Posted on 11/24/2004 6:31:55 AM PST by NYer
RANCHO SANTA FE, CA, November 23, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a surprising turn of events, the United States Congress has joined the fight to keep the 43-foot tall cross atop Mount Soledad in San Diego, California, by designating the land on which it stands and the granite memorial walls surrounding it, a national veterans memorial. The congressional action came as a result of efforts by the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan that fights for the religious freedom of Christians.
San Diego area Congressmen, Reps. Duncan Hunter, R -El Cajon, and Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Escondido, inserted the memorial designation as part of a spending bill awaiting approval by President Bush.
Phillip Paulson, the atheist who mounted a successful 15- year legal battle to remove the cross with support from the ACLU, 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."
The ACLU of San Diego also criticized the legislation calling it "political gamesmanship".
San Diego attorney Charles LiMandri, Director of the Law Center's western regional office who has led the effort to save the Mt. Soledad cross, called the congressional action "an act of God". LiMandri said Congress was not unconstitutionally endorsing religion because it intended to honor veterans in the same manner as the crosses at Arlington National Cemetery.
President Bush is expected to sign the bill within the next few weeks.
Catholic Ping - please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
Does the fact that "I" am offended by athiests and what the ACLU does, mean anything, or is it an exclusive "libs only" kind of thing?
The ACLU is a terrorist organization which does not use firearms or explosives.
so how is 'political gamesmanship' different from 'LEGAL GAMESMANSHIP'?
seems to me that the political gamesmanship just torpedoed the legal gamesmanship below the waterline!
Christians have rights, too.
What a moronic dork nutcase! This guy needs serious psychiatric help. Most Americans are Christians. The inability to deal with this is the sign of deep abnormality and mental disturbance.
Paulson's religion is a lack of religion.
Therefore, any attempt he makes to change laws mixes his religion with the state, and that is forbidden.
Ergo, he must go into his bedroom and get under his covers and eat chocolate.
LOL!!!! A double whammy to the atheists. You've got to love it!!!
Clinton designated half of Utah as a national monument with the stroke of the pen (...law of the land,... kinda cool). Why can't President Bush simply designate this national monument as a national monument?
Any doubts that if it was an Islamic Prayer tower they would have left it alone? They only go after the easiest targets, the ones they think won't fight back.
There are some legitimate First Amendment issues raised here, though. The crosses at Arlington Cemetary each memorialize a particular individual and represent that individual's faith. Thus, there are also Stars of David at Arlington, and I should think that if a Moslem or someone of another faith were buried there, they'd be able to put up a symbol of their faith over the grave. So there's no "establishment"; all faiths are treated equally.
This memorial, however, can easily be construed to honor Christian veterans only. Are there similar memorials that are or will be maintained by the Federal government for veterans of other faiths?
Would Mr. Paulsen be satisfied if Congress simply designated the cross as the letter "t" and an advertisement for Sesame Street?
"Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan that fights for the religious freedom of Christians."
So, this guy spends 15 years trying to destroy an affirmation that some of us believe in God, which has no power to harm anyone, and he calls us "Jihadists". What irony.
"Why can't President Bush simply designate this national monument as a national monument?"
Well, he could.
But if a new Democrat president is ever elected, he could undo the order.
By passing a bill in congress, only congress can reverse it's decision.
And that would be a much tougher road.
Haven't seen you around in a while.
I live in the area..
They've been fighting over this for years. These people make me SO mad.. I want to smack them around and tell them that if the cross offends them, don't freaking look at it. How hard is that?
There was a similar fight over a cross on top of Mt. Helix, south of Mt. Soledad. I don't recall how that one came out but the cross is still there.
I'm so glad the cross will remain as well.
Now if we can just get "December Nights" or whatever they're calling it now changed back to "Christmas on the Prado".
..oh yeah, and I'm not even religious (agnostic).
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