The ongoing legal debate over a World War I memorial in Maryland has just entered a crucial phase. The American Legion, in its effort to preserve the monument after an appeals court deemed its existence illegal, is taking the fight to the Supreme Court. This is dramatic news for the monument censorship debate, and potentially a watershed moment for sweeping historical revisionism nationwide. However, none of the major networks seem to care.
The monument is a 40-foot tall, cross that stands as a memorial to the 49 Prince George’s County men who died in the First World War. Inscribed on the cross are the words “valor,” “endurance,” “courage,” and “devotion.” Though it’s stood there nearly a century, an atheist group has sued to force it’s removal from public land.
Last week, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed its ruling “in favor of the American Humanist Association that the massive Christian cross on government property in Bladensburg, Maryland violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.” The fact that a massive Christian symbol exists on public lands shows a governmental preference towards a certain religion, according to the AHA.
AHA Senior Counsel Monica Miller said that the court’s ruling “is a big win not only for separation of church and state, but for all non-Christian veterans who are excluded from an enormous Christian cross war memorial.”
The appeals court ruled that the monument either have its arms removed, or that it be removed from public lands. Despite loud protest from the cross’ supporters, the court agreed on March 2nd that there would be no reconsideration and that the monument must be taken down.
Hiram Sasser, deputy chief counsel for First Liberty (a representative group for American Legion) stated, “We cannot let it be the final word.” And general counsel Adrian Gardner (Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission) claimed that the state agency would “keep open our option to seek review” by the Supreme Court.
What happens after this could have huge implications for a nation steeped in Christian religion and symbolism. SCOTUS has never definitively ruled on the question of religious symbols on public property, and if this ruling stands, can atheists stamp our crosses and Stars of David wherever they appear on public land? Fox News’ Todd Starnes suggested on Tuesday that there “is a very real possibility that war memorial crosses at Arlington National Cemetery could be in jeopardy.”
Discrediting the “legal” terms of the 4th Circuit’s majority and the AHA, Starnes stated that the “Establishment Clause actually allows monuments that include religious symbols and text to stand on public land, according to Van Orden v. Perry.” The AHA, he said, is cloaking itself in the Constitution to make its attack on Christians less visible.
Starnes claimed “You need to understand the American Humanist Association’s ultimate goal — it wants to eradicate any public mention of Christianity. It wants to destroy the Judeo-Christian values and teachings that flavor every one of our founding documents. It has declared war on Christians in America and it will not stop until God and Jesus and the Bible are scrubbed from the public marketplace.”
Hmmm. Sounds like just the kind of important public controversy ABC, CBS, or NBC would love to ignore until a progressive victory is a fait accompli.
