Double cross the ACLU
First San Diegans, now Angelenos, have been given opportunities to spike the wheels of the Anti-God Bigotry Union.

Harry F. Scolinos

Arcadia businessman Harry F. Scolinos is 59th Assembly District chairman of the Save the Seal Committee and owner of U.S. Fingerprinting (www.usfingerprinting.com), a leading live scan fingerprinting company. Posted: August 3, 2005

No matter whom San Diego voters elect as mayor in the runoff, they have already performed a grand public service in the vote taken last Tuesday. By a margin of 77 to 23 percent, they approved a deal to keep a towering cross atop Mt. Soledad, where it can be seen for miles. Almost as important, they delivered a much deserved smack-down to the ACLU.

The ACLU (aka the American Criminals’ Lobby Union) first sued San Diego, demanding the cross be removed because it stood on public land. To accommodate this coven of religo-phobics, the San Diego City Council voted to sell the land in a closely-monitored sealed-bid process. The highest bidders announced they would keep the cross. After enduring the typical ACLU tangle of endless legal wrangling, the ballot question approved by 77 percent of San Diegans essentially ratified the Council’s sale of the land — let me emphasize again to the highest bidder and a private party.

The ACLU or any other cross-haters could have organized a group and outbid the eventual winners. They did not. You should not be surprised to hear that the official ACLU reaction to the election was that the vote “didn’t mean a damn thing,” and that they will be back in court to invalidate the people’s decision. The cross is now on private property, but that doesn’t matter to the ACLU either. Their objection from the get-go had nothing to do with the cross being on public property, but with the existence of the cross at all.

Frustrating yes, but in the long run a good thing. It continues to show average Americans that the ACLU’s relation to American culture and values is as Elizabeth Taylor’s to monogamy. And it further drives a wedge between average Americans and the political party that panders to the ACLU: Democrats, a group of people wondering why they have trouble with “values voters.”

A similar struggle is underway in Los Angeles County, not over a large hilltop cross, but regarding a tiny cross on the official county seal. Included to recognize the Franciscan priests who explored the County and whose missions played a central role in settling it (viz., a fact of history, not a religious affirmation), this cross — one of 8 or 10 objects on the seal, including the pagan harvest goddess Pomona — is also in the ACLU anti- religious bigots’ cross-hairs.

Under the mere threat of a suit, the County’s three Democrat supervisors voted to remove the cross. A wave of public indignation brought a subsequent motion by the Board of Supervisors’ two Republicans to put the matter to a vote of the people. The ACLU and their Democrat allies predictably found this exercise in Democracy unacceptable, defeating it 3 to 2.

But hope remains for the L.A. County cross. One David Hernandez, head of “Save the Seal,” an organization circulating petitions to put the issue on the ballot, deserves enormous credit as a one-man-band who has recruited an army of volunteers, along with a modicum of financial support.

No one doubts the outcome of a public vote on this issue: two independent surveys taken after the Supervisors’ initial anti-cross vote showed support for retaining it higher than 90 percent.

As a bonus, Supervisor Gloria Molina, an ACLU ringleader on the Board starkly at odds with her largely Hispanic constituents on this issue, is up for re-election next year. You may be sure Ms. Molina does not relish sharing a ballot with the seal-cross question.

Anyone content to live in the ACLU’s vision of America — a place where religion is prosecuted and criminals are not — can do nothing. But anyone who wants to join San Diego’s voters in slapping the ACLU — delivering, dare I say, a “double cross” — can go — now — to www.savetheseal.net.

If you live in L.A. County, you can download a petition or have one mailed to you, volunteer to help, and make a contribution. If you don’t live in L.A. county, you can go to the website — now — to make a contribution. Hernandez and his volunteers have done yeomen’s work. With enough financial backing this will make the ballot and pass. You can help. Today.

RESTORING THE CROSS TO THE SEAL OF L.A. COUNTY

A Report from a Slice of Districts 60 and 59-- Whittier &
area:

We urge workers throughout L.A. County to keep up your
good efforts!

As of July 19, turned in to me here in Whittier, has
been a grand total of 134 petitions, which represents
over 2,000 signatures. Some have told me that they
have mailed in their forms, but I have no real way of
counting those.

Last Thursday Mary Ellis and I spent 2 hours by Trader
Joe's market in Whittier on Whittier Blvd. & Colima
Rd. Between us, we gathered 50-60 signatures. A real
highlight occurred when a 95 year old lady stopped
what she was doing to park her walker by us. She
wanted to sign the petition.

MARY ELLIS & BARBARA MARING are going out to concerts
in the park to get signatures. Last Monday, however,
an official told them they needed a permit to do this,
unless they were on the sidewalk.

PASTOR SAM GAMBOA and his church run a taco stand
during some city festivities, while also gathering
enough signatures to fill 12 petitions.

EVELYN BRADLEY wanted more petitions to take to a
civic event in Downey.

CAROL REZA runs a fine Christian ministry boutique
store in Whittier. At the counter she has her
petitions ready. Already she has sent in several
completed forms.

PASTOR CHARLEY GALLEGOS is having a "SAVE THE CROSS'
Rally at his church on Friday, August 12, 7 pm at his
church Destiny Community Church in Whittier. He
hopes to spread the word and gather many signatures
for the petition.

Several pastors in churches in the Whittier Area have
set ambitious goals for themselves. As a whole we are
aiming for 5,000 to 10,000 signatures from the
Whittier Area!

We send out this word from Whittier to encourage
churches and other volunteers that this noble endeavor
is worth the effort and not to "grow weary in
well-doing."

-Pastor Dwight Sullivan