Smith County won't block 'peace palaces' The Wichita Eagle / Associated Press http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/15692067.htm
SMITH CENTER - The Smith County Commission has backed off a plan to keep the Global Country of World Peace from building a dozen marble "peace palaces" on prime farmland near the geographic center of the lower 48 states. The organization, affiliated with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his Transcendental Meditation movement, bought large tracts of land in Smith County earlier this year, causing some residents to be upset over the idea. The three-member commission earlier this week repealed a measure that had prevented the change in land use from agricultural until the county zoning regulations were completed. The moratorium passed this summer was designed to "preserve the status quo while it could be determined whether zoning regulations could be used to prevent the Global Country of World Peace from using land for the purposes announced by such organization," according to the resolution repealing it. There are no zoning regulations in the rural county area, although a planning commission is studying the idea. Most of rural Smith County is used for farming wheat and corn or as livestock pastures. County Attorney Allen Shelton said Thursday that the commission "passed the moratorium to see if zoning could be used to keep the TMers out." He said the repeal came after the commission was told the peace group planned to file a federal lawsuit, claiming violation of its civil rights. Shelton said the group likely would have prevailed. "The reason they urged the moratorium is they didn't want the Transcendental Meditation people to locate here," Shelton said. "You couldn't use zoning to exclude people for their beliefs. It's hard to think of a reason for not having an education center in the middle of the county." But Commissioner Arthur Kuhlmann said it's not over. "We lost this battle, but we're still hoping to win the war," he said. Shelton said the planning commission will continue working on recommendations that eventually could evolve into county zoning. Altogether, the Maharishi wants to build 2,400 peace palaces in 250 U.S. cities. The TM movement began in the 1950s and traces its roots to India. Practitioners repeat a thought -- a mantra -- over and over to achieve relaxation, typically for 15 to 20 minutes every morning and evening. Supporters say TM is a technique, not a religion. But several local pastors earlier this year signed a letter to a local newspaper saying: "They are welcome, but they must understand we are competing for the eternal souls of people." To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
