| NATIONAL COMMANDER'S PAGE |
| To The American Legion Leadership, As the Preamble to our Constitution states, The American Legion is “For God and Country,” which is why we will continue to fight for both. No single issue encapsulates both entities as much as the legal battles currently being fought over religious symbols at veterans memorials. The Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America, Inc., is attempting to once again remove the cross from a memorial at Mt. Soledad, Calif., by appealing an earlier legal decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. We have some powerful opponents on this issue such as the ACLU and other like-minded groups, who are well-funded and committed to eliminating all expressions of religion from the public arena. But it goes further than that. The ACLU and such groups actually profit from these cases by getting you and I – the taxpayers – to pay their legal fees. For example, the ACLU has received $50,000 from the city of San Diego because of their frivolous claims over Mt. Soledad. They received another $63,000 in the Mojave Desert cross case and $121,500 from the state of Kentucky over a Ten Commandments display. They have even milked the city of San Diego for another $950,000 because they allowed the Boy Scouts – a group that believes in God – to lease land in Balboa Park. Unfortunately, the last Congress did not pass legislation which would end the awarding of tax-funded legal fees for this purpose. The American Legion, however, does not intend to give up and will continue calling for its passage. Moreover, we have filed amicus curiae “friend of the court” briefs to defend these important symbols and memorials. While we have had some legal setbacks and some legal victories, we believe the issue will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Again, we plan to register our support. You can do your part by letting us know if there are any memorials in your area under legal or community attack. These instances are being registered at http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/memorials/report.aspx . You can also call 1-800-Tell-ADF. You can find more information from the booklet “In the Footsteps of the Founders” at http://www.legion.org/whatsnew/publicrelations/publications/pr . The legislative information expired with the last Congress, but the background material still resonates. The website also includes other PERA- related tools such as guest editorials, a petition form and suggested speech. Again, keep in mind that new Congresses require new legislation to be introduced. I have attached six national resolutions that The American Legion has passed since 2003 supporting veterans memorials and calling for an end to this lawsuit abuse. With your help, The American Legion’s voice will continue to be heard in the Congress and the Courts. For God and Country, David K. Rehbein National Commander |
