Tag Archives: Constitution

Obama Administration Sued for Not Transferring Land, Cross

In an interesting twist to a long-running legal case, the VFW has sued the Executive Branch of the US government for failing to comply with an act of Congress supported by the Supreme Court.

The Mojave Cross has been in dispute for some years.  The privately-erected cross on government land was the subject of a lawsuit, Buono v Salazar.  In 2003 the US Congress transferred the land surrounding the Mojave Cross to the VFW in an attempt to eliminate the issues in conflict.  The 9th Circuit court of appeals said the Mojave Cross was unConstitutional and the land transfer was an invalid attempt to circumvent their ruling.

In April of last year, the US Supreme Court overturned that decision, saying the appeals court “erred.”  SCOTUS remanded the case to the 9th Circuit.

The cross was torn down by vandals shortly after the ruling, and the site remains empty because  Read more

Michael Weinstein’s Words Defend Sarah Palin

Not since Michael Weinstein declared Sarah Palin a “misogynist” have those two names been placed together with such controversy as they were this week.  Now, amazingly enough, Weinstein’s example is being used to defend…Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin is apparently being taken to task by some for appropriating (or misusing) the term “blood libel.”  From a public video:

Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.

From the Christian Science Monitor,  Read more

Mount Soledad Cross “UnConstitutional”

The long-running ACLU lawsuit against the Mount Soledad cross in San Diego reached another milestone at the 9th Circuit, with a three-judge panel ruling the cross is unConstitutional.

A war memorial cross in a San Diego public park is unconstitutional because it conveys a message of government endorsement of religion…The court said modifications could be made to make it constitutional, but it didn’t specify what those changes would be.

The 9th Circuit panel did not direct that the cross be torn down.  Instead, Read more

Iowa Pastor Helps Soldiers Keep the Faith

A local news channel interviewed interviewed US Army Chaplain (Col) Lance Kittleson as he described his role as a spiritual support for Soldiers:

As a chaplain in the army, [Kittleson is] the senior pastor and administrator of a military congregation of more than 5,000 soldiers at bases all over Iraq.

“My job is to make sure the commander is informed on religious implications of his mission as well as provide direct support to our soldiers: Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, whatever they may be,” Col. Kittleson said.

He says faith is very important during a time of war.  Read more

Commander Requests to be Relieved over Homosexual Policy

The WorldNetDaily is a right-leaning website that is most often hyperbolic and sensationalist.  It has a few bright spots, but even they can be clouded over by the overhyped presentation.

If one can look past the adjectives, however, they may be accurately reporting the request for relief of an Army Lieutenant Colonel over the recent repeal of the combined policy/law known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

The text of the commander’s letter to his superiors asking that he be relieved of command is included on the site.  It says in part  Read more

Freedom, Democracy, and Morality in America

In light of recent comments on Christianity (or religion in general) and the role of morality in society, Andie Brownlow at the American Thinker has an interesting article entitled “American Freedom and Religious Morality:”

Liberals and conservatives both believe that as Americans, we should be moral people. The major difference is where their morality intersects with their politics. Most conservatives believe that our morality should come from religion, separate from government. Most progressives incorporate moral guidance as a function of government. (emphasis original)  Read more

Why Protect Religious Freedom if We Don’t Value Religion?

Alliance Defense Fund fellow Garrett Gibson poses an interesting question on the American paradigm of defending freedom:

There is an oft-repeated American cliche that freedom is not free. Below the surface of this cliche lies three implications: first, that we value freedom; second, that we are willing to pay the price demanded for the protection of freedom; and third, and most pertinent to this discussion, that we protect, with the force of law, the things we value.

Gibson notes the potential cultural implications of society’s move away from recognizing, and valuing, the virtues of religion:  Read more

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: The Military Christian’s Perspective

The ongoing public debate over homosexuality and the US military (most often referred to as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”) presents a unique conflict for Christians in the military.  There are those who believe homosexuality is morally wrong and must be prohibited at every possibility, and there are those who believe people have the freedom to do as they please in their private lives.  This situation has implications from both the Christian perspective and the military perspective (in isolation), though they must be integrated to form the military Christian’s perspective.  Each of these three is addressed individually below.

The Christian Perspective

The Christian faith considers homosexuality a sin, just as theft, adultery, murder, and lust are sins.  Still, Christianity does not condemn the person who expresses a homosexual preference.  In addition, while many people in this world are tempted to sin (as was Jesus during his incarnation), the temptation to participate in sinful conduct is not itself wrong.  Finally, man is a fallen creation and has a sinful nature; thus, succumbing to temptation and sinning are a common experience of many on this earth — even the stereotypically staunchest Christians.

For a Christian, it is disheartening to see the culture, government, and now military move to end opposition to immoral behavior.  This is a dramatic indicator of the direction of cultural morality in the United States:  Few other issues have so rapidly moved from Read more

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