property was sold (or was going to be sold?), the ACLU and atheist lapdog still carried on the suit. It wasn't fair, because the purpose was to keep the cross.
To these subhumans (my CATS are more pious than these people!) any symbol of God and religion as abhorrent and evil. Just having a cross visible may pollute young minds. If they think religious symbols have such power, doesn't this show that they actually believe in God, they just hate and fear Him?
It's saddening, really.
If anyone wants on/off this pinglist, ping me!
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