January, 29 2019, 11:00pm EDT
ACLU Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Separation of Church and State
WASHINGTON
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Maryland, and allied religious and civil rights organizations filed a Supreme Court friend-of-the-court brief today in support of a constitutional challenge to a giant government-sponsored cross.
The case, American Legion v. American Humanist Association, involves the government's display of a 40-foot Latin cross as a war memorial in Bladensburg, Maryland. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, which owns and maintains the display, says its cross represents American soldiers of every faith who fought and died for their country -- even though the Latin cross is the preeminent symbol of Christianity.
If the Supreme Court sides with the commission, it could upend nearly 50 years of law under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from preferring one faith over others.
Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, had the following response:
"The Bladensburg cross sends a clear message of religious favoritism, in blatant violation of the Constitution. In this country, we should honor our veterans under one flag, not one specific religious symbol."
Dana Vickers Shelley, executive director of the ACLU of Maryland, commented:
"Maryland is a diverse state, with residents and veterans from many religious traditions or who do not practice religion. It is important for our government to be inclusive in the way that the sacrifices made on behalf of the country are honored."
Organizations joining the ACLU and the ACLU of Maryland on the brief include the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State; Anti-Defamation League; Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America Inc.; Hindu American Foundation; Jewish Social Policy Action Network; Men of Reform Judaism; National Council of Jewish Women; People For the American Way Foundation; Reconstructing Judaism; Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association; Union for Reform Judaism; and Women of Reform Judaism.
The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
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While Israel's troops wage what has been widely decried as genocide on the Gaza Strip, Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing "the establishment of a Palestinian state" west of the Jordan River.
The measure passed Israel's legislature, the Knesset, 68-9. It was spearheaded by Knesset Member Zeev Elkin of New Hope - The United Right, who shared the key messages from the resolution on social media along with a photo of the final tally.
According to Religious Zionism-affiliated Israel National News:
The proposal says, "The Israeli Knesset firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan. The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the land of Israel will pose an existential threat to the state of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and destabilize the region."
"It will only be a matter of a short time until Hamas takes over the Palestinian state and turns it into a base of radical Islamic terrorism, working in coordination with the axis led by Iran, to eliminate the state of Israel."
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Since the Hamas-led October attack on Israel, Israeli forces have killed at least 38,794 Palestinians and wounded another 89,364, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. Thousands more remain missing and believed dead beneath the rubble of bombed buildings.
In addition to destroying civilian infrastructure across the Hamas-governed coastal enclave, Israel has restricted the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, even as people starve and the remaining hospitals operate at a limited capacity.
Israel faces a South Africa-led genocide case at the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders.
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As the newspaper detailed:
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.@POTUS is back on Air Force One and we’re headed to Delaware pic.twitter.com/SLGfL8pcN1
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Van Orden took to social media Tuesday evening to claim he was "assaulted by what appeared to be a member of the pro-Hamas group CodePink" in "an incident of political violence."
"Republicans have been intimidated and targeted for years including the attempted assassination of [former President Donald] Trump and we will no longer stand by and allow lawlessness," the congressman added.
Van Orden has a history of aggressive behavior toward others, including profanity-laced tirades against a fellow congressman and a group of teenage Senate pages, and threatening a librarian over a book about gay rabbits.
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The next Palestinian protest in the street, I'm going to get my semi-truck and run over you fucking faggots and make road pancake out of you, you fucking cunt. I hope you all die, bitch.
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