Well, thank God! Now we can have a dozen, empty marble palaces in the middle of Kansas. I feel better already.
--- george_deforest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 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 repealed a measure that 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 > > > > > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com 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/
