In deference to the women in my life (mom, wife, daughter), as well as so my daughter and I may appropriately serve breakfast in bed to her mom tomorrow morning — instead of me tapping away at the keyboard — consider this late nite Saturday post my weekly Sunday San Diego.
Standing up for Soledad… Speaking of moms, I think I made mine proud several years ago when I first 
engaged in the battle to save the Mt. Soledad and Mt. Helix crosses. That was 1989…same anti-cross judge today…and the legal battle continues.
For those who don’t believe there’s a difference between Mayor Jerry Sanders and almost Mayor Donna Frye, here’s an issue that spells out a huge chasm in philosophies between the two. Frye has consistently voted against upholding the will of the people to save La Jolla’s Mt. Soledad Memorial. Sanders, alternatively, last week stood BIG TIME in support of the Memorial, along with backing Duncan Hunter’s effort to get the cross-land in the hands of the feds to help preserve it as a national war memorial.
This is one case where I am quite comfortable with the usually unthinkable…actually wanting the federal government to manage something that has traditionally been locally-controlled. Anything to get the Soledad issue away from Judge Gordon Thompson, Jr. and the San Diego plaintiff-loonies so offended by the presence of a cross that they’ve used it to make a name for themselves for the last 17 years.
Some good stuff on the issue this past week from the local GOP:
Sanders is urging the City Council to approve sending city attorneys to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to obtain a stay that would suspend U.S. District Court Judge Gordon Thompson’s order requiring the city or tear down the cross within 90 days.
GOP Chairman Ron Nehring minces no words:
The campaign to destroy the memorial at Mt. Soledad is a definite finalist for the most bizarre, misguided, and downright offensive political act I’ve witnessed during my five years as county Republican chairman — and it must not succeed.
Particularly offensive was attorney James McElroy’s May 4th statement in which he said it was time to tear down the cross from the memorial in order to "strike a blow for religious tolerance."
Typical liberal doublespeak. It reminds me of the campus liberals when I was in college who would shout down conservatives in the name of diversity. Henry Ford famously said that customers can have any color Ford car they wanted – so long as it was black. Today’s liberals believe Americans can hold any view they want — so long as it’s liberal.
The Republican Party of San Diego County unanimously endorsed last year’s initiative to preserve the memorial, and the people of San Diego overwhelmingly voted to do the same. Sadly, the will of the people continues to be assaulted by a judge, a disgruntled atheist, and liberals at city hall. Fortunately, many of us are working hard — some publicly, some privately — to do what it takes to preserve the memorial. Preserving it, not destroying it, will truly "strike a blow for religious tolerance" while respecting our war veterans and the will of San Diegans.
Also last week, San Diegans for the Mount Soledad National War Memorial kicked off a nationwide fundraising effort to cover the $5,000 per day fine that would be levied against the City of San Diego if it refuses to destroy the Mount Soledad Memorial by removing the cross.
Additionally, two days ago the Thomas More Law Center launched a national petition drive requesting President Bush to utilize the federal government’s powers of eminent domain to take the land under the cross. The petition requests Bush to direct the Secretary of the Interior to “immediately begin legal proceedings” to take the land. Read the press release here.
Eminent domain. Taking of land. Imagine that. Yes, I support it in this case as well. You can throw consistency out the window when it comes to certain issues. This is politics. The liberals do it everyday.
The San Diego City Council is scheduled to vote May 22 on whether to appeal Judge Thompson’s ruling that the cross must come down within 90 days. Pastor Chris Clark calls it "one of the most crucial hearings in the entire history of this battle to save the Memorial." Everything points to Jim Madaffer, Brian Maienschein, Tony Young and Kevin Faulconer supporting an appeal, and Scott Peters, Toni Atkins and Donna Frye voting against.
This leaves 8th District Councilmember Ben Hueso in the unknown column. Jimmy Valentine, producer for Roger Hedgecock, absolutely pegs it this way (you have to read this):
Ben is filling the remainder of the term vacated by Ralph Inzunza. He of strip club favors fame. Come June 6th Ben will face two challengers for a full term in the chair. We don’t live in the 8th so we really don’t know what kind of job he’s done for his voters (and non-voters) in the short period he’s been charged as their public servant. But we do know that he needs to make a decision that may likely determine whether he sits in the seat for much longer.
Ben needs to be a YES vote on the Memorial at Mt. Soledad. Ben is dancing. Last week, on good authority, we had it that Ben was a supporter of the Memorial and Cross. Day or two later Ben is a maybe and maybe not. Hummm!! He was invited to Mayor Jerry Sanders Saturday rally at the Mount, but refused to attend. Recent efforts to put him in the YES column have been fruitless.
What happened? The city budget is being discussed. Does Ben want something in return for Memorial support? Did Peters, Frye or Atkins get to him? His hesitation certainly can’t be a product of talking to folks in his district. We’re told the district went overwhelmingly for Prop A to deed the Memorial to the feds.
We need his vote. We need five votes on May 22nd, when the Memorial matter has been docketed…such an appeal should give us a pretty direct shot to the U.S. Supreme Court where legal experts expect us to prevail (that means win, I guess — it’s legal talk).
Ben wants your vote on June 6th. You need to tell him you want his vote on May 22nd. The Memorial is a litmus test. And he don’t need to play no cat wid da mouse. The Memorial is not a bargaining chip brother. You need to go into closed session by yourself and peek inside your heart.
Well said, Jimmy. With that, here is Ben’s contact information:
District 8: Councilman Ben Hueso
Office phone:619.236.6688
Email: benhueso@sandiego.gov
Let’s email and call the heck out of him.
In the meantime, thanks a bunch to the folks at San Diegans for the Mount Soledad National War Memorial for all their hard work, including Phil Thalheimer, Charles LiMandri, T.J. Zane, Alex Holstein, Dennis Breedlove, Matt Brumley, Chris Clark, Jeff Marston, Teresa Mendoza, Breanna Kingsbury, Ann Kelsey, and Anne Subia.
The work they do is enough to make a mom proud.