San Diego to Move Giant Cross

[truthpusher]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21598-2005Mar9.html?nav=rss_politics

San Diego to Move Giant Cross
City Council Votes To End Suit Over Religious Symbol
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By Kimberly Edds
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, March 10, 2005; Page A19
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Sixteen years of legal wrangling over whether a 43-foot cross at the top of Mount Soledad in La Jolla, Calif., violates the separation of church and state came to a halt Tuesday when the San Diego City Council voted 5 to 3 to reject a plan to keep the cross where it is.

After more than 50 years overlooking the city of San Diego, the cross, erected as part of veteran's war memorial, will be moved. The vote, after an emotional six-hour public hearing that drew hundreds of residents, slams the door on recent attempts to retain the cross as part of a national monument, including an effort by two Republican members of Congress.

(snip)

"It's a preeminent Christian symbol on public land. It's a pretty simple call," McElroy said. "But these people are under tremendous political pressure to save that cross. Not a single one of them wanted to vote the way they did."

complete story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21598-2005Mar9.html?nav=rss_politics

[ProgressiveConn]

1. As a non-theist.

I wonder if there was no possible way to say sell this chunk of land to a private group for fair market price. From the photo it looks like a beautiful place to visit. To bad it does violate the establishment clause.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. I think the "Wrong Way" sign in the right forefront

may qualify as equal time.

But that's just me.

:shrug:

[dxstone]

3. a VERY beautiful place...

Excellent observation, Frosted! LOL!
I lived in San Diego in 82, and used to go there whenever I could; when I visited again in 90 I made sure to stop for a bit; it is indeed a lovely spot...
Personally, I'm agnostic; I should be more bitter than that, considering I was raised Catholic, but I'm not... there's still enough of the miraculous in life to make me wonder about the possible deeper implications...
But symbols are, after all, just symbols. They're the embodiment of an idea; and even if I don't agree with others about that idea's meaning and overall message, I don't think the idea itself, or it's symbolic reference, should be outlawed. It's a totally knee-jerk mentality; I think it's a shame they're going to take that cross down. It was really a cool and magical place to go...
DXS
http://www.presidentevilonline.com
"I LOVE horror movies, man... I just don't want to LIVE in one."

[Merlot]

4. It's still going to be a lovely place to visit...it's the same place

with or without the cross. And I don't think an yone is outlawing the cross, they are objecting to religious symbols on gov't property.

After wrangling about it for 16 years, it hardly seems knee-jerk.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Piperay]

5. I agree

every time I go to San Diego I like to go up there. I'm also an agnostic but I still enjoyed seeing it and will miss it. :-(

[SHRED]

7. Good!

Finally they are going to get rid of that symbol of torture.
The old "cleansed by the blood of the lamb" groups are bahhhing loud. WGARA?
Sickos.

[trogdor]

8. Don't they have better things to do?

Certainly the SD city council has better things to do than worry about a war memorial that has been there for half a century. At some point, it stops being an attempt by the government to foist religion on people and takes on the status of a historical monument, and taking it down becomes the equivalent of the Taliban blowing up the Buddhas or the Soviet Union converting cathedrals to warehouses.

So why go through all this? Is everything fixed in San Diego? Are there no potholes that need fixing? Is the city budget balanced? Are there no schools that need to be built/renovated/etc.? Am I the only one who thinks this is just silly?

[Frances]

9. I think the cross is very ugly

I would want to remove it for aesthetic reasons. I say this as a person who has the greatest respect for the ministers at the church I attended when I was growing up.