House votes to acquire contested San Diego cross - Mt. Soledad vote 349-74

AP on Bakersfield Californian ^ | 7/19/06 | AP

[NormsRevenge]

The House voted 349-74 Wednesday to acquire a monumental cross and the park around it from the city of San Diego.

The 29-foot cross has been the target of a 17-year court battle between an atheist and the city, which owns the hilltop property where the monument stands.

A federal judge ruled in May that the cross cannot stand in the municipal park because it violates a state constitutional prohibition on the governmental endorsement of any one religion. That ruling is being appealed by the city.

San Diego-area congressman Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, said in floor debate that federal ownership would make the existing lawsuit moot and might also insulate the cross from further legal challenges under the U.S. Constitution.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court said it might be willing to consider the case once appeals have been exhausted.

City officials have argued that the cross, a symbol of Christianity, is part of a secular memorial commemorating veterans of the Korean War.

Under federal law, which is more flexible than California law, religious displays may stand on public property if they have a secular meaning.

In May, Hunter asked President Bush to exercise his powers of eminent domain to federalize the park property. The president declined to act on that request, but the administration endorsed Hunter's bill in a policy statement Wednesday.

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions has introduced an identical bill in the Senate.

[NormsRevenge]

Woe unto the 74 who voted against this legislation.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Let bet all who bet against this were democrats.

[pissant]

Excellent. Bush's veto of the embicilic stem cell bill, the House passes a measure to protect the Pledge of Allegiance and now this. They need more productive days like this on Capital Hill instead of the usual nonsense.

[mtbopfuyn]

Amazing, just one atheist ties up the courts and government for 17 years.

[Names Ash Housewares]

So does this have teeth? IS the end finally in sight?
What a waste of time and money it has been on this issue in San Diego. Over ONE jackass!

San Diego has enough problems.

[Vigilanteman]

San Diego-area congressman Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, said in floor debate that federal ownership would make the existing lawsuit moot and might also insulate the cross from further legal challenges under the U.S. Constitution.

I'm all in favor of making this frivolus lawsuit moot. I'm not in favor of doing it by turning more real estate over to the federal government.

A far better method would be to pass legislation to set these type of cases outside the jurisdiction of the court involved-- much as congress set Gitmo outside the rulings of the U.S. courts.

Then congress needs to be prepared to bitch-slap any court who considers cases put outside their jurisdiction . . . up to and including impeachment of any judges who dare violate what has been set outside their limits.

[doug from upland]

I'm happy that the President let Congress do this. We were able to get 74 ahoes on record.

[TheDon]

Alas, it is a state court, and the federal legislature has no authority to make such a law.

[NormsRevenge]

---- NAYS 74 ---

Ackerman
Baldwin
Bean
Becerra
Berkley
Blumenauer
Capps
Cardin
Clay
Conyers
Crowley
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
DeGette
DeLauro
Emanuel
Eshoo
Filner
Frank (MA)
Grijalva
Harman
Hinchey
Holt
Honda
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Kanjorski
Kennedy (RI)
Kucinich
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lofgren, Zoe
Lowey
Markey
Matsui
McCarthy
McCollum (MN)
McDermott
Meehan
Millender-McDonald
Miller, George
Moore (KS)
Nadler
Neal (MA)
Olver
Pallone
Payne
Pelosi
Price (NC)
Rangel
Rothman
Sánchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schwartz (PA)
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Sherman
Slaughter
Solis
Stark
Tauscher
Udall (NM)
Van Hollen
Velázquez
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Wexler
Woolsey



---- ANSWERED “PRESENT” 3 ---

Engel
Kind
Obey



---- NOT VOTING 6 ---

Bachus
Evans
Gutierrez
Inslee
McKinney
Northup

[D_Idaho]

In other words... the usual bunch of idiots.

[combat_boots]

And who among these are Pubbies? (Easier than asking who's a Bolshicrat.

[NormsRevenge]

And who among these are Pubbies?

--

Voting Nay?

None.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll386.xml

[chesty_puller]

Ron Paul voted yea? Amazing......

[NELSON111]

That's what I was thinking. I expected to see him in the Nay column.

[combat_boots]

Thanks. I was looking all over for that.

[Viking2002]

After the immigration debacle, Sessions will ram his bill down the Senate's throat. I expect this to get Bush's signature by fall. Ought to be fun watching the heathen responsible for this mess chasing his own tail and barking at the moon afterwards. LOL

[NormsRevenge]

No problem, here's the Cureent 109th session Senate link as well..

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_109_2.htm

[newzjunkey]

I'm not in favor of doing it by turning more real estate over to the federal government.

The voters of San Diego approved this transfer with over 70% YES. A judge has kept that from happening. Federal legislation already designative it a national war memorial.

[jmaroneps37]

Melissa Bean is on my list as one of the six rats likely to lose her seat. This vote will only help insure her doom. Some of those other 73, all rats of course, are among the worst scumbags in the House. It will certainly be used by her GOP challenger and it will sting her.