The famous Argonne Cross in Arlington National Cemetery could be removed if religious liberty advocates have their way. Photo courtesy Arlington National Cemetery.
A cross honoring veterans of World War I has come under fire from civil liberties proponents, because the 6-foot cross located on federal land. The catch: the land in question, according to The Washington Post, is located in the middle of the Mojave Desert in California– a nearly deserted region surrounded by yucca and Joshua trees, where sometimes you can stand for a full hour without seeing another car trundle by.”
“I always say you have to risk life and limb to be offended by this cross,” says Hiram Sasser, a lawyer for the Liberty Legal Institute, which is representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars in the effort to keep the cross in place.
While few people have ever seen the cross — especially now, since it’s covered with a plywood box to keep it from offending passers-by — the case could have far-reaching consequences for other religiously tinged war memorials. If it’s decided legally the cross must come down, it might mean other markers, including the Argonne Cross in Arlington National Cemetery and the Memorial Peace Cross in Bladensburg, might be under fire, too.
