The ACLU may finally have lost its battle to remove the Mt. Soledad war memorial cross in San Diego now that the Department of Defense has sold the land to an independent party.
The war memorial dedicated to nearly 4,000 Korean War veterans has long been a subject of intense controversy by radical proponents for the separation of Church and State, who viewed the majestic 29-foot cross prominently displayed atop the hillside as unconstitutional. After years of legal battles, the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association (MSMA), who long provided upkeep for the cross, bought the half-acre war memorial from the Department of Defense for $1.4 million, officially putting it out of government hands.
"Today's actions will ensure that the memorial will continue to stand in honor of our veterans for decades to come," Liberty Institute attorney Hiram Sasser said in a statement. "This is a great victory for the veterans who originally placed this memorial and the Korean War veterans the memorial honors."
Embroiled in legal battles since 2002, the cross has been the beanbag in an endless game of courtroom hot potato. In 2002, the city of San Diego attempted to quell the controversy by selling the memorial to a veteran's group, but federal appeals court ruled the sale unconstitutional, saying that it gave the group an "unfair advantage" to preserve the cross from those hoping to tear it down.
In 2006, Justice Anthony Kennedy "stayed a federal judge’s order that the city remove the cross or face a $5,000 fine," according to Christianity Today. The cross would only be saved when the federal government acquired the memorial through eminent domain.
Lastly, in 2011, the Ninth Circuit ruled the cross "an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion" and sided with those who viewed the cross as symbol "that Jesus is the Son of God and died to redeem mankind."
Bruce Bailey, president and CEO of the MSMA’s board, expressed deep satisfaction with the sale and looks forward to working with the city of San Diego.
"We look forward to continuing to partner with the City of San Diego, our county, and our military community," said Bruce Bailey, president and CEO of the MSMA’s board. "It marks the first time where our membership can manage the memorial’s affairs from a place of ownership and accountability for the property, which is a new and welcomed step for the association."
Originally published at ChurchMilitant.com
