Posted on 01/14/2017 11:34:01 AM PST by nickcarraway
The city has donated the cross to Santa Clara University
The battle over a large iconic cross in the South Bay has come to an end.
After standing in Santa Clara for more than six decades, the 14-foot cross was taken down -- by a lawsuit.
A Santa Clara man and Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation sued the city last April, claiming the cross violated the separation of church and state because it stood in a public park.
"We are happy that the city divested itself of this religious symbol, and that the constitution is now being complied with," said Rebecca Markert, attorney for Freedom From Religion Foundation.
The granite cross was donated by the Santa Clara Lion's Club in 1953 to mark the site of the second Spanish Catholic mission established in the city in 1777.
City councilmembers settled with the man who filed the suit, and said a compromise was necessary.
"Some people feel like we've caved in or succumbed to the arguments of a relatively small number of people, but as I said, they do have a number of legal precedents on their side," councilmember Teresa O'Neill said.
As part of the settlement, the city donated the cross to Santa Clara University, where it will be placed on campus in the future.
There was no constitutional violation with the cross, but they are now in violation of the free exercise clause.
With that history, they could easily have won a lawsuit.
I suppose they’ll NOW change the city name: SAINT Clara???
I think it should be AUNTY Clara
>>and that the constitution is now being complied with
I wish they treated the 2nd Amendment like that. They’d insist that every American own a tank.
An iconic piece.
The constitution does not guarantee freedom from religion (or offense)
“We are happy that the city divested itself of this religious symbol, and that the constitution is now being complied with,”
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The Constitution does not require the eradication of our heritage and our history.
If the cross could be donated why not the land also, just around the base of the cross
If they want to speak of separation of church and state- let us start suing for separation from climate change as practiced by many state funded colleges
Even history itself is under attack by the haters of all things Christian.
Pic of the 'offending' Cross. Can I sue to have the markers for the old Pony Express route pulled down? They abused horses after all......why celibate animal actuality? The list of other 'offensive items' could be endless. (Thinking like a liberal whacker can hurt, so be careful)
What's next? Pope John Paul II arguably was critical in freeing more people (all of Eastern Europe and Russia, hundreds of millions of people) from a more repressive system (gulag era Soviet Communism) than King's mere 20 million American blacks freed from Jim Crow.
Can we erect a John Paul II statue on the Mall?
I’m offended by the mosques can we remove them?? Especially those tall prayer towers!!
During the Christmas season New York City -- a bastion of radical secularism -- had a beautiful Nativity scene set up right in Central Park. It met every legal standard under the free exercise clause because it was set up by a private organization (the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, I believe) with all of the required city permits.
So this iconic memento of history has to come down but that piece of crap artwork is still hanging in Congress? Gimme a break.
“We are happy that the city divested itself of this religious symbol, and that the constitution is now being complied with,” said Rebecca Markert, attorney for Freedom From Religion Foundation.”
Once again, that mistaken preposition; it’s freedom OF belief, not freedom FROM belief. But this sort of affair makes special people like Rebecca who want to stand out for their specialness happy. Too bad my town gave in to a small group of legal thugs and yeah SC city council, that’s exactly what you did.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
What are they going to do next, demand that all cross-shaped headstones be removed from Arlington? (Oh geez, I better not give them any ideas.)
I’m offended by the Muslim minaret they placed on top of the New York Freedom Tower, overlooking the site where my coworkers died at the hands of psychotic Muslim terrorists. But they don’t care about my feelings.
I hate atheists and I want the worthless bastards to die.
You beat me too it. First thing I thought of.
Another wonderful addition to the FReeper lexicon.
I'll let smarter heads work out what this means :)
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