New Florida Town Would Trample Your Right to Buy Porn
Posted on March 3, 2006
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.
Civil libertarians say the plan is unconstitutional and are threatening to sue.
“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.
So, civil libertarians, the ACLU included, believe that a store has to sell porn and condoms? Is there a new law that I missed that states “One MUST sell porn?” If so, why just porn? What if “Porn” is MY Religion? Doesn’t that stomp on the Religious Choice of others if a store is forced to sell porn and not forced to sell Bibles or Koran’s?
OK, maybe there isn’t a law that says a store MUST sell porn, yet, but that is what this whole brouhaha sounds as if it is about.
This man, Monaghan, wants to build a town and control the business leases. Sounds like he wants to be a landlord to me. So what is so bad about that? Maybe Catholicism scares some people to the point of stupidity.
Oh wait, what about this angle?
Frances Kissling, president of the liberal Washington-based Catholics for a Free Choice, likened Monaghan’s concept to Islamic fundamentalism.
Uuuummm….I am gonna say, no. The last person a Catholic bombed in a fit of religious fervor was in, I believe, Northen Ireland, and I know the argumement can be made, and I certainly believe, that those attacks were political in nature, Religion was secondary there.
Bottom line here folks?
Monaghan has the right to build a town, and stipulate the lease agreements. If you don’t like it don’t move there, don’t do business there. He isn’t doing anything illegal or harmful.
The only difference between his town and any other is going to be a lack of playboys and condoms and abortions.
It is no different than having a dry county, but instead of liquor it’s breasts. Breasts won’t be outlawed, and you can still bring them in from other counties.
So realize that by telling this man that in a free country he isn’t free to do what he wants when he has the money and that action hurts nobody that he has, in effect, lost the very freedom you claim to be defending.
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14 Responses to “New Florida Town Would Trample Your Right to Buy Porn”
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Must? Can you read?
actus? You need to read further down in these posts.
“OK, maybe there isn’t a law that says a store MUST sell porn, yet, but that is what this whole brouhaha sounds as if it is about.”
“actus? You need to read further down in these posts.”
I read it through. How did you even come up with ‘must’? How does it even sound as if its about this?
What about the Wicans or Warlocks or whatever who established communes? I remember the police busting them for dope, child neglect, panhandling, health and safety, etc. but I (not to be like Hillary) just can’t recall the ACLU after them. Hmmm sounds like the usual double standards.
I wonder why the ACLU hasn’t “complained” about the mayor of New Orleans wanting to build a “chocolate city”? Is that ok? Oh yeah, it is, and he was applauded by the black community for it. You tell those evil white people mayor Nagin!
I suppose the ACLU would fight for him tooth and nail if it were a rich gay guy wanting to build a “gay community”. But how dare some religious “nut” build a town where we can’t be perverted!
As I am interpreting the ACLU’s actions, you have no right to try to lead a pious life away from temptation, but others have a right to lead a life sans the temptation of guilt and moral salvation.
Some kinds of temptations, I guess, are OK, if they are of the flesh, but reminders that their may be more to this life are not allowed.
You’d think an organization, whose supposedly earns its living defending our civil liberties, would actually defend this if it passed in a General Assembly.
Your using “think” and “ACLU” in the same sentence…
I see your point ELF…..”think” and “ACLU” in the same sentence when the word “think” is stating a supposed action of the ACLU is a rather obvious…what? impossibility? Pipe dream?
Whatever it is, it is highly unlikely to happen.
Unless it was the implementation of Sharia law, I don’t see the ACLU being in favor of it.
So everyone buy your wife a new burka for Christmas, oops, I mean Rammadan.
Seriously though, if the Muslims can demand that a place like Canada must implement Sharia Law, how long until the cartoon protestors start screaming to allow the muslims clusters outside of Detroit and across the US to live under Sharia.
What’s good for the muslims should be good for the catholics, right? Or was that why we had the crusades?
I’ve been reading this blog for a couple weeks now and, until now, have yet to see something worth commenting on.
While I am not outraged by this overstepping of the ACLU, I do agree that I am in fine with this proposal. As a strong liberal, I see these actions as the abilities of a free society. Nobody in this situation is having anything forced upon them (so long as the people within this town have ok’d this move.) This is capitalism at its best! If people want this then they’ll move there. If they don’t, then they won’t, and it will fail.
On the other hand, I don’t think that the ACLU fighting this is condemnable. I think they’re wrong. But if no one stood up for the wrong side then we’d have a pretty one sided way of thinking and we’d never progress.
Thanks to the owner for this blog and these comments. And thanks to Professor Bainbridge for linking me here a few weeks ago.
“But if no one stood up for the wrong side then we’d have a pretty one sided way of thinking and we’d never progress.”
No, if nobody stood up for the wrong side many liberal wonks would be out of a job and everything would be all “Right”!!!
“Maybe Catholicism scares some people to the point of stupidity.”
It does. They’re called Catholics.
In all seriousness, while your essay is somewhat meandering and bombastic and is barely on-point, I heartily agree that Monaghan, an established idiot who backs Intelligent Design, can do as he pleases with Godburg. It would be one thing if the town were planning to permit all sorts of crazy and illegal stuff, a la Branch-Davidian-style cult (e.g., sex with underage girls, drugs and so on). But in this case the controversy surrounds what is *not* going to go on. Whoop-de-do! Don’t move there if it bothers you. Florida is a rathole anyway. The Scientologists have already wrecked Clearwater, so people should be thankful that this religious community is going to be self-contained.
“Your using “think” and “ACLU” in the same sentence… ”
People’s minds turn off as soon as they hear ‘ACLU.’ The lower reflexes take over.