The US Supreme Court heard a case about a war memorial that has been in the Mojave desert since 1934 when private citizens erected a memorial to everyone who has died in a war.
Of course, once the land became part of the federal preserve, issues concerning the separation of church and state bubbled up. In litigation, the US District Court (and a decision upholding that ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals) required the cross associated with the memorial to be removed. Subsequently the Department of Interior transfered ownership of the small site back into private ownership and did not appeal the decision by the appellate court.
Today's hearing was more technical, with the ACLU challenging the transfer of the land.
Seems to me with a major war in Afghanistan, an economy still in floundering, health care reform now a joke, and major environmental issues to worry about, this seems rather insignificant. While I am sympathetic to people who don't like to see crosses on or around public spaces, it is, truly, something we see on a daily basis. Can we not worry about other stuff before we begin to take this on?
On another note, apparently Justice Sotomayor has asked more questions in three days of hearings that Justice Thomas has since he was sworn in in 1991. Not that I think asking questions is either good or bad or even demonstrates a curious mind, but I just found that fact interesting!
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