Strict Roman Catholic town in Florida
 

I don't think that this should be illegal, nobody will be forced to live or shop there, only people that want to live by these rules in this place will move there. Maybe I'm not seeing something, but what is the problem with this?

Man that will be one boring place to live.


What a nut that guy is.

Ever spend time around Catholics? Or go to a Catholic funeral? Buncha drunks I tell ya... this place will have a bar on every corner... :) doesn't sound so bad to me :D

But please, dear God, have the bars serve something better than Domino's pizza -

Sounds more or less like a gated community.

You move there an agree to live by the rules of the community.

Not my cup of tea but then I'm not try to buy a house there either.


Whenever I hear of these sorts of communities it reminds me of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash and the semi-autonomous gated communities. This one moreso because of the pizza connection.

I agree, there's nothing going on here people. Move along.

If you don't like it, move. If it sounds like paradise on earth, I'm sure they'll very happily sell you a piece of land.

I've always wanted to get a nice little town and run it however I wanted.

If all I need is enough money to do so, I'm going to start saving right now!

Agreed. It's nowhere I would want to live, but I imagine there will be lots of people who do want to live there. So long as the town follows state and federal laws themselves, what civic laws these guys enact are their own business.

It's interesting how some forms of segregation, if you will, are seen as perfectly normal while others are criticized or chastised. Perhaps it's political correctness, or something else.

For instance, we have the Grammy's which celebrate the best in music worldwide. We also have the Latin Grammy's that well, celebrate the best of Latin music worldwide. Latin music is part of the Grammy's. We have the Miss America pageant which takes women of all ethnicities and crowns a winner, that woman who best represents American values. We have Miss Black America who represents American values. Miss America has black contestants.

Now I'm thinking if a rich American born Arab wanted to make a town strictly Muslim, would such interference be present as in a town being Catholic? What if a rich American born Jew wanted to make a town strictly Jewish, would there be an uproar? How about someone of Asian descent? What about if Oprah tried it?

Sometimes I think people just have to much time on their hands. Usually these people are the 'do as I say, not as I do' crowd that are against this. Like Charlatan said, if you don't want to support it, then don't support it. If the Domino pizza guy loses his shirt, then so be it. Live and let live I say. Life is way to short to care about others peoples business, especially if it doesn't involve them in anyway imaginable.

If they want to do it good for them, but what kind of people would be attracted to this 'town'?

Lots of issues moving in there :)

Yeah, I'm hearing all sorts of talk about "boycot Domino's!" That's ridiculous. This is called freedom of religious expression. I'm all for it. I'm not going to live anywhere near there, but I'm all for it.

Hell, buy an extra pizza, let them pick up another crazed Catholic family from my town and sequester 'em in Florida. Hell, throw in some breadsticks!

So, if I wanted to make the second worst business decision in history, I could (technically) open a porn/abortion shop in the town and there's very little they (Mr. Domino etc) could do about it. Am I right or what?

Towns can make some things difficult. Where I live they wouldn't let a hooters open several years ago, so they opened it across the street, which is in another town.

Business opportunity:

Find community boundaries and open Reno II next door.
Provide free shuttle service in wondowless vans disguised as St. Flynt's Prayermobile.

Does this town remind anyone else of Footloose?

On what basis do they have to sue?

it's not like they took over an existing town and are kicking non-Catholics out... they are building a new town... People can choose to live their or not.

Some people are just looking for a fight where there's none... Don't like the rules, don't live there...

The article said all shops and businesses would be owned by the town and the stipulations of what you could sell would be in the lease, so if they own every building in the town, you'd have to go elsewhere. Plus, I'm sure the town board or whatever it is for zoning would be all people in support of the town, so you'd be hard pressed to get it through that way either.

This is something I completely forgot about while reading the article. Ever since I was younger, even in elementary school, I didn't understand why there were things like the United Negro College Fund. If there was a United Caucasian College Fund, I think there'd be some opposition. I think it'll be a very long time before anything like that is accepted.

No sense boycotting Domino's. Tom M. sold his interest years ago. That's the money he's using to fund his venture. I still haven't forgiven him for f@#%ing up the Detroit Tigers after 1984, so Florida can have him!

What could be interesting, if this whole thing is successful: more people than could fit within the city limits still want to be close. They start buying property in adjacent communities. They grow to constitute a strong voter bloc in those towns and load the councils. Whole counties fall under Monaghan's sway!

That's an interesting thought. Have towns like this been created before? "Themed gated communites" on a large scale? And if so, has there been any evidence to show how it influences political events in the area?

It's a threadjack, but I'll bite: what was the first worst?

This reminds me of Celebration, Florida.

I wonder about the actual status of this place. What is the legal difference between a "Town" and a gated community or housing development.

Will they have an elected governing council and dedicated municipal services? Or is this just a housing development with mixed use zoning?

Consider Amish or Mormon communities. Do they have an influence beyond their enclave? Don't expect Floridian Catholics to be so introverted!

I think the legality issues are going to largely rely on whether the community will become a legitimate recognized municipal government or if it is more like a uberHOA. If it has a legitimate government then they will be getting state tax money and the church-state issues will be big.

I think it's a great idea. To each their own...

Also, there is no "pizza connection" and no reason to "boycott Domino's"... He hasn't owned it in EIGHT years people. *boggle* RTFA! :-p

Did you read the article? The plan is for there to be control over business/commercial regulations. So yes, there is something they can do about it... they cannot give you a permit for your store. Cities and states can ban alcohol just as easily. There are dry counties out there today. Why couldn't they ban porn? Or abortion?

From the article it sounds like a modern zionist movement... and the guy who's heading it has the finances to make it happen.
Fascinating. I really thought this sort of thing had died out - and that Catholics on the whole would be against building such a place. A really big monestary community? I don't know how view it really...

in any case, I'm not sure that it's feasable in the long-term. It seems that an idea like this would fall apart within a few generations - if it even lasts longer than a few years.
What would draw someone to such an environment? Where would they get a continued base of residents? Just how sheltered would the kids be that grow up there?

I'd be interested to see what the official stance of the Catholic church is on this guy's plan... would the Pope be against a community? If even relatively successful, would this be the start of a trend? Would other religions jump back into Zionist mode?

I'd have to say.... I have no wish to live in such a place, but I wouldnt oppose him building it.

As long as teh rule of law by the state is challenged, if the worst things he wants to do is ban porno mags and condoms, I say let the people who think thats admirable go live there.

The only issue I would have would be children... certainly it shall be illegal for a child to be subjected to these restrictions, when they do not have the power to leave. Any child born here would be taken into care by the state and brought up within the full range of freedoms of America. Any adult who consents to live there is welcome too imo, whatever the benefits or detriments, they take them with free will. Of course there is a balance. We will allow a town to dictate small matters, but protection from violence and so on will be enforced by the state here.

They can't ban porn or abortions because the supreme court has ruled in favor of those who wish to provide those to willing adults, and those willing adults who want to recieve them. They can form a town in which it would be entirely unprofitable to offer such things, but not outright ban them.

I saw an interview this morning on CBS's The Early Show - blown completely out of proportion.

Through out the Bible Belt, religious powers shape local laws along similar lines even in metropolises. I know; I live in one.

We had the Super Bowl the year before. The next year, the city started harrassing the strip clubs after they were done with them. Bold New City of the South my ass.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/...-SearchStories

So the dude wants to start a town in the middle of nowhere, good for him. You dont have to go or move there and neither do I. Most of that area of FL is caucasian, old, rich snotty bible thumping, drunkards anyway. If you dont like it DONT GO. I dont go to places I dont like.

Anyways sounds like a great place for people who like the Everglades, the Catholic religion, the boonies and no porn. If they wanna build it, let them come. Just if they start some shit in Naples while Im there for my summer holiday, watch for me on the news.

There are a few small communities around here that have large Catholic populations. And yes you can't buy porn in them. Bars and liquor stores on the other hand...

Ow my head.

Yeah, that's a valid comparison.

If they own the establishments, why can't they ban it from being sold there? It's sold elsewhere, in the next town over I'm sure, so if these willing adults wanted them they can drive over to the closest video rental place that's not in their town.

certainly it is. fundamentalism does not mean terrorist or maniac - it means someone who fundamentally is guided and lives their life directly in accordance with their religion. This seems to me the intention of this guy, I think it is rather similar to a guy who lives his life as huided by the Qu'ran (especially as Islam and Catholicism are both derivatives of Judaism)

Certainly I agree that, as long as people are free to leave, then any adult who wishes to live in such a place is welcome to. The only allowance is that a child shall not be allowed to be brought up under these restrictions. If an adult wants to deny themselves freedoms allowed within the constitution I would say that they are welcome to. Clearly a child does not have this choice or power.

I think as long as there is an understanding that no one under the 18 will live in this township, and that any child born in the township will be taken into foster care unless the parents will remove the family unit... then it is valid and acceptable.

This is going to be one of the rare times I agree wtih you completely. I'll go as far as to say that raising any child in any religion is negligent and unethical, but I'm never going to convince anyone of that who doesn't already agree with me.

They don't even have to make it "unprofitable"... they can zone a SMALL area for such businesses, and then simply build other businesses in those "allowable" zones. They can enforce permits for such things and then make it all but impossible to attain such a permit. Or, they can issue a set number of permits, and then issue them all to businesses that will not use them. The latter has been done in Arizona regarding liquor licenses. The state has a specific number available, and they've all been owned by a small group of ppl for years (or bought at HUGE profits). The state is only manufacturing more as a way to artificially change the playing field (and make money).

Also, cities do have some rights as to what they can allow. The sale of alcohol is no more or less protected than the sale of Hustler... but there are dry counties in the south. I don't see the difference.

But any parent in ANY town can deny their children those same things. Children simply do not have the right to make certain choices legally, without their parents' consent, as long as they aren't deliberately abused. Once they are 18 they are free to leave though. The earlier comparison to Mormon and/or Amish communities is valid. The fact is that parents have the right to raise their children with the belief system they choose, within reason. A parent denying porn, abortion, birth control, etc. isn't illegal.


Personally, I'd never live in a town like that. But if someone wants to set up a town like that in a "greenfield" area (i.e. not by taking over an already inhabited area), I don't have a major issue with it.