Dear HCN,
“Does desert cross cross
the line?” (HCN, 5/13/02: Does desert cross cross the line?). Well,
maybe, but Frank Buono and the American Civil Liberties Union
should apply their energies to lawsuits of a more important nature.
In an age where our public lands are being assaulted by forces much
more menacing than a six-foot stationary cross, such petty
lawsuits, like this one, only widen the rift between the
conservation movement and its enemies. It’s not as though the cross
sits within a ring of ancient creosote shrubs, causing a
detrimental effect to their biology. Religious icons exist in many
of our public lands and even adorn every dime of our
currency.
Word of this frivolous lawsuit has not
only spread through San Bernardino County, but probably through the
ranks of the 2.7 million member VFW, recruiting a few more converts
to the crusade against an already contentious Mojave National
Preserve. As a result, Rep. Jerry Lewis has been forced to waste
$10,000 on a plaque designating the cross as a “war memorial.” It
seems that that money could have been better spent on a plaque
commemorating (creosote bush) King Clone on his 11,701st birthday
(HCN, 4/15/02: The oldest living thing is a quiet
survivor).
Myles B. Traphagen
Davis,
California
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Cross lawsuit divisive, petty.
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