Double Crossed

Protest Stealth Manuever to Keep Cross on Public Land

November 22, 2004

Christian members of Congress and a Christian legal fund are working to circumvent court rulings and the will of the people, to halt removal of a cross from public property on Mount Soledad, California.

Since 1991, a federal court injunction to remove the cross from city land in La Jolla has been on hold. There have been innumerable attempts to "save the cross," and all have failed the legal test. On Nov. 2, even San Diego voters rejected a referendum scheme to authorize keeping the cross where it is. The City Council agreed to move the cross to private property if voters rejected the referendum.

Then along came the Thomas More Law Center, a religious right group, and two Christian members of Congress, Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Escondido, and Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon. They inserted a designation naming the Mount Soledad cross a national veterans memorial into a huge spending bill on Saturday night, Nov. 20 (still needing President Bush's signature). It is bogus to call the cross a veterans memorial--the site has been used annually for Easter services, not to honor veterans--and this one would honor only Christian veterans!

Why this designation would make a cross on public land suddenly constitutional is a mystery, but one thing is certain: it will create more havoc, hurdles and costly delays.

For lots of fascinating details, see "Mt. Soledad icon is slipped in federal legislation," San Diego Times Union, Nov. 21, 2004.

Complain! Assuming the spending bill is signed by Bush, the city would still have to donate this valuable parcel of public land to the national park system. Please send letters to the local newspapers and/or to the city manager (address below) urging that this valuable public land be retained by the city for everyone's pleasure.

Send letters to:

The San Diego Union-Tribune
Letters to the Editor
PO Box 120191
San Diego CA 92112-0191
Fax 619/260-5081
Email: letters@uniontrib.com

North County Times
Letters to the Editor
207 E Pennsylvania Ave
Escondido CA 92025
Fax 760/745-3769
Email: letters@nctimes.com

P. Lamont Ewell, City Manager
City Hall
202 'C' St., MS 9A
San Diego CA 92101
fax 619/236-6067
Phone 619/236-6363
manager@sandiego.gov

As always, please keep your letter(s) succinct, concentrate on one or two major points, and sign your name and address (add phone in letters to the editor). Please write as an individual, not as someone responding to this action alert. We are pleased to receive "blind" copies of your letters by email or mail: algaylor@ffrf.org, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freedom From Religion Foundation, PO Box 750, Madison WI 53701.

Thank you!