uberreiniger | (no subject)

He calls it "God's will." What about the lousy, inedible pizza his company makes? Is that also "God's will?"

Call me a liberal Christian and a Universalist if you will, but I choose to believe in a God who wants me to have good pizza.

Moving on to the article, I hate to say it, but while his model society is puritanical, it's not unconstitutional. Nowhere in the United States Constitution are you guaranteed the right to birth control, pornography, or even an abortion. Now if he attempts to create legal statutes against such things in this town, then yes, he will be in trouble and can look forward to a long future of court rulings (assuming this town has a court,) being overturned by higher courts. Based purely on what the article says, however, it looks like this is a town where such goods and services will simply be unavailable, not outlawed.

How is it different from, say, pharmacists who refuse to fill perscriptions for birth control pills on religious grounds? (a practice I do not agree with) Because those individuals are attempting to force their values on the larger society. This looks like a place where people of a particular conviction can retreat from society to practice their belief. And that's nothing new in this country. Amish and Mennonite communities are noteworthy for their lack of birth control, pornography, and abortion clinics, and everybody loves them. I guess there's a double standard for the mean ol' Catholics, however.

This isn't a town I would want to live in, but if people make a choice to live there, (and in doing so, are aware they are giving up other choices willingly,) then they should be allowed to do so.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's actually not that odd. That's what greenville is like. There's only one place to buy condoms or porn and that's the shell station on the edge of town. Not even CVS carries condoms anymore and they certainly don't sell porn. On the other hand, filling BC, I don't think he can regulate business saying it's illegal to sell it in their community. It might not be unconstitutional, but I'm pretty sure that's illegal under the current laws. They'd have to stop it by voting on business liscenses, like not allowing pharmecies that will sell birth control to set up business there. Which /is/ legal. I think the fact that he is trying to control all this himself is foolish. A town like that, like greenville, doesn't /grow/. He'll have a hard time keeping families there after their kids are grown. :/

As for Amish/Mennonite communities... they're /communities/, not entire towns... so I don't think they fit this same case.

Personally I think the guy is wrong in acting like this and trying to force people into this... if he is trying to force people into this. It might just be the press deciding to make him look like a fundamentalist moron. Like you said, people have a choice as to wether or not to work, live and shop there. :3

OMG! just thought of something. XD What if it becomes a tourist attraction like Amish and Mennonite communities often do! "COME SEE THE WORLDS ONLY ALL CATHOLIC COMMUNITY!" But I just don't think that chicken and beer dances have quite the same flair as hand sewn quilts and wooden toys.

I think the media is trying to make him out to look more EEVIL then he actually is. He's not evil, just deluded. You are right in that this town will NOT grow much beyond its initial size.

And you're right, you can't dictate that a business cannot sell something which it can legally sell. However, private businesses can choose to not stock any itmes they wish. I can only assume that business owners moving to this community will be ones who wish to obey the policy in the first place. Of course, there's always a chance someone will try to come in and rabble-rouse by trying to sell whatever's "objectionable."

And at that point the little man's dream would be over, because I don't think there's a legal way to stop it. They would have to go the route you speak of, by voting on business licenses preemptively.
Which, given that he's got a team of lawyers working on this, I'm sure he will do.

Possibly, though if this is a town full of people who think like him, the rabble-rouser is pretty much screwed. Let's say you spend $75,000 in your cash to start a business. Now, that's a VERY modest amount for a business, so you're pretty small. Then you plant that business in an already small town with limited markets. THEN, the people in that town choose not to shop at your store because you sell things they object to (perfectly legal).

You'd be bankrupt in a year.