We Have Lost Civility

I suppose it isn't news that we have lost civility, but sometimes I am surprised by the total lack of class exhibited by some Americans.  Fox News reported yesterday that the 75-foot memorial cross in the Mojave Desert has been stolen.  The cross was erected in 1934 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars to honor the soldiers who died in World War I.  Recently, the ACLU challenged its right to be there (claiming it represented the establishment of religion).  The case went to the Supreme Court, where the Court declared the cross was legal.  However, the Court referred the case back to a lower court for further review.  The cross was to be covered with a wooden box or a tarp until that review was completed. 

According to the article:

"The Liberty Institute is now offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction in the case, and the National Park Service has established a tip hotline seeking information leading to the recovery of the cross. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Park Service at (760) 252-6120."

This is equivalent to desecrating a grave.  This cross was set in place to honor the soldiers who died in World War I.  In 1934, placing a cross on a grave was the accepted way to honor the dead.  This is not an establishment of Christianity or a slight to the soldiers who were not Christian.  Tradition places a cross on soldier's graves.  There are fields of crosses in France to honor the Americans who died in World War II.

Regardless of how you feel about a cross as a memorial, the cutting down and stealing of the cross is inexcusable.  I hope that when the people who did this are found, they are dealt with severely.