BAKER, CA - A cross similar to the one that was stolen nearly two weeks ago was mysteriously erected in the Mojave National Preserve but quickly removed after authorities said it was illegal. Park officials said it was a violation to put up the cross without government authorization.
In 2002, Congress passed legislation ordering the park services to transfer the one acre of land upon which the memorial was standing to a private party – the Veterans of Foreign Wars – in exchange for five acres of donated land.
Last month, the US Supreme Court ruled that the memorial could stay standing while a lower court decides whether the land transfer was legal.
Some are outraged that the National Park Service is refusing to allow a replacement cross to stand in the place of the stolen one.
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