Federal Judge: Mt. Soledad Cross Must Come Down

[flowers]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/12/13/federal-judge-mt-soledad-cross-must-come-down/#

A cross atop Mount Soledad in California is an unconstitutional religious display on government land and must come down, a federal judge in San Diego ruled late Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ordered the cross, which honors veterans, must be removed within 90 days -- a decision that could result in the case being sent back to the U.S. Supreme Court. Burns immediately stayed his order pending an expected appeal.

The original lawsuit was filed in 2006 by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the Jewish Veterans of the United States of American and several other Southern California residents.

“We support the government paying tribute to those who served bravely in our country’s armed forces,” the ACLU’s Daniel Mach, said in a statement to the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. “But we should honor all of our heroes under one flag, not just one particular religious symbol.”

Bruce Bailey, president of the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association, expressed disappointment in the ruling.

"It is unfortunate that the Ninth Circuit left the judge no choice but to order the tearing down of the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross," Bailey told Fox News.  "However, we are grateful for the judge's stay that gives us an opportunity to fight this all the way to the Supreme Court."

Hiram Sasser, director of litigation for Liberty Institute, said in a statement to Fox News that they will continue to “fight for this memorial and the selfless sacrifice and service of all the millions of veterans it represents; it is the least we can do for those who gave so much to us all."

[Millee]

I hate what this country is becoming.   

[Rapunzel]

I hate what this country is becoming.   

Me, too.

[ABX]

I hate what this country is becoming.   

Ditto, the next thing you know, Mom and Apple Pie will be attacked... oh wait, too late...

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1023035

[andy58-in-nh]

I hate what this country is becoming.   

Ultimately, there's only one way to stop this kind of nonsense: non-compliance. Have a large group of citizens/veterans surround the monument and hold hands. Refuse to move; sit down and lock arms. Make the government use force and then broadcast the result on the internet, virally. Inspire the same actions locally in town squares where Nativity displays, and religious symbols are targeted for removal by radical atheists. Sing songs of love and belief in their midst. And feel free to repeat the words of our Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.."

It's time that people of faith conducted their own civil rights movement. Who will have the courage of their convictions, to act to overcome injustice?

[Rapunzel]

Ultimately, there's only one way to stop this kind of nonsense: non-compliance. Have a large group of citizens/veterans surround the monument and hold hands. Refuse to move; sit down and lock arms. Make the government use force and then broadcast the result on the internet, virally. Inspire the same actions locally in town squares where Nativity displays, and religious symbols are targeted for removal by radical atheists. Sing songs of love and belief in their midst. And feel free to repeat the words of our Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.."

It's time that people of faith conducted their own civil rights movement. Who will have the courage of their convictions, to act to overcome injustice?

Sadly they stopped teaching the Constitution in law schools around the nation many years ago and what we have now is bastardized decisions like this.

[andy58-in-nh]

Sadly they stopped teaching the Constitution in law schools around the nation many years ago and what we have now is bastardized decisions like this.

They still teach Constitutional law, but frequently do so within the framework of "Critical Legal Studies" and its various byproducts, all of which promote an activist and expansive view of government in the service of social "progress" toward equality and justice, as such concepts are perversely understood by their adherents. I went to law school before it all went to hell, but even then, most of my professors were already Marxists.

[ABX]

Ultimately, there's only one way to stop this kind of nonsense: non-compliance. Have a large group of citizens/veterans surround the monument and hold hands. Refuse to move; sit down and lock arms. Make the government use force and then broadcast the result on the internet, virally. Inspire the same actions locally in town squares where Nativity displays, and religious symbols are targeted for removal by radical atheists. Sing songs of love and belief in their midst. And feel free to repeat the words of our Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.."

It's time that people of faith conducted their own civil rights movement. Who will have the courage of their convictions, to act to overcome injustice?

Another option is to band together, work with these townships, etc, and find a way to buy the property from the government and privately maintain it. Take away as much of the governmental control as you can.

[mountaineer]

Ultimately, there's only one way to stop this kind of nonsense: non-compliance. Have a large group of citizens/veterans surround the monument and hold hands. Refuse to move; sit down and lock arms. Make the government use force and then broadcast the result on the internet, virally. Inspire the same actions locally in town squares where Nativity displays, and religious symbols are targeted for removal by radical atheists. Sing songs of love and belief in their midst. And feel free to repeat the words of our Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.."

It's time that people of faith conducted their own civil rights movement. Who will have the courage of their convictions, to act to overcome injustice?

I'll be there. Thankfully, in my neck of the woods, the government hasn't YET tried to prohibit us from the free exercise of our religion.

[EC]

The original lawsuit was filed in 2006 by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the Jewish Veterans of the United States of American

Put up a Star of David next to it, and between them the biggest damned Old Glory you can find. Betting there are plenty of locals willing to honor the fallen by raising and lowering the flag each day.

[Cincinnatus]

Another option is to band together, work with these townships, etc, and find a way to buy the property from the government and privately maintain it

IIRC, that was tried earlier but the courts rejected it as an obvious attempt to skirt court jurisdiction.

What happens in SD may have consequences elsewhere as a similar battle in taking place in Coos Bay, OR, where the usual suspects are demanding the removal of a cross which stands as a war memorial in a public park. The forces of tolerance and diversity have vandalized this one.

Police say someone wrote the word "Remove" in the middle of the cross and a dotted line at its base with word "cut" above and an arrow pointing to the line.

The cross is atop a war memorial installed in Mingus Park since 1972.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2013/05/vandals_deface_cross_at_war_me.html