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Photo by Hiram Sasser |
“One person’s agenda shouldn’t diminish the sacrifice made by America’s veterans and their families,” said ADF Senior Counsel and Senior Vice-President of Allied Attorney Support and Coordination Joe Infranco. “Despite the claims from the ACLU and others, crosses on veterans’ memorials have been under attack. One only needs to look at what’s happened at Mt. Soledad and in the Mojave Desert. Americans want these memorials to be protected.”
ADF and The American Legion have been involved in legal efforts to defend the cross memorial at Mt. Soledad in San Diego and the Mojave Desert Cross in southern California against ACLU-led efforts to have them removed. Both memorials honor American military veterans.
In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that an atheist’s 17-year-old lawsuit seeking to tear down the cross at Mt. Soledad be declared moot (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3980). Despite that, the ACLU has again filed suit against the memorial in an effort to have the cross removed. A federal court also granted a motion filed by the ACLU that resulted in an order to cover the Mojave Desert Cross so that no one can view it (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4067).
“Stamping out these symbols of sacrifice is the first step to forgetting who’s kept America free and what’s made America great,” said Infranco. “ADF, The American Legion, and Liberty Legal are joining together to ensure that we will never forget the sacrifice made by so many for our precious freedoms--including the freedom to honor our fallen heroes as we so choose.”
Past National American Legion Commander Tom Bock, representing National Commander Paul Morin who was on travel overseas, announced a concurrent national campaign to pass legislation to plug a legal loophole that enables judges to award millions of dollars to ACLU and other attorneys seeking to remove religious symbols from memorials and other public venues.
“During the last Congress, The American Legion launched a national awareness campaign to pass the Public Expression of Religion Act, known as PERA,” Bock said. “It passed overwhelmingly in the House but its companion bill was introduced late in the 109th Congress without enough time to get a floor vote in the Senate. Today, its successor – The Veterans’ Memorials, Boy Scouts, Public Seals, and Other Public Expression of Religion Protection Act of 2007 has been introduced in both chambers – H.R. 725 in the House and S. 415 in the Senate. This time, The American Legion, ADF and Liberty Legal Institute are joined together to engage America to make this new PERA the law of the land.”
In addition to identifying and cataloging war memorials across the United States to create a comprehensive national data base, Bock said that in the coming months, Legionnaires across America will be reaching out to all Americans to “educate and activate” them to demand that Congress pass the legislation.
ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation. The American Legion is the nation’s largest veterans’ service organization, representing 2.7 million wartime veterans.
Comments (15)
Just as it takes more than the veneration of a cross to be truly a Christian, it takes more than veneration of a flag to be a patriot. The Legion is wasting its time on another phony issue. May God bless America, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights!
Posted by Charles Dabkowski | 05/26/07 9:13 PM |
Although I am not a veteran, my father is and I full support the American Legion's efforts to keep and maintain this vital part of our national heritage.
Thank you veteran's for enabling me to live a free man.
Again, thank you American Legion for stepping in to help defend and maintain our national memorials.
Posted by Gary Laughlin | 05/27/07 9:39 AM |
As a veteran, I applaud the
legion for its efforts to preserve our heritage. One has only to read the Lincoln,s Gettysburg address to be reminded of what this country means to all patriots. The dim bulbs in Congress refuse to
"GET IT". SEMPER fi!
Posted by Richard Whelan | 05/28/07 7:36 PM |
Let this day be for them...
http://thankyoursoldiers.com
Please visit and sign a Thank You Card for our Troops.
Goal is 1,000,000 signature.
Respectfully,
N. L. Valler
Posted by nlvaller | 05/29/07 12:02 AM |
I wish that the Legion would devote as much time and effort helping living veterans and our wounded. Why is Walter Reed still not "fixed"?
Posted by Hal Donahue | 05/30/07 1:25 PM |
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hal-donahue/honor-tradition-courage_b_49565.html
Posted by Hal Donahue | 05/30/07 1:27 PM |
Mr. Donahue ... It looks like you only read or write the "news" you want to I guess. As a Legionnaire who lives near Walter Reed and has supported the injured troops in various ways for THREE years now, I can tell you exactly WHAT The American Legion has done there.
The American Legion is the ONLY veterans organization to have a full-time employee at Walter Reed to specifically help with the issues there including the backlogs and board evaluations.
The Legion also launched a program LAST JULY called Heroes to Hometowns with the Department of Defense to assist with a myriad of seamless transition issues affecting our wounded Heroes and their families, through the 2.7 million Legionnaires in 14,000 Legion posts nation-wide to assist these troops with their needs. Try finding a mainstream media outlet to do a story on this amazing progam.
The question to you, Mr. Donahue: Where have YOU been and WHAT have you done?
Posted by Elizabeth Rutten | 05/30/07 3:06 PM |
Oh no Ms. Rutten. I said it is too bad that the Legion has not devoted AS much time to the living as they have to things like this. I questioned and I question the priorities of the Legion's leadership but recognise their work. Look at their headlines and news releases they obscure the efforts to help the living. To roughly qoute Bob Dole concerning Walter Reed: Where were the VSO's? And if you are so close to Walter Reed why don't you get the answers as to why that garden is in such a sorry state of disrepair? Can't you get it fixed? Also, just for your information, I was an inpatient at Walter Reed two weeks ago and the only VSO I saw was the VFW.
Posted by Hal Donahue | 05/30/07 4:05 PM |
Ms. Rutten? I am asking for help here.
Posted by Hal Donahue | 05/30/07 9:13 PM |
To start with I would just like to take time to thank all of you for your service and the ultimate sacrifice of your brothers/sisters in arms. Secondly, good for all of you for standing up for that this country was founded upon,( Christian Values ) freedom of religion. Keep up your Good Fight of Faith. I am here praying for you and behind you one thousand percent.
Posted by Scott Williamson | 06/01/07 8:23 AM |
"Those that forget the past are bound to repeat it" Memorials are for the living. I realized this when I attended the dedication of the National POW/MIA Memorial. All families expressed their great feelings of closure. As one wife of a MIA said, I never had anywhere to go but now I can come here and feel at peace.
Posted by Jake Jacobsen | 06/02/07 2:10 PM |
Mr. Donahue, like so many others it appears that you look at what people and organizations haven't done as opposed to what they have accomplished. It is always easier to take on the negative aspects as opposed to the positive sides.
Is the situation better than what it was? Yes. Is there still work to be done? Yes. The important thing is that it is heading in the right direction.
Posted by Robert M. Chitwood | 06/04/07 3:30 PM |
Mr. Donahue,
The American Legion's representative at Walter Reed is Jerry Johnson. If you need assistance, his phone number is 202-356-1012. He is spending most of his energy on the OIF/OEF veterans. This is our permanent staffer and does not include the volunteers from Maryland, Virginia and DC who volunteer at Walter Reed and Bethesda.
Posted by Alec Petkoff | 06/04/07 4:15 PM |
I would like obtain the actual amount of the legion membership dues that the attorneys on the staff are awarded each year... thanks
Posted by hubert larson | 01/09/08 11:56 AM |
I would like obtain the actual amount of the legion membership dues that the attorneys on the staff are awarded each year... thanks
Posted by hubert larson | 01/09/08 11:57 AM |