[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23583-23584]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    MOJAVE DESERT VETERANS MEMORIAL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lewis) for 2 minutes.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, the United States Supreme Court 
will soon hear arguments in the case of Salazar v. Buono, which may 
determine the future of memorials all across the country that honor 
those who fought and died for our Nation. The center of this case is a 
memorial in my district known as the Mojave Desert Cross, which has 
stood proudly for over 75 years. It was erected by veterans of World 
War I and maintained by generations of veterans since 1934.
  It was attacked 10 years ago by the ACLU, which convinced a judge to 
declare the memorial to World War I veterans unconstitutional. Clearly, 
they want to erase anything from public property that might be seen as 
religious in some way.
  The monument was not established by government or maintained by the 
government, but it now stands in the Mojave National Preserve. It is a 
tribute to those who protected America and freedom, not a promotion of 
religion. If the critics of this memorial are successful, it could open 
the door to attacks on memorials and historic sites in all of our 
national parks, including Arlington National Cemetery and Gettysburg 
National Military Park.
  I am proud to say that the Congress has understood the value of these 
materials and has voted overwhelmingly on numerous occasions to 
preserve the Mojave Desert Cross in honor of those who have defended 
our Nation. The will of Congress is to keep the cross in tribute to all 
veterans--and I sincerely hope the Justices will see the wisdom of that 
intent.

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