It seems inconceivable that any group would seek to remove tributes to men and women who gave their lives for our freedom, but the assault continues, simply because these memorials remember America’s fallen heroes through the use of scripture, crosses, or other religious symbols. As a result, the secularists have decided this legacy violates the so-called “separation of church and state” . . . and must be torn down.
Take, for example, two on-going cases in California: Mt. Soledad and Mojave Desert.
Mt. Soledad: An atheist filed a lawsuit in 1987 to remove the cross atop a veteran’s memorial in San Diego County. Nearly a decade ago, the ACLU and its allies joined the fight to have it removed. The memorial has been honoring veterans since 1952 and remains at risk. After years of legal battles, the case now sits in the hands of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mojave Desert: For more than 70 years, this white cross stood on a mountain in the desert outside Riverside, California. In 2001, a lawsuit was filed against the Dept. of Interior and National Park Service claiming the presence of the Mojave Cross on federal land violates the Establishment Clause. An early ruling ordered the cross be removed, but was later stayed pending further proceedings. As a result of the litigation, the cross was covered in a plywood box. That is how it remains to this day. The federal government attempted to remedy this “violation” by engaging in a land swap with a veteran’s group. Under this agreement, the government would have received more land than it gave away. However, eventually, the Court prohibited the government from going forward with the land transfer. We expect this case to eventually reach the Supreme Court of the United States.
The ACLU and its allies, like the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), are adamant in their fight to tear down these historical monuments. FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor has said publicly that if the courts rule in favor of removing Mt. Soledad and the Mojave Desert crosses, all other such monuments are at risk. And they are waiting for rulings in their favor to attack. “I would not jump into the fray until we see what happens with these other cases [Mt. Soledad and Mojave Desert]… the ACLU might feel the same way: Let’s wait and see… many of the monuments are probably safe until their lawsuits start working and it becomes clear the Supreme Court would uphold their removal.”
That means, if the California courts rule in favor of the ACLU and its allies, countless memorials across the country are at risk. These memorials are not simply objects placed in the ground. Rather, they are symbols, placed by communities wanting to honor their heroes and families hoping to preserve memories of their loved ones. Cue: Our friends at the American Legion, who have already identified several other memorials that may be at risk, including:
Veterans' Memorial Park
Rainier, Washington
The American Legion member who reported the memorial above, in Rainier, Washington, says it is part of the city’s Veterans’ Memorial Park. The park includes an eighty foot wall of honor with engraved tiles containing the names of veterans and a metal sculpture of a soldier in combat gear kneeling at a cross with a helmet on it. Dennis McVey, a Vietnam veteran and American Legion member reported the memorial to ADF. He says seeing such monuments inspire him. “It reinvigorates my belief that this is a great country.” When asked how he would feel if the memorial were to be challenged on the basis of religion, he tells us, “I have fought and bled for this country and lost many good friends. It would make my blood boil.” |
Taos Square Memorial
Taos, New Mexico
The Taos Square Memorial sits prominently at the center of the New Mexico town’s Taos Plaza. It is “undeniably the main focal point” according to the town’s website. With its stone base and large cross, the Taos Square Memorial’s drawn visitors to the area’s historical district since the 1940’s. Dennis Martinez, with the Taos Parks Department says mothers of those serving in World War II originally commissioned the project. It was built with private funds, but now sits on city-owned property. Currently, the memorial is being built up further. Individual bricks are being laid down around the memorial, displaying the names of every veteran who calls Taos home. Just like Mt. Soledad, that will include veterans from every war, those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and those still with us today. Just like Mt. Soledad, the Taos Square Memorial could fall subject to attack.
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Ensuring that these memorials stay standing is essential to religious freedom. The ACLU and its allies have a proven track record of attempting to wipe religious symbols off public land – off land where they are constitutionally allowed to be. With the uncertain status of the prominent cases in California – Mt. Soledad and Mojave – we need to take a stand now. That is why ADF attorneys are being proactive in the cases of the Taos and Rainier memorials. We have sent letters to the mayors of both cities, explaining how the memorials fall squarely within the boundaries set by the Supreme Court for public acknowledgment of religion. We told them if anyone challenges the monuments solely because they contain religious references that smacks of anti-religious bias. ADF attorneys also promise to vigorously defend the memorials should their constitutionality come under attack in a court of law. You can read the letters by using the following links: Rainier, Washington and Taos, New Mexico.
The attack by the ACLU on veterans’ memorials is an attack on the very freedoms that veterans fought and died to preserve.
Our country owes its fallen heroes a debt too great to ever repay. Let us honor their memory by preserving their legacy and standing together in defense of religious freedom...and of these memorials to those who gave their all to preserve that freedom.
Recent Cases Involving Memorials
Mojave Desert Cross
Mt. Soledad National War Memorial
Utah Highway Patrol Association
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