Yet another case of idiocy....
SJ-R.COM - Playground pentagram to go:
The new playground at Springfield's Washington Park is being altered because of complaints that a five-pointed star etched in concrete could be interpreted as a symbol of the occult.
The pentagram is on the circular stage of a small amphitheater at the rear of the playground. The design was intended to be a spoked wheel, but landscape architect Kent Massie said a mistake made when the concrete was poured late last summer rendered that design impossible. It was decided to go with the star.
It was an innocent mistake, Massie said, and the star was not intended to signify anything.
To correct the problem, new lines and colors will be added to give the circular area more of a pinwheel appearance. Work could begin within the next week.
The $400,000 playground was a project of the Springfield Parks Foundation, a nonprofit group that supports the park district. It includes attractions such as a climbing wall, a water play area and new landscaping. The amphitheater area is intended for small groups of schoolchildren and others.
Foundation president Cathy Schwartz said that when she first saw the star design, she thought nothing of it.
"There were probably 10 guys up there helping to pour the concrete. None of us made the connection (to the occult). To us it's a star, but to others, it's not," Schwartz said.
Springfield resident Leland Rhodes said he found the design "distressing."
"There is a certain breed of individual out there who reveres such symbols, and in that context, it becomes a religious icon. In this day and age of general concern for children's welfare, especially in regard to predators, my main concern was for the crowd that it might draw," Rhodes said.