Update 5:15 pm…..Senate Passes Soledad Bill:
Statement by Majority Leader Bill Frist
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., (R-Tenn.) made the following statement on legislation to protect the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross, which passed today by unanimous consent:
“I am proud that the Senate chose to protect an important memorial honoring our nation’s fallen veterans. With the passage of this legislation, the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial in San Diego, California, will be controlled by the federal government who will ensure that the men and women it memorializes will continue to be honored.”
Since 1954, a 29-foot cross has stood atop Mt. Soledad in San Diego, California memorializing the American war dead of World War I, World War II and the Korean conflict. Over the years, the Memorial has grown and now includes six large, concentric walls covered with granite plaques commemorating individual servicemen and women, bollards, pavers and a flagpole proudly flying the American flag. The Mt. Soledad Memorial, in its entirety, is a world class war memorial.
In 1989, a plaintiff who claimed to be offended by the memorial sued the city for its removal. The City of San Diego went to great lengths to divest themselves of the property by selling it to a private party who could choose to keep the Memorial cross. That sale was blocked, however, by the 9th circuit court of appeals. Last year, the voters of San Diego passed a ballot measure providing for the donation of the memorial to the federal government, but again that transfer was blocked by the courts. H.R. 5683 directs the federal government to acquire the property, and enables the Mt. Soleded memorial to be federally owned and continue to memorialize Americans who have fallen in service to their country.
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At Congressman Duncan Hunter’s fundraising breakfast yesterday morning, Mayor Jerry Sanders was introduced by Duncan and thanked for his work to save the Mt. Soledad Memorial. It did occur to me — in my rather jaundiced humor — that it was nice to have one issue that guys like Jerry and Duncan could agree on.
OK, that may not be completely fair, but it does go without saying that moderates and conservatives alike support saving the memorial cross (although their public statements may cite different reasoning). Perhaps that’s because the polling consistently shows folks of all parties and from all walks of life are in a rage about the prospects of the cross coming down. So be it.
With that out of the way, attached is Governor Schwarzenegger’s letter to Senator Bill Frist in support of the Hunter legislation to save Soledad.
September 10th, 2006 at 12:00 am
How great to hear that the demise of the Airport Authority in San Diego is looming in the close future. Will the ballot issue to San Diegans be up for a vote by all of San Diego or just the City??
Marlene of Ramona