The City of Ave Maria

[Gauracandra 1]

Interesting article. The founder of Domino's pizza is building an entire city from the ground up, 5000 acres, that will follow Catholic law. He is basically a billionaire and is giving most of his money away to Catholic charity. What I find interesting is the ACLU opposes his plan. I'm not surprised. What gets me is who are they, or anyone, to step in and define how a community can or can't organize itself. Communities have the right to set standards, outlaw pornography, abortion, contraception etc.... If you don't like it don't live there. Since this is a community built from the ground up everyone is voluntarily choosing to live in this community. All property will be privately owned except the areas zoned for businesses. All businesses will be leased property and will have to sign an agreement to abide by certain rules. It seems to me if 10,000 Catholics choose to create a town, choose to name it Ave Maria, choose to have a cathedral in the center, choose not to allow abortion in the town, choose to name the streets Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John or whatever they want, then who in the heck is the ACLU to tell them they can't do this? If you can't get away from the filth, then separate from the rest of society and block it at the entrance. The ACLU is fundamentally anti-community. They believe in individual rights to do whatever, but not on community rights. Here is the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/02/catholic.town.ap/

New Florida town would restrict abortion

Domino's founder building community around Catholic university

Thursday, March 2, 2006; Posted: 9:35 p.m. EST (02:35 GMT)

The town of Ave Maria, shown in this artist's rendering, will include a large cathedral.

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."

[Gauracandra 1]

In Prabhupada Village in North Carolina, some devotees have road ways that go through their property. I'm not sure how the system works, but I believe if you own your property you can name the road that passes through your land. So some of the roads are called like "Prabhupada Street" or "Hare Krishna Road". Now imagine some ACLU guy from the city comes along and says "You can't name your street after a religious person. Its unconstitutional." Never mind the fact that nothing in the constitution says anything about street naming. The point is you as a community have given your symbols, rituals, history to your community. If Srila Prabhupada is part of our history then why can't we build our community on our symbols, rituals, and history? Who is an outsider to come in a sue saying its unconstitional? Again, these folks are anti-community.

[Gauracandra 1]

http://www.avemaria.com/

[Guest guest]

1. "New Florida town would restrict abortion"

 

ok they got one right.

 

 

2. "Domino's founder building community around Catholic university"

 

but number two is ironic, he talks of doing good but all his money and business comes from killing the cow, mr billionaire jesus christ said "thou shall not kill".

it will be another misled christian community.