Memorial cross spurs debate in top US court - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (AFP) – A white cross erected in the California desert to honor soldiers killed in World War I plunged the US Supreme Court Wednesday into a complex debate on the separation of church and state.
Critics charge that the cross, erected 75 years ago, violates the US Constitution, which bans the government from favoring one religion over another, because it sits on government land at the Mojave National Preserve.
The nine justices appeared divided on the issue between conservatives and liberals, in a case which could see the court take a stand on the constitutional relations between the government and different religions.
The cross, erected by a veterans' association in 1934, stood peacefully for years until the National Park Service was asked and refused to build a Buddhist sanctuary nearby. Congress then blocked the funds to tear down the cross.
Retired Park Service employee Frank Buono fought back, charging in his lawsuit that the government was favoring one religion over another in violation of the constitution."
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
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