ACLJ Backs City of Las Cruces in Cross Case

ACLJ website ^ | None

[Laz711]

This morning I have authorized the filing of briefs to the U.S. District Court on behalf of the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico. As you will recall, several weeks ago members of Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Las Cruces city seal. That seal depicts three crosses as part of its presentation. When translated into English, “Las Cruces” actually means “the crosses.” AU and its allies have made the determination to remove this reference to the religious heritage of New Mexico.

Below is the content of a letter that I am forwarding to Governor Bill Richardson. We are encouraging tens of thousands of our members to sign on to this letter so that when we deliver it to Governor Richardson, it will have the greatest impact possible.

[Laz711]

If anyone is interested, here is an online petition from the American Center for Law and Justice to the Gov. of NM about the case of the Three Crosses (town seal).

Be gentle, this is my first post.

[Doogle]

ACLJ....not to be confused with ACLU.


Doogle

[Laz711]

ACLJ: Supports America and Christians
ACLU: Hates America and Christians (along with anyone who is not a socialist)

[AZ_Cowboy]

Welcome to FR!

Of course, it is ridiculous to change the seal. As mentioned in the post, the translation for the town is literally "The Crosses". If I am not mistaken, it is not far from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (English: Blood of Christ), too.

This stuff has long since gone too far. I have a good friend who lives in Las Cruces, too, so I'll pass along the word.

[Fraxinus]

Americans United for Separation of Church and State no hablan espanol.

[jwalsh07]

Las Cruces = The Crosses

Of course the name of the city must be changed along with removing the crosses because after all, if the crosses offend the constitution, certainly the name does as well.

[Laz711]

That is the thing, there is an arguement from some secularists that it means "the crosses" as in a road. It was a stopping point for Spaniards from the south to northern NM and West NM. But no one in this town takes that seriously. We even have a street called "Three Crosses". It is part of the history of this town.

[Laz711]

Also a little background into the local legends as to the origins of the name:

"The most popular theory is that sometime during the 1700s, a bishop, a priest, a Mexican army colonel, four trappers and four choirboys were attacked near the Rio Grande and only one choirboy survived. He put up crosses at the site and the area became known as El Pueblo del Jardin de Las Cruces, or City of the Garden of the Crosses."

[DJ Taylor]

The Organ Mountains and Las Cruces, as seen from the Rio Grande.

When I was a boy growing up in Las Cruces back in the 40s, there were three crosses on a hill just east of town that had been there since the town was founded. The last time I went through there, the crosses were gone, and I have often wondered why they took them down.