September 17, 2009

"The Peace Pole will consist of an organic-looking wooden pole with the message, 'May Peace Prevail on Earth' in four different languages on four sides,..."

They're sprucing up Lisa Link Peace Park.
Tom Link, son of Lisa Link, served as a planning committee member on the project for 2.5 years.
“My mother would’ve been comfortable with the type of people that use the park, but a lot of people can’t deal with homelessness and poverty,” Link said.
Do you think a multilingual pole will turn things around?

How about an ATM machine? That's also part of the plan:
[T]he panhandling ordinance of the city states that panhandling is not permitted within 50 feet of an ATM machine, a common activity performed by the park dwellers.
“There is a perception that this plan is solely is to discourage panhandling, and I don’t support that motivation in any way,” said an opposing commission member. “Now we’re looking at an ATM that I was not thrilled with and a social engineering aspect that could be very controversial.”
And very welcome!

IN THE COMMENTS: Chip Ahoy asked:
What four languages?

Hieroglyphic, demotic, Greek, and Algic?

Sofa King said:
What four languages?

Latin, Elvish, Klingon, and C++

36 comments:

Fred4Pres said...

Panhandling near the ATM is bad form.

TosaGuy said...

organic-looking?????

campy said...

organic-looking?????

Short for "looks like a kindergarten class carved it with rusty tablespoons."

AllenS said...

A Peace Pole never fed a hungry person. A Strippers Pole, on the other hand, is a revenue generator. Or so I've been told.

WV: sanlea

Stripper.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

organic-looking?????

That was my first reaction. However, upon further thought, I realized that it was not using it in the 'organic foods' sense, but more of a design/style sense. Thus, I would assume it would have a stain or oil finish, rather than a paint or polyurathene finish, and probably a curved or rounded shape, not a nicely squared piece of lumber.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

How about a nice war memorial, thanking the soldiers serving in Iraq and Afganistan?

Leather Daddy said...

Thank you for introducing me to your Peace Pole. Now, may I introduce you to my pole piece?

Ern said...

How about a nice war memorial, thanking the soldiers serving in Iraq and Afganistan?

I'd be in favor of that. I'd also be in favor of police who looked the other way when I punched a panhandler. The chances of either of those happening in the People's Republic of Madison, however, are approximately the same as the chances of the Washington Nationals winning this year's World Series.

Richard Gabbert said...

So, do the Madison city fathers know that the Peace Pole was created by the founder of Byakko, one of the thousands of "New Religions" that have sprung up in Japan in the last hundred years, or that it represents the organization's "dedicat[ion] to world peace and raising planetary consciousness through encouraging solid, easy to practice spiritual techniques and the commitment to one's higher spiritual goals."

Or that the invocation "May Peace Prevail on Earth" is the opening line of "The Prayer for World Peace," which continues thus: "May Peace be in our homes and countries. May our missions be accomplished. We thank thee, Guardian Dieties and Guardian Spirits."

Do they care?

Would they be so sanguine if I proposed, say, Isaiah 26:3: "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." Or Joel 3:10: "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say 'I am strong.'"

(http://www.byakko.org/4_project/index.html)

Shanna said...

A "peace pole"? Really?

TosaGuy said...

"So, do the Madison city fathers . . . "

Does Madtown have city mothers?

Also, I noticed a number of unpeaceful panhandlers during my days at Marquette.

WV: elize

Paddy O said...

Will there be airing of grievances and feats of strength?

DADvocate said...

Is this like a tree trunk with the limbs cut off? How original. Not.

They could save some money by planting a tree and waiting 20 years, then cut the limbs off.

The ATM thing is quite disturbing though.

A camel is a horse designed by a committee.

Clyde said...

Will any of the four languages be Polish or Czech? Must be a damn big bus President Obama is driving to throw two countries under it...

WV: fobillyc - I'm thinking Billy Beer.

traditionalguy said...

A truth has often been expressed by the proverb that reads "if one desires peace, then one must prepare for war". A better peace momument would therefore be a Firearms Store.

muddimo said...

Hah! Paddy O read my mind. "Festivus for the rest of us!"

bearbee said...

ATM?

Hahahaha

In God We Trust. The rest pay cash.

Chip Ahoy said...

What four languages?

Hieroglyphic, demotic, Greek, and Algic?

Seriously, though, who does the interpreting? These things are tricky, you know.

I'm visualizing a concrete totem pole possibly in art nouveau style that you walk into for the ATM, frankly gauche, standing for Americanized English.

Sofa King said...

What four languages?

Latin, Elvish, Klingon, and C++

MayBee said...

So, do the Madison city fathers know that the Peace Pole was created by the founder of Byakko, one of the thousands of "New Religions" that have sprung up in Japan in the last hundred years

That's interesting. There were a few Peace Poles scattered around my neighborhood in Tokyo.

KCFleming said...

According to The Daily reporter,
"...the park is used mostly by homeless people and panhandlers, which dissuades others from using the space.

So, "a lot of people can’t deal with homelessness and poverty" really means 'a lot of people can't deal with giving a public park to a minority for their exclusive use.

Joan said...

What four languages?

Latin, Elvish, Klingon, and C++


LOL. Thanks, Sofa King.

traditionalguy said...

The Surrender First policy of our great leader is now to send some Peace Poles to Poland to replace our Missile Defense System and thereby betray the Poles who had accepted our Missile Defense system. Putin has told us to remove our defensive missiles from his sphere of influence. Does that also mean that it is too late to bargain for a stop to Russian armaments and Bases going into empower Barak's best friend Chavez in Venezuela? The failure of the USA to back up its promises to the Poles will do more to cause a war than anything else Obama could have done. With this President the issue is not the brown color of his skin...it is the Red color of alliegences.

Unknown said...

"The Peace Pole was chosen under the category of symbolic commitment to peace at the world, national and community level."

I'm sure all the war torn areas of the world appreciate that commitment. Are they going to go the full monty and get a bumper sticker too?

Bruce Hayden said...

So, "a lot of people can’t deal with homelessness and poverty" really means 'a lot of people can't deal with giving a public park to a very smelly and offensive minority for their exclusive use.

Paddy O said...

"to a very smelly and offensive minority for their exclusive use."

UW students took over the park?

miller said...

If you would just stop being so negative and Visualize World Peace.

Because it just takes Imagination. The problem is that most people just aren't creative enough and they use war when they run out of ideas.

"Hey, 'Dolfie', we're outta beer. And no peanuts. Whatcha wanna do?"

"Let's invade Poland."

"OK, let's!"

I'm sure that if the Polish government had staged Peace Poles instead of Armed Poles, there would have been no WWII.

Or maybe it's the ATM that prevents war. I'm not sure it's clear to me.

Ralph L said...

Peace and a phallic symbol? Two concepts that don't go together (unless the pole is detumescent and rolling over to sleep).

ninfi - an assassin's poodle

$9,000,000,000 Write Off said...

Does a pole have 4 sides? A beam does, but a pole?

Michael Haz said...

It's just a stick, stuck into the ground in the middle of a park filled with panhandlers.

Maybe it will have a sharp point so that giant pink "While You Were Out" phone message slips can be skewered on it.

Angst said...

A park dedicated to whirled peas?
I mean really ... whirled peas!

(Oh ... you mean world peace.)

Never mind.

Big Mike said...

As long as the languages include Arabic and Farsi.

raf said...

Perhaps it is a transcription error: "piece pole." A phallic symbol would certainly be "organic," no?

Donna B. said...

A bunch of new age hippies got together and noted they really missed all the neat art projects from 3rd grade, then came up with this idea.

Can't we just give them more paper plates and plaster of Paris to occupy their minds?

rhhardin said...

Cat Stevens peace train.

That's my guess what they're channeling. It has the same meter.

Everybody jump on the peace pole.

BJM said...

Oh yeah, I can't wait to whip out my wallet and ATM card and draw out a big wad of cash in a park frequented by the homeless.

WTF are they thinking?