Last week, the Mojave cross at the center of the recent Salazar v. Buono Supreme Court decision was stolen.
Now, someone has put a new cross in its place:
The National Park Service said in a press release Thursday afternoon that the replica cross would be removed.
Late Thursday, Mojave National Preserve spokeswoman Linda Slater told reporters in California that the new cross is illegal and must come down.
Still no information has been found about who placed the replica on the memorial site. “We’re scratching our heads over this,” said Joe Davis, national spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
…
The white, painted replica was made of metal pipes and resembled the 7-foot original that was stolen on May 9 or May 10, but workers soon determined it was a copy, [Mojave National Preserve spokeswoman Linda] Slater said.
“The paint job is new and there are none of the marks of the original cross,” she said.
The latest cross also was 6 inches taller than the original, she said. Four new holes were drilled to replace bolts cut off by thieves who took the original.
What the hell…? Seriously, people.
Can we get a security camera on that site? Would that be so much to ask?
Meanwhile, get rid of the replica. It has no business being there. Not all veterans are Christians and no public property should be used to honor Christians only.