Lawsuit seeks removal of crosses from Las Cruces city logo

ap/new mexican ^ | 9-24-05 | ap

[Rakkasan1]

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - The city of Las Cruces' official emblem has three crosses that a federal lawsuit alleges are unconstitutional religious symbols on public property.

The lawsuit, filed Sept. 16 in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, seeks the removal of the crosses.

"The crosses serve no governmental purpose other than to disenfranchise and discredit non-Christian citizens," said the lawsuit filed by Paul F. Weinbaum, who lives in the Las Cruces area, and Martin J. Boyd of Las Cruces.

Defendants include city officials, city councilors, Mayor Bill Mattiace, District Attorney Susana Martinez, state Attorney General Patricia Madrid and Gov. Bill Richardson.

"We have had to defend ourselves before and we're ready to do it again," Mattiace said.

[Rakkasan1]

eliminate our history and you eliminate us.just sounds like another aetheist in a bitter divorce.

[goldstategop]

Leftist anti-Christian Jihad on La Cruces. Film at 11.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Calpernia]

Wake me up when the ACLU is finally shut down.

Until it is, we will never win the War on Terrorism.

[Republicus2001]

in Los Angeles the new mayor is replacing religious names of saints from city maps. From now on the San Andreas Fault will be known as Bush Fault

[madprof98]

Of course, replacing the offending emblems with three crescents will be perfectly OK.

[George Smiley]

What does that city's name translate to in English?

DUH.

Good thing they didn't name the place Los Merdes.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Um....doesn't Las Cruces translate as "The Crosses" in English?

[Rakkasan1]

yes. (in the article ,too)

[NormsRevenge]

"The crosses serve no governmental purpose other than to disenfranchise and discredit non-Christian citizens,"

----

Give us Barabbas!!!

[A message]

Once again thousands if not millions of taxpayer dollars will be thrown down the sink having to defend an utterly ridiculous and vile lawsuit.

Does the oh so caring left consider how much tax money is squandered defending against these idiot plaintiffs.

Not only do they not care, the left encourages it.

The Left is the true enemy within.

Oh and by the way, They want to raise your taxes. Leftists quit wasting our money.!!!!!!

[keithtoo]

"We have no king but Ceasar"

[ClearCase_guy]

My neighbors are Bob and Wendy Cross. For a small fee, they are willing to have their picture included in the city logo.

But maybe that wouldn't be the same.

[R.W.Ratikal]

the Devil made 'em do it.

[gridlock]

So when are they going to eliminate the name "Las Cruces" from the Las Cruces city logo?

For that matter, when are they going to rename Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Fe, and half the other towns in the South West?

[MeanWestTexan]

Yes, it does.

I guess they need to knock down Mt. Christo Rey, too, with its huge cross.

[n230099]

Here we go again. The left is again referring to "laws" that don't exist. Just as there is no "law" concerning the "seperation of church and state", there is no finding anywhere that "religious symbols on public property" and per se, "unconstitutional."

Richardson has enough savvy to know that real America is tired of this retro "housecleaning" by these moon-bats. His reaction will be interesting. Las Cruces? Just like L.A., if these simpletons are serious, lets go for name changes as well. They are too cowardly for that but like any commie, they'll take what they can get.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

And don't forget Corpus Christi.

[Florida native]

Uh, doesn't Las Cruces mean Crosses or plural of Crux in English?

Removing the crosses would only remove the image, but not the meaning, which would stand unless they change the name also.

Aren't liberals so funny to think we are so dumb!

[Iron Matron]

Doesn't Las Cruces mean "the crosses" in Spainish?

[Rakkasan1]

in Spainish and Spanish.

[DustyMoment]

Holy crap, Batman, I'm getting really sick of ignorant leftists!!!

If you don't like the city's logo, don't live in a place where the name translates to "the Crosses"!!!!





(mumbling - ignorant government school indoctrinee)

[RunningWolf]

eliminate our history and you eliminate us.

I put a large part of this at the feet of the huge wave of immigrants in the last 30 yrs, and those with atheist, pro flag burning, pro gay, liberalism leanings. They want to come over and get a piece of the pie, but they care nothing about and even want to tear down America, its heritage. There are many of them right here on these msg boards, but they are good at cloaking their agenda.

There is a battle going within our borders for the heart and soul of the nation.

Wolf

[Laz711]

Wow, I just moved to Las Cruces (grew up near there), and that has been one of the questions that we have been asking........when will the libs try to change the name and the symbol of the city. I guess I just got the answer.

[Rocky]

in Los Angeles the new mayor is replacing religious names of saints from city maps. From now on the San Andreas Fault will be known as Bush Fault

Bush Fault. Funny. Will the mayor rename the city from the "City of The Angels" to the "City of the Fallen Angels"?

[yoe]

This law suit should never be allowed in court. It is a frivolous and baseless suit. Sue those bringing it for waste of court time and tax dollars.

At best it is an opinion of two men who apparently have nothing else to do so let them settle their complaints in debates on the public square where it belongs. The judge who allows this in his/her court room need to lose their office, why should God fearing people be discredited for their beliefs? Don't put up with it Las Crucesians, tar and feather these men and send them packing!

[Clemenza]

Uh, most of the atheist, flag burning, pro-gay types I see are whiter and more "American" than I am? Think about it, when was the last time you saw any Vietnamese, Cuban, or East Indian immigrants at a Cindy Sheehan rally? Even the Mexicans want nothing to do with the Gaystapo/peacenik/granola munching crowd.

[muawiyah]

Part of the trick is to eliminate ALL references in the United States to any previous involvement of Spanish or French settlers.

This particular fellow appears to still be upset over the Spanish Inquisition and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

It's the failure of our lawschools to properly train the lawyers who turn into judges. These guys are coming out of there with the idea that it is the mission of the present to redress every real or imagined wrong of the past.

[RoseofTexas]

Sigh...another STUCK ON STUPID idiots! L.C. is primarily catholic Hispanic! I'm gonna love seeing those atheists get there butts handed to them in a silver platter!! COUNT ON IT!!

[manic4organic]

I'd like to line up the ACLU lawyers and do a Moe-style Three Stooges slapfest right down the line.

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

They had better change the name of the town.

[RobbyS]

He should sue to change the name of the city! :-) Talk about dumb. But they think that religion is just a matter of symbols identifying "faiths. " Depend on them to do something like making the Red Cross remove the cross from its "flag."

[Sergio]

Note to the ACLU: It's not that folks don't like you because they don't understand you, it's that they don't like you because you're a dumb a$$!

[angkor]

City officials cannot provide any historical documentation to back its claim that the crosses represent the history and people of the city, the lawsuit alleges.

"Las Cruces's name (Spanish for "the crosses") has been a disputed topic amongst historians. The most common theory is that in 1830, there was an Apache massacre of a party of nine travelers, including a Mexican Army General, a Priest, and five choir boys. Only one choir boy survived the massacre, and buried the other, marking the graves with three crosses. The area became known as "El Pueblo del Jardin de Las Cruces.""

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Cruces,_New_Mexico

[RightWhale]

This one is ludicrous. But, following the logic of the ACLU, does the City of LA have angels on its corporate seal?

[angkor]

Think about it, when was the last time you saw any Vietnamese, Cuban, or East Indian immigrants at a Cindy Sheehan rally?

Nor will you see any.

In published ethnic surveys, Vietnamese and Filipino immigrants are typically in the 70th and 80th percentiles supporting the conservative agenda (actually their own agenda which happens to match the conservative agenda).

That's the highest of any surveyed ethnic group.

[RunningWolf]

Well I cant see you of course and you have a good point about the Cindy Sheehan type rallies.

I did not intend to put all immigrants into the same group as the ACLU, atheist, flag burning, pro-gay types.

But I do know a lot of 1st generation immigrants, they do not seem to understand how America works, they are also where I hear a lot of the 'its all Bush's fault', from that I draw their views are still coming from their old country model of how things work. Also many of them (not you) are the first to say f' USA especially when it comes to the US acting in its self defense, but then that is nothing new.

Wolf

[Clemenza]

Filipinos in Washington State and Hawaii unfortunately lean towards the Democratic Party (not sure about other states), largely due to economic issues.

[Publius6961]

"The crosses serve no governmental purpose other than to disenfranchise and discredit non-Christian citizens," said the lawsuit filed by Paul F. Weinbaum, who lives in the Las Cruces area, and Martin J. Boyd of Las Cruces.

D'OH!

Well, they better amend that complaint to change the name of the city and any reference to "Las Cruces", because "Las Cruces" means...

Ta Dahhhhhh!

...the crosses...

[A message]

Vietnamese and Filipino immigrants are typically in the 70th and 80th percentiles supporting the conservative agenda

And they are often people opening small businesses and creating new jobs.

[Clemenza]

Agreed. See this "skeptical" attitude often among first generation Eastern Europeans, Chinese, Korean, and East Indian immigrants, although their kids are usually more level headed.

I've always said that East Indian immigrants are conservatives in their heart, but liberals in their brains.

[cubreporter]

Well, let's see if they roll over on this.

[Racehorse]

Wow, I just moved to Las Cruces (grew up near there) . . .

Do the crosses appear on logos painted onto emergency response vehicles, like police cars, fire trucks, ambulances?

If so, do you suppose Weinbaum and Boyd would object when one is dispatched to their homes to save lives or property?

Is using the vehicles with the offending logos an expression of religious preference by the city?  Does it discriminate against their ability to dial 9-1-1?

[Dick Vomer]

looser pays legal fees.... that's the only solution to this bullsh#t

[angkor]

Yeah, "the crosses". Very offensive, eh?

[Laz711]

Yes, they (the crosses) are on a lot of municipal property. I am sure that they are offended that the symbol is anywhere on city property, that is their whole case, they are trying to bring up the whole seperation of church and state by mis-reading the first ammendment. By the way, there are many places in NM that have crosses in public places, including a mountian where there was a battle between Mexican settlers of Tularosa and Mescelaro Apachee tribesmen, visible from the highway. I wonder when someone will be screaming to have that taken down.

[jocon307]

Doesn't "las cruces" mean "the crosses"?

[Logical me]

Ignore the Court. What can they do.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Next thing you know, the ACLU will petition that the name "Christopher Columbus" be eliminated from public-school textbooks on Establishnment Clause grounds, since his name in Italian, Cristoforo Colombo, means "Christ-bearing colonizer."

[Clemenza]

I'm still surprised that nobody has sued to change the name of Corpus Christi.

[ArmyTeach]

Las Cruces means 'the Crosses' in Spanish - you are exactly right. Maybe while they're at it they ought to change the name to Bogusville. OTOH,would changing the name be an act of disrespect to their Mexican heritage? Hhhmmm...