WWI memorial cross stolen from Mojave National Preserve

WWI memorial cross stolen from Mojave National Preserve
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Tuesday, May 11, 2010
WASHINGTON — Vandals toppled and removed the 8-foot-high cross at Mojave National Preserve in California less than two weeks after the Supreme Court ruled the controversial memorial could remain on federal property.

The cross, which has stood in various forms for the last 76 years as a memorial to World War I soldiers, was stolen late Sunday night or early Monday morning, according to officials from the Liberty Institute, a conservative advocacy group that deals with church-state issues. In a statement Kelly Shackelford, the group’s president, called the actions “disgusting.”

Vandals cut through a series of metal bolts to remove the cross — still covered by a wooden box — from its concrete foundation.

The cross had been covered with plywood for 10 years as the legal fight surrounding the memorial wound through the courts. Officials from the Liberty Institute argued in favor of allowing the memorial to stand, saying that censoring the cross violated veterans’ freedom of speech and religion.

On April 28, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the memorial did not warrant removal as an overtly religious symbol, and did not represent government endorsement of a specific religion.
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WWI memorial cross stolen from Mojave National Preserve