Quote :

" New Florida town would restrict abortion Domino's founder building community around Catholic university Thursday, March 2, 2006; Posted: 11:36 a.m. EST (16:36 GMT) NAPLES, Florida (AP) -- If Domino's Pizza founder Thomas S. Monaghan has his way, a new town being built in Florida will be governed according to strict Roman Catholic principles, with no place to get an abortion, pornography or birth control. The pizza magnate is bankrolling the project with at least $250 million and calls it "God's will." Civil libertarians say the plan is unconstitutional and are threatening to sue. The town of Ave Maria is being constructed around Ave Maria University, the first Catholic university to be built in the United States in about 40 years. Both are set to open next year about 25 miles east of Naples in southwestern Florida. The town and the university, developed in partnership with the Barron Collier Co., an agricultural and real estate business, will be set on 5,000 acres with a European-inspired town center, a massive church and what planners call the largest crucifix in the nation, at nearly 65 feet tall. Monaghan envisions 11,000 homes and 20,000 residents. During a speech last year at a Catholic men's gathering in Boston, Monaghan said that in his community, stores will not sell pornographic magazines, pharmacies will not carry condoms or birth control pills, and cable television will have no X-rated channels. Homebuyers in Ave Maria will own their property outright. But Monaghan and Barron Collier will control all commercial real estate in the town, meaning they could insert provisions in leases to restrict the sale of certain items. "I believe all of history is just one big battle between good and evil. I don't want to be on the sidelines," Monaghan, who sold Domino's Pizza in 1998 to devote himself to doing good works, said in a recent Newsweek interview. Robert Falls, a spokesman for the project, said Tuesday that attorneys are still reviewing the legal issues and that Monaghan had no comment in the meantime. "If they attempt to do what he apparently wants to do, the people of Naples and Collier County, Florida, are in for a whole series of legal and constitutional problems and a lot of litigation indefinitely into the future," warned Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist said it will be up to the courts to decide the legalities of the plan. "The community has the right to provide a wholesome environment," he said. "If someone disagrees, they have the right to go to court and present facts before a judge." Gov. Jeb Bush, at the site's groundbreaking earlier this month, lauded the development as a new kind of town where faith and freedom will merge to create a community of like-minded citizens. Bush, a convert to Catholicism, did not speak specifically to the proposed restrictions. "While the governor does not personally believe in abortion or pornography, the town, and any restrictions they may place on businesses choosing to locate there, must comply with the laws and constitution of the state and federal governments," Russell Schweiss, a spokesman for the governor, said Tuesday. Frances Kissling, president of the liberal Washington-based Catholics for a Free Choice, likened Monaghan's concept to Islamic fundamentalism. "This is un-American," Kissling said. "I don't think in a democratic society you can have a legally organized township that will seek to have any kind of public service whatsoever and try to restrict the constitutional rights of citizens.""

Craaaaaazy

3/2/2006 8:44:40 PM

still not as popular as Margaritaville

3/2/2006 8:52:36 PM

it will flop

3/2/2006 8:55:12 PM

Well, if I ever get the urge to rape some kids I'll know where to go.

3/2/2006 8:55:44 PM

Quote :

"The town and the university, developed in partnership with the Barron Collier Co., an agricultural and real estate business, will be set on 5,000 acres with a European-inspired town center..."

It's not a town, more like a group investment.

[Edited on March 2, 2006 at 8:59 PM. Reason : who wrote this article?]

3/2/2006 8:57:45 PM

It does sound pretty ridiculous though



[Edited on March 2, 2006 at 9:05 PM. Reason : my pic got x'ed]

3/2/2006 9:03:07 PM

Didn't Disney try this?

3/2/2006 9:06:34 PM

Hahaha! I thought utopianism died a few centuries ago. This is promising.

3/2/2006 9:06:49 PM

I'm gonna make my OWN town.

With blackjack!

And hookers!


Ahhh, forget the town.

3/2/2006 9:08:47 PM

I want to make my own city on a hill. Where do I sign up?

3/2/2006 9:15:59 PM

Wolfpack2K can be mayor

3/2/2006 9:25:18 PM

He did announce the plans at a Catholic men's conference.

3/2/2006 9:28:45 PM

Is it just me, or does that sound SEXY?

3/2/2006 10:00:37 PM

just you

3/2/2006 10:05:41 PM

ABC doing special on how fucked up some polygamists are out west. Apparently the cops in that area also enforce their crazy religious laws.


This woman objected when her sister was watching her have sex with her new husband (also married to her sister). He called the cops and arrested the woman for disobeying him.

3/2/2006 10:07:17 PM

as a former floridian, im not suprised. i cant speak for california, but you find the craziest range of people in fla. its the only place where youll see anarchist protestors in miami, and then drive 3 hours north and see big "THE UN WANTS TO TAKE YOUR GUNS" and aborted fetus signs on the side of the road.

and the Disney experiment was Celebration, a suburb of Orlando. They have fake snow in the winter and its gentrified as FUCK. Its like a real live Stepford, Conn (or Pleasantville, take your pick).

Wasnt a county in SC going to succeed a while back and be a "christian" nation like this (only w/o the Catholic part, b/c all good Southern Baptists recognize the evil St. Mary-worshippers as a cult).

3/2/2006 11:07:13 PM

They're the whore of Babylon, afterall.

3/2/2006 11:26:37 PM

^^Yeah, I wonder whatever happened to those people in SC.

3/2/2006 11:27:56 PM

^if i recall correctly, the leader of the movement stayed wherever he was living and didn't head to sc. ironic, that

3/3/2006 1:03:42 AM

I just heard about the SC thing yesterday.

3/3/2006 1:41:43 AM

^They just need to get nukes.

nuclear arms = sovereignty

3/3/2006 8:45:44 AM

Quote :

""I believe all of history is just one big battle between good and evil. I don't want to be on the sidelines," Monaghan, who sold Domino's Pizza in 1998 to devote himself to doing good works, said in a recent Newsweek interview."

Quote :

"During a speech last year at a Catholic men's gathering in Boston, Monaghan said that in his community, stores will not sell pornographic magazines, pharmacies will not carry condoms or birth control pills, and cable television will have no X-rated channels."

If you want to fight evil then fight hunger, fight poverty, donate money to disaster and war relief, & other charities. There are so many ways to fight actually bad things, rather than spending millions to sexually repress a few catholics.

It seems like he’s made his pizza money & now he wants to buy an indulgence rather than donate money to a real cause.

[Edited on March 3, 2006 at 10:25 AM. Reason : .]

3/3/2006 10:23:17 AM

i thought we gave up on segregation back in the 60s

3/3/2006 11:37:24 AM

The good folks pull together
It's july 4th forever
Down in celebration, florida
The neighbors bring you coffee
And everyone's always happy
Down in celebration, florida
There's a bake sale at the schoolhouse
And they're selling innocence
They're keeping out the deviants
To protect the residents
Of celebration, celebration, florida
They're buying up nostalgia
For a time they can't remember
Down in celebration, florida
They're sharing homemade corn chips
Even the dogs get facelifts
Down in celebration, florida
There's a bake sale at the schoolhouse
And they're selling innocence
They're keeping out the deviants
To protect the residents
Of celebration, celebration, florida
There's nation fighting nation
There's kids with malnutrition
But not in celebration, florida
Social engineering
It gives you that fuzzy feeling
Down in celebration, florida
There's a bake sale at the schoolhouse
And they're selling innocence
They're keeping out the deviants
To protect the residents
Of celebration, celebration, florida
Celebration, celebration, celebration, florida
Well, it's
It's very conventional, i don't know, and it's, it's, kind of just
Relies on some kind of simplistic folk ideology.
That's true, actually i'd agree with that.

Chumbawamba, "Celebration, Florida"

3/3/2006 1:26:37 PM

http://www.wral.com/family/7652857/detail.html

Basically, he's not going to apply Catholic rules to the town, just the university.

3/3/2006 4:23:10 PM

Quote :

""This is un-American," Kissling said. "I don't think in a democratic society you can have a legally organized township that will seek to have any kind of public service whatsoever and try to restrict the constitutional rights of citizens.""

Ok, the pizza guy is crazy, but his critics are obviousely stupid.

1) Settlements of repressive religious fundmentalists are about as American as it gets. This guy must have skipped history class.
2) The US Constitution doesn't place any restrictions on municiple goverments. ("Congress shall make no law...")
3) If a bunch of crazy catholics want to go out and build themselves a town in the middle of some swampy, alligator-infested tract of florida wilderness, what fucking business is that of this guy's?

It sounds like this isn't going to be any more illegal than any other restrictive and arbitrary set of neighborhood covenants of the sort that can be found in virtually every new development in the country. Most aren't based on catholicism, but that's just a minor detail.

3/3/2006 10:11:28 PM

Quote :

"If a bunch of crazy catholics want to go out and build themselves a town in the middle of some swampy, alligator-infested tract of florida wilderness, what fucking business is that of this guy's?"

We let the Mormons do it with Salt Lake City, and at the time they were a whole hell of a lot less popular than catholics are now.

3/3/2006 10:15:07 PM

we should let saddam live there

3/3/2006 10:23:52 PM

as a precursor to invading

3/3/2006 10:29:48 PM

I wouldn't trust a man to build and run a town who couldn't even get his business to make pizza that doesn't taste like ass

3/3/2006 11:26:52 PM

Quote :

"and what planners call the largest crucifix in the nation, at nearly 65 feet tall."

apparently they haven't driven I-40 through the texas panhandle.



^190'

3/4/2006 10:59:55 AM

When they say "crucifix"

that means the J-Man's probably on it.

3/4/2006 11:21:54 AM

I like this guy, no condoms is where its at. Feel the difference, and you'll see.

Its all about the pussy in ave mariaville

3/4/2006 1:12:14 PM

Gods stance on idols is the bigger, the better after all. And you can’t tell me when you are aiming at having the biggest, best cross, that its intended as a personal symbol of faith… with this people will be admiring the size of the cross more than the god behind it. But thats sort of what this whole town seems like its about...admiring a $250 million super town.

3/4/2006 1:31:23 PM

proud to be Christian

3/4/2006 7:16:11 PM

LOOK AT YOUR LEASE MAN
YOU'RE LIVING IN FUCK CITY

3/4/2006 7:23:07 PM

theres a huge cross somewhere on the way to Chicago

3/5/2006 1:35:13 PM

its on I-70 in Indiana






[Edited on March 8, 2006 at 1:06 AM. Reason : ]

3/8/2006 1:04:29 AM

thats it

3/8/2006 1:08:49 AM

i don't really see what the big deal is. people can simply choose not to live there. if some people want to live in an area ruled by their common values (and those values aren't hurting anyone - i.e. no sacrificing virgins), who cares. i don't see it any different than a nudist colony really.

3/8/2006 10:40:02 AM

to play the sterotypical liberal (even though I support ave mariaville)

if you're using state funds for anything, including roads, powerlines, water service, etc etc, it creates a conflict

3/8/2006 10:55:35 AM

meh i suppose. i don't see it as any different from other religious/social/whatnot groups that own property really (i.e. the nudist colony ex., 55+ communities, etc). i just see it as one big church rather than a town.... that happens to have stores/gas stations/etc.

3/8/2006 11:05:59 AM

It becomes a problem when they start turning the local government into the arm of the church, like in Utah.

3/8/2006 1:58:44 PM