The Mojave Desert Memorial Cross in the Mojave National Preserve was erected in 1934 by World War I veterans to commemorate their fallen comrades. For seventy-five years it's been there, and is now under attack, backed by the knuckleheads that sit on the Ninth Circuit Court. Of course the ACLU is initiating the attack on WWI Vets by claiming the Cross violates the separation of church and state.
Mathew D. Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel: "Passive displays like the World War I Memorial, the Ten Commandments, Nativity scenes, or statements like the National Motto do not force anyone to participate in a religious exercise and, thus, do not establish religion." "This case reveals the extreme lengths the ACLU will go to in order to erase religious monuments." "For 75 years this cross in the Mojave Desert did not disturb anyone." "It stood as a memorial to the heroes of World War I. Removing this memorial would be an insult to our war veterans. Doing so under the guise of the First Amendment is an insult to the Framers of the Constitution."
The ACLU is doing this because a man from Oregon has alleged he might drive on the desert road in in the middle of the nowhere and might be offended by the cross.
This land was once owned by the VFW and they had donated it to the federal government in the 1930's. An offer has been made to swap another five acres for the five the Cross sits on so it'll be back on private property. No go. Denied.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that the Cross and the land transfer violated the Establishment Clause. The Cross has been enclosed in plywood to prevent people from seeing it until the case is resolved.
Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel of Liberty Legal Institute and attorney for the veterans groups: "It is bad enough to say that the veterans’ memorial is unconstitutional, but it is outrageous to say that the government cannot give the monument back to the people who spilled their blood and put it there in the first place.”
Jay Sekulow, American Center for Law and Justice: "This is a critical case that will once again put the spotlight on the constitutionality of religious displays and the proper role of the government and its actions." "There's nothing wrong with the government transferring property containing symbols with religious significance to private parties. We're hopeful that the high court will conclude that the long-standing display of this cross does not create a constitutional crisis and that the action by the federal government represented a constitutionally-sound solution."
We're used to the ACLU and secular judges and other anti-Christian bigots attacking Christianity, but attacking WWI Vets and a symbol of their remembrance? One that sits in the Mojave Desert? Just another proof to me that the ACLU is not just intolerant anti-Christian bigots, but anti-American too. Bashing Vets.
On June 8, 2009, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling of anti-Christian bigots of the Ninth Circuit Court.
OMG! A Cross in the Middle of Nowhere! What shall I do? I'm so offended!! Good grief.
