Posted on 09/19/2009 1:22:41 PM PDT by jessduntno
Soldiers fight for desert cross By Bill Hess Published/Last Modified on Sunday
SIERRA VISTA — “On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,” goes the opening of an old hymn.
But for Sgt. Zachary Thomson, a cross on a hill in California’s Mojave Desert has a different meaning.
It’s not a religious symbol to the 26-year-old Sierra Vista resident, who is serving with a Military Police unit at Fort Polk, La.
It’s a war memorial, put up in 1934 by veterans of World War I, to honor Americans who died in that conflict.
But now the memorial is in danger, awaiting a life or death sentence to come down from the U.S. Supreme Court.
There will be a number of soldiers, many who, like Thomson, have just returned from Iraq, who will go this week to the site of the war memorial.
“We are all brothers. Some of us have been overseas more than once. We are ready to fight for the memorial,” he wrote in a recent e-mail interview with the Herald/Review.
The problem began when a former National Park Service employee, who now lives 900 miles from the Mojave Desert filed a complaint a few years ago saying he was offended by a religious icon being on federal land.
The American Civil Liberties Union took up the case and was successful in having federal courts, including the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, rule that the cross in question was an unconstitutional religious symbol and ordered it removed.
However, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to look into the case ,and oral arguments before the nation’s highest court will take place on Oct. 7.
(Excerpt) Read more at svherald.com ...
Good grief...talk about prinks...(not a typo, a hybrid)
>It’s a war memorial, put up in 1934 by veterans of World War I, to honor Americans who died in that conflict.
>
>But now the memorial is in danger, awaiting a life or death sentence to come down from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Well, that’s par-for-course. There are those who are fundamentally against:
- Honoring those who sacrificed
- Remembering what they fought for/against
- That some people don’t think that they’re the BE-ALL/END-ALL of the universe.
- That there are Human Rights; given by a Creator.
On top of a 30-foot-high rock outcropping in the Mojave National Preserve in California, stands an old rugged eight-foot-tall Latin cross that has become the latest target for groups opposed to government sponsorship of religious objects on public lands.
On July 24, 2002, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, finding the presence of the cross on federal land to be a violation of the First Amendment’s separation of church and state clause, ordered the cross removed. The decision came in the case (Buono v. Norton) brought by the ACLU of Southern California.
However, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to look into the case ,and oral arguments before the nation’s highest court will take place on Oct. 7.
My mother (Bless Her Heart) used to sing me to sleep with this song.
Old Rugged Cross
(Jim Nabors - YouTube)
The “Separation of Church and State” clause of the First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” Its interpretation by the courts has been a source of heated debate for years.
Some interesting cases;
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa071199.htm
Beautiful...
What about all those crosses at Arlington National Cemetery? I am sure that is Federal land too. Are those next? This could create a bad precedent.
The crosses at Arlington and other national cemetaries is the ultimate goal of these folks. You betcha, as Sarah would say...
There are too many freeloading piggies living in this country these days. They haven’t a clue about America, its history and its traditions. Those piggies are only here for the money, the free government handouts and to sue anyone who “offends” them. They are not Americans. They are piggies.
...if you’re going to say that such a memorial is the “establishing of religion” then the maintenance of national cemeteries are illegal.
It’s not enough to know the puke lives 900 miles away ~ what is his name and address today?
Time for some civil disobedience.
bttt
What about all the crosses you see every day on the side of the road that people put up where someone was killed by a drunk driver or through their own stupidity? Nobody seems to be going after them.
Many of the colonies followed the English practice of having state-sponsored religions. They were concerned that the new Federal government would tell them they couldn’t have them. The establishment clause was intended to deal with that concern. The church v. staters have it backwards. No big surprise, though, historical accuracy isn’t high on their agenda.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2267872/posts
The name MIGHT be on this thread...not sure..
For more information about the cross (and a great website...with music...)
http://www.donttearmedown.com/
Actually most sates have laws about this silly behavior, as to how long it can be there. Most are removed in a matter of months some states allow up to a year.
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