The city of King, NC, paid Americans United for the Separation of Church and State $500,000 and agreed to remove the iconic image of a soldier kneeling at a cross-shaped headstone, ending a lawsuit filed in 2012.
The city council voted 3-2 to settle.
“I feel this city has been sabotaged and bullied Read more
Are there too few atheists buried at Normandy?
It’s an interesting way to phrase the complaints about crosses and Stars of David when they pertain to representations of the iconic cemeteries of American soldiers in Europe.
Quoted in a Washington Times article by Valerie Richardson entitled “Anti-religion group gripes about lack of atheists buried at Normandy,” Sam Grover of the Freedom from Religion Foundation had this to say:
“It is unfortunate that the iconic headstones at the Normandy cemetery do such a poor Read more
The city of King, North Carolina, has been sued over its recently erected war memorial, which includes the iconic silhouette of a soldier kneeling before a cross-shaped headstone (previously discussed).
The plaintiff, Steven Hewett, a veteran Read more
With fires raging in southern California, US Marines based at Camp Pendleton took the time to rescue crosses memorializing their fallen comrades:
First Sergeant’s Hill in Camp San Mateo, California, is home to nearly two dozen wooden crosses memorializing fallen Marines from Pendleton, a sacred site created by and for Marines to remember lost comrades. When new Marines arrive at Camp Pendleton units, more senior troops will often take them to the site and explain its significance.
The fires ultimately overcame the hills, but Read more
In light of the recent accusations that the US Air Force has been kowtowing to the whims of Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, its worth recalling what happens when the military doesn’t grant Weinstein special deference:
In 2010, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein demanded that the Fort Carson hospital change its insignia because it contained a cross and
violate[s] the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state and should be removed.
He met with Fort Carson’s commander — who told him to pound sand. Weinstein threatened to sue. The Army said they didn’t care.
Guess what happened?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
The Fort Carson patch remains the same as it ever was. The Army Read more
The proposed Lake Elsinore war memorial — which was to portray the iconic silhouette of a soldier kneeling at a cross-shaped headstone — was declared unconstitutional by US District Judge Stephen Wilson:
On Thursday (Feb. 27), U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson of California’s Central District ruled that a granite monument depicting a soldier kneeling in prayer before a cross lacked “a secular purpose” and has “the unconstitutional effect” of endorsing religion over nonreligion.
For those that can’t seem to remember, the US Constitution says this about religion:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…
Is such a stone really Congress making a law respecting establishment? Using the Lemon Test, the Judge (PDF) said: Read more
The Stars and Stripes repeated an article from the Newport News Daily Press noting Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s recent speech at the College of William and Mary. While Weinstein’s speeches are essentially verbatim at each venue, the article headlined and detailed an interesting quote:
“It’s not about eliminating God,” [Weinstein] said. “If that were to happen, we would be in someone’s face in two seconds. It’s about making sure you follow the procedures in deploying your version of God.”
His first sentence seems to be true. He has not advocated “eliminating God” — at least not the God he approves of — from the military or anywhere else. His second Read more
US District Judge Larry Burns ruled that the Mount Soledad war memorial cross must be removed from its perch above San Diego, but he immediately stayed his own order pending appeals.
While recent news reports have focused on the order to remove the cross, this is actually old news in the two-decade old case, and Judge Burns has essentially acted only to move the case forward — not end it. In fact, Judge Burns disagrees with his own ruling:
The five-page order, issued Thursday, makes clear that Judge Burns does not believe the Mount Soledad cross violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. “This court previously held (and continues to believe) Read more