This time, it’s an assault on our veterans, using their Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross as the cudgel. This is a case where the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled the veterans’ memorial unconstitutional because it uses a cross—a globally recognized symbol of a fallen soldier, as well as a global religious symbol—at the center of its memorial display. Last month, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the matter.
Now we learn that after President Obama had his Solicitor General join the appeal, which increased the likelihood the Court would take the case (but did not guarantee it, as we’ve just seen), Obama had his DoJ engage in what would seem to be ex parte discussions with the ACLU—the opposition in this case—without the major plaintiffs, the Mount Soledad Memorial Association, present. This also had the effect of cutting out the MSMA’s legal representation, the Liberty Institute.
This is an atrocious attack, not only on our veterans’ memorial, but on the concept of our right to petition our government for redress of grievances, and on our right to representation in the cases we have before any court of law.
Whatever you think of the memorial itself, feel free to call Attorney General Eric Holder’s office at 202-514-2001 and let him know, in no uncertain terms, your…dismay…at his underhanded duplicity. While you’re at it, call your Congressman and both Senators with the same message.
And call President Obama: 202-456-1111 or TTY/TTD: 202-456-6213.