Thread: Court settlement paves way for veterans to restore memorial cross in Mojave Desert

LOS ANGELES – A veterans group can restore a memorial cross in the Mojave Desert under a court settlement that ends a decade-old legal battle, the National Park Service said Tuesday.
A federal judge approved the lawsuit settlement on Monday, permitting the park service to turn over a remote hilltop area known as Sunrise Rock to a Veteran of Foreign Wars post in Barstow and the Veterans Home of California-Barstow.
The park will give up the acre of land in exchange for five acres of donated property elsewhere in the 1.6 million acre preserve in Southern California.
The swap, which could be completed by the end of the year, will permit veterans to restore a cross to the site and end a controversy that became tangled in the thorny issues of patriotism and religion and made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.
The last cross was ordered removed by the park service in 2010 because of a court order.


Read more: Court settlement paves way for veterans to restore memorial cross in Mojave Desert | Fox News

This is one way to settle problems with having Crosses or religious articles removed from memorials or government places. This group bought private land and is swapping it with the National Park and now the issue of having religious articles on government land cannot be removed, since it now will be private. Maybe this is a trend that will continue since the "Seperation of Church and State" is such a hot issue lately.

Originally Posted by aboutenough

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Read more: Court settlement paves way for veterans to restore memorial cross in Mojave Desert | Fox News

This is one way to settle problems with having Crosses or religious articles removed from memorials or government places. This group bought private land and is swapping it with the National Park and now the issue of having religious articles on government land cannot be removed, since it now will be private. Maybe this is a trend that will continue since the "Seperation of Church and State" is such a hot issue lately.

Not just one way, but an eminently reasonable way, as the problem is the display on public property. Not the display.

Once the National Park Service cedes the land for private use, will the veterans association be paying taxes on it? If so, then the solution is reasonable.

Originally Posted by aboutenough

LOS ANGELES – A veterans group can restore a memorial cross in the Mojave Desert under a court settlement that ends a decade-old legal battle, the National Park Service said Tuesday.
A federal judge approved the lawsuit settlement on Monday, permitting the park service to turn over a remote hilltop area known as Sunrise Rock to a Veteran of Foreign Wars post in Barstow and the Veterans Home of California-Barstow.
The park will give up the acre of land in exchange for five acres of donated property elsewhere in the 1.6 million acre preserve in Southern California.
The swap, which could be completed by the end of the year, will permit veterans to restore a cross to the site and end a controversy that became tangled in the thorny issues of patriotism and religion and made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.
The last cross was ordered removed by the park service in 2010 because of a court order.


Read more: Court settlement paves way for veterans to restore memorial cross in Mojave Desert | Fox News

This is one way to settle problems with having Crosses or religious articles removed from memorials or government places. This group bought private land and is swapping it with the National Park and now the issue of having religious articles on government land cannot be removed, since it now will be private. Maybe this is a trend that will continue since the "Seperation of Church and State" is such a hot issue lately.

I'm glad to see it - a great blow to radical atheist groups that want to destroy our traditions because of their hatred for America and Christianity, under the guise of "separation of church and state".

Originally Posted by Djinn

Once the National Park Service cedes the land for private use, will the veterans association be paying taxes on it? If so, then the solution is reasonable.

The VFW became a government-chartered non-profit organization by an act of the United States Congress on May 28, 1936;[3] as such, it receives no funding from United States tax receipts and is supported by charitable donations. The first VFW (then known as the American Veterans of Foreign Service) was founded in Denver, Colorado in 1899.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_of_Foreign_Warsen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_of_Foreign_Wars http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...gQ-hYkxU2hQ0gw
Looks like your group can't touch the VFW. It non profit and not supported by the government

Originally Posted by jackalope

Not just one way, but an eminently reasonable way, as the problem is the display on public property. Not the display.

Its a reasonable way for the memorial to go on without lawsuits. Honoring those that fought in the wars is what these memorials should be all about. Nitpicking the soldiers relgious beliefs shouldn't be an issue. In Normandy they have a symbol of their religion on each grave, just to show what faith they had. Its degrading to the families of those lost to be bringing this issue up in the ways they do.

Originally Posted by JohnnyDoe

I'm glad to see it - a great blow to radical atheist groups that want to destroy our traditions because of their hatred for America and Christianity, under the guise of "separation of church and state".

Is Christianity really being singled out? Are other religions getting a free pass? If so, share your examples.

Originally Posted by aboutenough

Its a reasonable way for the memorial to go on without lawsuits. Honoring those that fought in the wars is what these memorials should be all about. Nitpicking the soldiers relgious beliefs shouldn't be an issue. In Normandy they have a symbol of their religion on each grave, just to show what faith they had. Its degrading to the families of those lost to be bringing this issue up in the ways they do.

In Arlington, they have the same thing, but the symbols are etched onto the marble, and the not the marble shaped into the symbol. However the memorial wasn't ONE person's grave, it was memorializing MANY people. Thus, the problem.

Originally Posted by Djinn

Is Christianity really being singled out? Are other religions getting a free pass? If so, share your examples.

You gave me an idea for a new thread. Does the Freedom From Religion foundation go after any other religions other then Christianity. I went to their website hoping to see if they were trying to stop Muslims from prayer in schools. Nope. They had a long list of accomplishments all aimed at Christians. Care to explain that?
What are the Foundation's Accomplishments?

The Foundation and its staff attorneys act on countless violations of separation of state and church on behalf of members and the public, including: Prayers in public schools, payment of funds for religious purposes, government funding of pervasively sectarian institutions, and the ongoing campaign against civil rights for women, gays and lesbians led by churches.

The Foundation keeps several challenges in the courts at all times, and has ended a variety of violations of the First Amendment including:
• Winning the first federal case challenging “faith-based funding” of a pervasively sectarian social agency
• Winning the first court order to a U.S. Cabinet revoking federal funds to a pervasively sectarian agency
• Halting federal funds to a bible school offering no academic classes
• Ending “parish nursing” faith/health entanglements at two state universities
• Halting a government chaplaincy to minister to state workers

Other victories include:
• Winning a legal challenge ending 51 years of illegal bible instruction in Rhea County (Dayton, Tennessee) public schools
• Winning a federal court decision overturning a law declaring Good Friday a state holiday
• Barring direct subsidy to religious schools, in a federal lawsuit upheld by an appeals court
• Declaring unconstitutional the creation of a state post to “assist clergy” to save marriages
• Stopping public financing of an annual nativity pageant at a state capitol
• Ending commencement prayers at a Top Ten University
• Halting religious postal cancellations

About the Foundation FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

They go after all religions that attempt to infiltrate secular aspects of society.
If you wanted to demonstrate that the FFRF was only targeting Christians, then find examples of other religions trying to make inroads within our schools and government. If they're not doing it, then why would the FFRF attack them?