Congressman Asks Bush to Help Save San Diego Cross
by James L. Lambert and Jody Brown
May 12, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is asking President Bush to help save a 29-foot cross standing on San Diego city property from being removed by court order. California Congressman Duncan Hunter is calling on the president to exercise his power of eminent domain and take over the half-acre cross site atop Mt. Soledad. In personal correspondence to the White House, the Republican lawmaker on Thursday (May 11) urged Bush to "protect the [Mt. Soledad] Memorial for future generations of veterans and San Diego visitors and residents" by using his "authority found in 40 U.S.C. 3113 to begin immediate condemnation proceedings and [to] bring the [Mt. Soledad] National Veterans' Memorial into the federal park system."
By designating his Interior Secretary to sign an executive order, President Bush and the federal government can effectively complete the land-transfer initiative that began in November 2004 -- and was approved by voters the following summer -- allowing the Mt. Soledad site to fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
A federal judge last week ordered San Diego to take down the cross within 90 days or face fines of $5,000 dollars a day. The injunction was the latest twist in a 17-year battle waged by an atheist against the cross, which was raised in 1954 in memorial of Korean War veterans. Congressman Hunter says, "The federal government has lots of memorials with crosses on it," including Arlington Cemetery.
Hunter and others, including San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, believe the action is necessary considering the long legal battle the city has endured against an atheist and his lawyer, James McElory. According to Congressman Hunter, the memorial "has been under siege by a single individual and his team of lawyers who have ignored the broader historical context and community support ...."
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San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders speaking at Mt. Soledad press conference on Thursday
(Photo by James L. Lambert)
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A certified copy of Hunter's letter [PDF] to the president was given to Mayor Sanders. Faced with a court-imposed order to remove the cross, Sanders said that "some battles are worth fighting for." The mayor explained during a press conference at the memorial site on Thursday that he is unsure whether the majority of San Diego's council members will support an effort to continue to contest the case legally. However, Sanders did indicate that he is in support of exploring every legal option in order to retain the cross at its present location. Apparently the mayor feels compelled to listen to the 197,000 voters who, in July 2005, requested transfer of the land where the cross is located to the federal park system. Hunter's amendment to a defense appropriation bill in December 2004 allowed for this transfer. But Judge Patricia Cowett, who has been involved in a local non-profit organization with attorney McElroy, threw out the transfer authorization that was approved by San Diego voters last summer. (See related story)
Support Coming Alongside
Meanwhile, the Thomas More Law Center has launched an online national petition drive that dovetails with Hunter's request. The petition requests that Bush direct the Secretary of the Interior to "immediately begin legal proceedings" to take the land by eminent domain. The Law Center says the petition will be sent directly to President Bush.
Various Christian groups have decided to join the Law Center in their effort to keep the cross at its present location in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla. Late last week the American Family Association sent out 2.9 million e-mails to its supporters encouraging them to send a communication to the president regarding Hunter's request. AFA founder Don Wildmon, retired House Speaker Newt Gingrich, American Center for Law & Justice founder Jay Sekulow, Liberty University founder Rev. Jerry Falwell, and Coral Ridge Ministries' Dr. Gary Cass have all expressed interest in contacting the White House regarding this matter.
Local clergy who joined Mayor Sanders at Thursday's press conference included Pastor Leo Giovinetti (Mission Valley Christian Fellowship) and Bishop George McKinney of St. Stephen's Church of God in Christ.
James L. Lambert, a frequent contributor to AgapePress, is the author of Porn in America (Huntington House), which can be purchased through the American Family Association. He is a licensed real-estate mortgage loan sales agent and can be contacted through his website.
