Hail Mary, Full of Grace

I own Domino's stock.

Owned.

I'm selling it today.

From the Boston Channel: Domino's Pizza Boss Plans Catholic-Only Town

NAPLES, Fla. -- The founder of the Domino's Pizza chain is pouring millions of dollars into a new town in Southwest Florida that will be governed by Roman Catholic principles.

Thomas Monaghan's project is called "Ave Maria." It's a place where contraceptives won't be sold in stores, and where the cable system won't carry X-rated programming. It's being built around the new Ave Maria University, the first Catholic university in decades.

Civil liberties groups are planning legal challenges if the restrictions go forward.

Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist said communities have a right to provide a wholesome environment, adding that it will be up to the courts to decide what restrictions are permissible.

From 7online ABC News: Domino's pizza founder wants to create porn-free town

"I believe all of history is just one big battle between good and evil. I don't want to be on the sidelines," Monaghan said in a recent Newsweek interview.

However, Simon points to a 1946 Supreme Court opinion that "ownership does not always mean absolute dominion."

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," Crist said Tuesday. "If someone disagrees, they have the right to go to court and present facts before a judge."

A telephone message left for Collier County officials was not immediately returned.

Gov. Jeb Bush, at the university's recent groundbreaking, 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.

"This is country club Christianity," said Frances Kissling, president of the liberal Washington, D.C.-based Catholics for a Free Choice, which opposes the church's bans on abortion and birth control.

She likened the town's concept to Islamic fundamentalism and teaching intolerance.

"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."

Same story, originally published by the Associated Press, just expanded.

Insane and illegal. Wanna bet it happens anyway?

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Edited to add:

Anyone with enough bucks can do just about anything they please in this country. Set up a religious community? Sure, go for it. Ban alcohol? Go for it. Drugs? Cigarettes? Sex? in your new community? Yup, you can ban those too. It still isn't right, but if you can gather together enough like-minded people, you can make it work. To state you will not allow abortions to be had in their community is in contravention of Florida's laws as I undertand it, making their proposal illegal if they go through with it.

What's next, banning the treatment of people with AIDS? What about other sexually transmitted diseases? Act of God for your sins, sorry, we will not assist? Will people be allowed to pull the plug on brain-dead family members, or will that be illegal too? What about homosexual people - Not In Our Backyard? Protestants? Jews? Don't show up, we're Catholics here. Who's gonna support all the kids born because contraception is illegal, Mr. Monaghan?

We've grown up from the days of religious intoleration that started this country, right? Didn't we? Puritan thought still shapes the mindset of New England, I know, but we've grown beyond it for the most part, right? This crazy scheme of Mr. Monaghan's is setting back the calendar to darker times. He's got enough money to make his dream a reality. There are enough right-wing whack-job ultra-traditional Catholics out there to follow him and make this dream of his a reality.

But what will it cost the rest of us?

I wonder why Mr. Monaghan's company sells pizza's with meat toppings during Lent. Let the heathens sin as long as he can make a profit? I wonder.

For the record: I'm a lapsed Catholic.