THE CHRONICLES OF AVE MARIA©: The Jackson Lab Proposal Called Misleading, Reckless, Abuse

The Roman Catholic World

July 28, 2010

by Marielena Montesino de Stuart

THE CHRONICLES OF AVE MARIA©:  The Jackson Lab Proposal Called “Misleading and Reckless”… by me, speaking as a  citizen of Collier County, before the Board of Commissioners.  Another speaker called it ”Abuse.” 

COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING, REGARDING THE JACKSON LAB PROPOSAL - JULY 27, 2010 - NAPLES, FLORIDA

 

The debate

The debate over the funding of  The Jackson Lab project is raging in Collier County.  Hundreds of citizens attended yesterday’s public meeting at the Collier County Board of Commissioners, and I was one of them. 

The public was there  to express either their support or indignation over the proposal of using public funding in order to bring The Jackson Lab to Ave Maria, without allowing the citizens of Collier County to vote on the matter. 

The discussion lasted approximately 6 hours.  By the end of the day yesterday, the poll being conducted by the Naples Daily News showed that 83% of the public does not support ANY public funding for the Jackson Lab project in Ave Maria– a 1% increase from the day before.

By the time that the citizens opposing the Jackson Lab proposal began to arrive, around 8:00-8:15am,  the board room had already been packed mostly by supporters of the Jackson Lab project, who were reported to have arrived at the building as early as 7:20am.  The discussion of the Jackson Lab proposal was scheduled to begin at 10:00am. 

Barron Collier Company executives attended the meeting, including Blake Gable and Brian Goguen, as well as a large contingency of  supporters, wearing blue teeshirts, pins and bracelets with slogans.  The Ave Maria University/Ave Maria Town /Barron Collier section included secretaries and utility employees.  Some of them made no attempt to hide their hostility.  One wonders how so many could spend their day there, away from their work at the Barron Collier and Ave Maria entities.  

It was a scene straight out of an instruction manual for Chicago-style community organizing.

A Catholic resident of Ave Maria speaks in support of The Jackson Lab project, while another remained silent

A Catholic member of the Ave Maria University Board of Regents, Mr. Carlos A. Figueroa, spoke in support of the Jackson Lab project.  But he said that he was speaking as a citizen, and also identified himself as a resident of Ave Maria.  On a day ruled by people carrying signs and wearing teeshirts, buttons, stickers and bracelets with slogans– that sent out messages indicating who was for, or against, the Jackson Lab proposal, it was interesting that Mr. Figueroa chose to wear the Ave Maria University emblem, pinned to his lapel.

Another Catholic resident from my neighborhood attended the meeting, and sat quietly in the front, at the end of a row.

I continue to be the only resident from Ave Maria, who publicly opposes the Jackson Lab project. 

In the context of the moral, political and economic repercussions of the Jackson Lab project, it is important for the reader to note that over 95% of residents in Ave Maria are Catholics, who for the most part also identify themselves as being politically conservative.  In addition, Ave Maria is a community well-known through the media for its outspoken activism against abortion and the defense of human life, which includes protests held 40 miles away, outside of the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Naples.  But no protesting voices are being heard inside Ave Maria regarding the issue of The Jackson Lab.

The presence, participation, or silence, of Catholic  residents of Ave Maria at this public government meeting is noteworthy– given that this involves a project that could have enormous and lasting impact on the residents of Ave Maria.  A project which is under scrutiny by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Venice in Florida, having expressed compelling and serious concerns about The Jackson Lab’s move to Ave Maria, and whether it should be considered authentic human and economic development. 

The following is an excerpt from the Bishop’s statement to the press, issued last week:

Jackson Laboratory’s purported association with and openness to human embryonic stem cell research causes the Diocese of Venice concern.  Of particular note is a public statement made by the company that they are “not willing to rule out doing human embryonic stem cell research” (Naples Daily News, April 10, 2010).   Read full statement HERE.

 

Courtroom-style drama

THE LAST PUBLIC COMMENT CAME FROM THIS MAN, EDWARD A. MORTON - BARRON COLLIER SUPPORTERS APPLAUDED FOR HIM WITH FERVOR, WHILE OTHERS LAUGHED

During the public forum, a supporter of the Jackson Lab proposal who identified himself as Edward A. Morton, sat close to, and had more than one tête-à-tête with Brian Goguen.  Mr. Morton was the last person to speak (what a surprise!).   He delivered a dramatic speech of  how our government in the past has made decisions involving the use of public funds, without a public vote, because it involved matters too difficult for taxpayers to decide.  

Is this man serious? 

Is this an  example of the socialist agenda, where the average American is portrayed as just too stupid and ignorant to decide for himself or herself how they want their money to be spent? 

Much like the last paragraph tells the end of a story, the fact that this man’s courtroom-like dramatic ”closing argument” came at the end of the public forum– left one with the perception that the Jackson Lab deal is not in the making– but that the deal has already been made. 

But then, again, this Jackson Lab proposal is all about appearances, smoke– and mirrors. 

The Barron Collier contingency applauded for Edward A. Morton with fervor.  Others had a great laugh, after Morton finally concluded his dramatic presentation.

In the course of events, the issue of possible violation of Sunshine Laws by county commissioners was presented by a member of the public– who was rudely and abruptly interrupted by Chairman Fred Coyle– in an attempt to silence his questioning about possible ethical violations.  The manner in which Coyle reacted to the speaker was a reminder of what it is like to attend an Ave Maria Stewardship Community District (town government) meeting.  Interestingly, Brian Goguen was involved in a Sunshine Law “issue” as described by the Naples Daily News on October 3, 2008: 

Governments in Florida are regulated by what’s known as the Government-in-the-Sunshine Law, which requires officials to discuss business and make decisions at public meetings.

Brian Goguen is a vice president for finance at Barron Collier Cos. Paul Roney is the chief financial officer at Ave Maria University. Both serve on the executive committee and also on the district board.

“And they don’t think that’s a problem?” asked Adria Harper, a director at the First Amendment Foundation, a Sunshine Law watchdog group financially supported by the media, including the Daily News.

“They shouldn’t be talking about issues that would foreseeably come before the public board in private,” Harper continued. “It doesn’t matter if they’re holding private meetings in Arby’s. They can’t talk about those things.”

Bob Jarvis, a law ethics professor at Nova Southeastern University, agreed.

“It should trouble your readers that this board was set up this way,” Jarvis said. “Whoever thought this was a good idea should be fired or removed from office.”

Goguen ended up stepping down.

Here are the highlights from NBC television news, where I referred to The Jackson Lab proposal as “misleading and reckless.”  (I also called it an immoral and undemocratic real estate bail out of the Monaghan-Barron Collier Ave Maria experiment).

JULY 27, 2010 – COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PUBLIC MEETING REGARDING THE JACKSON LAB PROPOSAL

JULY 27, 2010 – COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PUBLIC MEETING REGARDING THE JACKSON LAB PROPOSAL

This movie requires Adobe Flash for playback.

 

Here is a video clip from the Naples Daily News, where a citizen called the Jackson Lab’s proposal, “abuse.”  CLICK on image below  to watch video:

JULY 27, 2010 - COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING IN NAPLES, FLORIDA - REGARDING THE JACKSON LAB PROPOSAL

 

The meeting couldn’t be without its colorful cast of charming characters, typical of Southwest Florida politics– which included a Cherokee Indian who spoke in opposition to the Jackson Lab proposal.  

CLICK on image below to watch video:

A CHEROKEE INDIAN OPPOSES THE JACKSON LAB PROPOSAL

 

The numbers don’t add up… but– who cares?

The Productivity Committee, comprised of CPA’s and financial analysts presented their final report regarding the money necessary to bring The Jackson Lab to Ave Maria.  The results of the report were not good– to say the least.  In addition, two members of the Productivity Committee stood up and spoke as private citizens and presented compelling arguments which questioned the financial approach being suggested by the Board of Commissioners for The Jackson Lab project.

At the end of the day, Fred Coyle made statements to the press, indicating that it will take several months before a decision can be made, while private funding is pursued, and the use of taxpayer money is contemplated.  No commitments were made, except to keep pushing the Jackson Lab project forward, in spite of the Productivity Committee report.

One can expect that yesterday’s display of activism by Barron Collier in support of The Jackson Lab proposal, will continue.  

After all, they have everything to gain.

♦  ♦  ♦

 

Marielena Montesino de Stuart

You may read about Marielena Montesino de Stuart’s observations and opinions through RenewAmerica, USAToday, Poynter Online, Spero News, The New Liturgical Movement-Poland, The Naples Daily News, Les Femmes-The Truth, Culture War Notes,  ProLife Blogs, The Wanderer, etc.

E-Mail:  ContactTRCW@aol.com 

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:  Ave Maria University + The Jackson Laboratory + Workshops and Resources for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research + Eugenics + Margaret Sanger + Tom Monaghan + Tom Golisano +  Nicholas J. Healy Jr., President of AMU + Barron Collier Companies + The Ave Maria Stewardship Community District.

© All Rights Reserved                   www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com

NOTICE TO READERS: Marielena Montesino de Stuart and  www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com  do not disparage anyone’s motives at Ave Maria, Ave Maria University, including the administrators, faculty, staff and students,  Ave Maria entities, Ave Maria Town, the residents and property owners in Ave Maria, Barron Collier Co., as well as anyone doing business in, with, and for Ave Maria and any of its entities.  Nothing contained in The Chronicles of Ave Maria© or Divine Comedy©, or anywhere on this blog/website questions the commitment of all involved to what they genuinely see as the best interests of Ave Maria, Ave Maria University, Ave Maria entities, Ave Maria Town and Barron Collier Co.  Marielena Montesino de Stuart and www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com concede this.

THE CHRONICLES OF AVE MARIA©: Residents of Ave Maria– You Want the Jackson Lab? But are you willing to pay for it?

The Roman Catholic World

July 26, 2010

(Read Background Report)

 

by Marielena Montesino de Stuart

Residents of Ave Maria– you want The Jackson Lab?   But are you willing to pay for it?

 
 

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE NAPLES DAILY NEWS - JULY 26, 2010

… because 82% of the public is not!

POLL - THE JACKSON LAB - JULY 26, 2010 - NAPLES DAILY NEWS

♦   ♦   ♦

You may read about Marielena Montesino de Stuart’s observations and opinions through RenewAmerica, USAToday, Poynter Online, Spero News, The New Liturgical Movement-Poland, The Naples Daily News, Les Femmes-The Truth, Culture War Notes,  ProLife Blogs, The Wanderer, etc.

E-Mail:  ContactTRCW@aol.com 

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:  Ave Maria University + The Jackson Laboratory + Workshops and Resources for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research + Eugenics + Margaret Sanger + Tom Monaghan + Tom Golisano +  Nicholas J. Healy Jr., President of AMU + Barron Collier Companies + The Ave Maria Stewardship Community District.

© All Rights Reserved                   www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com

NOTICE TO READERS: Marielena Montesino de Stuart and  www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com  do not disparage anyone’s motives at Ave Maria, Ave Maria University, including the administrators, faculty, staff and students,  Ave Maria entities, Ave Maria Town, the residents and property owners in Ave Maria, Barron Collier Co., as well as anyone doing business in, with, and for Ave Maria and any of its entities.  Nothing contained in The Chronicles of Ave Maria© or Divine Comedy©, or anywhere on this blog/website questions the commitment of all involved to what they genuinely see as the best interests of Ave Maria, Ave Maria University, Ave Maria entities, Ave Maria Town and Barron Collier Co.  Marielena Montesino de Stuart and www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com concede this.

THE CHRONICLES OF AVE MARIA©: A SPECIAL REPORT

The Roman Catholic World

July 24, 2010

by Marielena Montesino de Stuart

The Town of Ave Maria has become a confusing mix of religion and business ideologies.  An environment where  truth is subordinate to power.   A place where agendas come before facts. 

The proposed creation  of a genetic facility in the Town of Ave Maria is an example of this.  An agenda for a genetic facility which Collier County tax payers may be forced to fund without a vote, even though the facts show that 82% of those polled  are against public funding of this genetic lab.

Who supports the arrival of the Jackson Lab?  Nick Healy, the president of Ave Maria University supports it– as well as Barron Collier, the powerful land developer who is in  partnership with Monaghan.  Mr. Monaghan was reported as saying, “Go ahead with it.”  

The Town of Ave Maria is governed by a board that operates under a skillfully crafted law allowing the large landowners, Tom Monaghan and Barron Collier, to control the votes inside the Ave Maria “Special District.” 

(Read AVE MARIA: A Town Without a Vote, Now and Forever).

Is this power and control extending beyond Ave Maria, to the point where the Board of Collier County Commissioners could be under the Monaghan-Barron Collier control?  This is a legitimate  question, considering the way in which this “Jackson deal” is being pushed through– without offering county citizens the right to vote on it.  Is the Jackson Lab deal a desperate move to “save” Ave Maria, and involve public funds in the process?  What’s behind all this?

In Ave Maria polarities may exist– but they are  rarely manifested, because dissent can lead to ostracism and vilification, as beyond the pale.

The town was originally promoted as a “City of God,  a “Catholic hub.”  

Then, the promotion shifted to a town for  ”Every Lifestyle.” 

It has recently been described by the media as a “spiritual community” and as “unusual.”  

With the proposed arrival of the Jackson Lab, Ave Maria seems to be entering its new phase of “scientific materialism.”

Ave Maria– a remote town where a laboratory may bring its operation, which includes ”workshops” and ”resources” for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, while forty miles away in the center of Naples, a war of  opinions is raging between taxpayers and politicians regarding the Jackson Lab “deal.”  A ”deal” which has turned into a scandal.

Most recently, the Bishop of the Diocese  of Venice in Florida expressed serious reservations about the Jackson Lab moving to Collier County.   

But in Ave Maria no public opinions are being expressed about the Jackson Lab, except by those in power. 

Why?

SPECIAL REPORT

The following is Part 3 of a Special Report about the Town of Ave Maria, by one of the nation’s most experienced investigative reporters, award-winning  journalist, Randy Engel.  Read full biography at the end of report.

A U.S. Coalition for Life Commentary 

by Randy Engel  

Part III– “The Jackson Laboratory, Tom Monaghan and  His City of God”

Introduction 

On July 27, 2010, the Commissioners of Collier County, Florida will meet in public session to discuss and take action on the Jackson Lab controversy, which has been the subject of my previous two commentaries, “Eugenics Meets the Pizza King – Ave Maria in the Shadow of Auschwitz,” and  “Ave Maria, Jackson Laboratory and Mass Eugenic Killing.” (http://www.uscl.info/index.php?pr=Press_Releases).

If Collier County taxpayers could vote tomorrow, they would, no doubt, reject plans to use public monies as a tax-subsidy to lure pro-eugenic, pro-euthanasia founder Clarence Little’s transgenic mouse company to Ave Marie Stewardship Community District. After all, as a “non-profit” corporation, the Jackson Lab would pay little or no taxes.

Not surprisingly, in a poll by the Naples News, 82% of the responders checked the box “Don’t give any taxpayer money at all.”

But alas the Jackson Lab controversy is not about what is best for Collier County residents including the townspeople of Ave Maria and students and faculty of Ave Maria University (AMU), but about how best and how quickly to bail out the powerful land baron, Barron Collier Companies and their partner, Pizza King tycoon Tom Monaghan, from their multi-million dollar “innovative” swamp land misadventure.

Moral and Ethical Issues in Jackson Lab Controversy

In the Naples, Florida public forum, opposition to the Jackson Laboratory has been emphatically expressed by citizens including savvy businessmen and biotechnology experts, whose criticism of the Jackson Lab project has been based largely on financial and economic grounds. For example, former Smith, Kline &French international director Alvin E. Strack, Sr. joins with retired Bristol Laboratories president and CEO Julius L. Pericola, both Naples residents, in denouncing the “airy-fairy promises being made for this company.” On the other hand, the tough moral and ethical questions surrounding the Jackson Lab enterprise are just beginning to be openly discussed.

Were it not for AveWatch.Com dedicated to investigative journalism of all things Tom Monaghan, including the Jackson Lab debacle, and the courageous journalist and Ave Maria Town resident, Marielena Montesino de Stuart (The Roman Catholic World at http://romancatholicworld.wordpress.com/) these tough moral and ethical questions would have been deep-sixed by Monaghan and Co. with at least the tacit, if not voluptuous  praise of the residents of Ave Maria Town, aka “The City of God,” and the faculty and students of AMU, which lies just down the road from the proposed Jackson Lab site, inside Ave Maria.

Indeed, the attempt by Monaghan and Co to deliberately obfuscate and outright deny the well-documented anti-life history, programs, research and services of the Jackson Laboratory continues unabated to this very day.

Case in point is the recent letter sent out by AMU’s President and Monaghan’s long-time friend and lead legal counselor Nicholas J. Healy, Jr. in response to a critic of the Jackson Lab project. Healy himself is on record as supporting the project claiming that it would bring “very considerable benefits to the entire area. …They will bring well-paying jobs and so on. It will help real estate in the town.”

For openers, Healy, advises the writer that he is “badly misinformed” (but then, aren’t we all?) with regard to the circumstances and actions taken by Monaghan to approve the sale and subsequent donation of 50 acres of land  by his real estate business partner Barron Collier for the location of the new Jackson Lab biomedical complex.

Healy emphasized that Monaghan used “due diligence” in his approval of the land sale by first seeking out the professional opinion of the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) in Philadelphia which is the principle advisor to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C., and to various Vatican agencies, on bioethics.

Attached to Healy’s letter were two papers, “Background on Position of The National Catholic Bioethics Center for Land Transaction for The Jackson Laboratory,” and “Brief Summary of the Position of the National Catholic Bioethics Center of the Sale of Land by Thomas S. Monaghan to Barron Collier Co. Who Might Sell It to Jackson Laboratory,” the latter dated June 9, 2010.

Readers of Parts I of this commentary will recall that, after more due diligence, on its part, the NCBC reported back to Monaghan that there would be “no moral obstacle to his selling his 50% interest in this land back to his partner” for the Jackson Lab site. It was the answer that Monaghan wanted to hear, but unfortunately not the answer he needed to hear, that is, the truth.

The NCBC information sheets relayed by Healy do not indicate who ultimately was responsible for conducting the study on the Jackson Lab or what the price tag was. But in all likelihood, Monaghan’s first contact would have been John Haas, Ph.D., President of the NCBC who has a close working relationship with Legatus, Monaghan’s exclusive club for wealthy Catholic CEOs with business assets over $5 million. On February 5, 2009, six-months before the Jackson Lab pow-wow, Legatus hosted Haas in Bermuda at their annual 3-day members-only summit where the NCBC executive received the Cardinal O’Connor Pro-Life Award from Monaghan (http://avewatch.com/?p=1190)

So, the question remains, even if Haas later passed the research job onto another staffer, how is it possible that he wasn’t able to immediately identify the Jackson Lab’s Bar Harbor, Maine facility as one of the nation’s oldest, most notorious international eugenic establishments? As I indicate in Part I its name has always been synonymous with two things – laboratory mice and eugenics including the promotion of in-vitro fertilization and eugenic abortion. Yet no red flags went up at the NCBC?

Next question. How much time did Haas and/or his assistant actually spend investigating the history of the Jackson Lab or examining its website, which, as AveWatch has amply demonstrated, provides more than sufficient evidence of the lab’s involvement in human embryonic stem cell programs as well as male contraceptive research?

Next question. Wasn’t Haas or his staffer even a little bit curious to know what kind of research Jackson Lab West was conducting in Sacramento, California ? If they had, they might have picked up on the fact that on June 22, 2009, Jackson Lab executives announced that they had received a $3.4 million contract from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to develop mouse models which can support long-term transplantation with human stem cells and can be used in stem cell research. Human embryos are the source of the human embryonic stem cells used to produce the immune-deficient mouse models of human diseases that can be used for testing human stem cell therapies. In plain wrapper language that anyone can understand, human embryos, the tiniest of our kin, are being cannibalized, being killed, in order to obtain the human embryonic stem cells which are injected into the Jackson Lab mice.

OK. Last question. Assuming that the NCBC was truly ignorant of Jackson Lab’s   anti-life history, programs, services and research, how did it react when evidence was produced by AveWatch and the USCL which supported the charges? Did the NCBC admit its error? No. It compounded it by issuing the asinine June 9, 2010 statement, reaffirming that Jackson Lab was not guilty of the ethical and moral charges leveled against it.

And now we see Monaghan’s legal mouthpiece, Nick Healy, perpetuating the very same lie exonerating the Jackson Lab. There’s something radically wrong in Monaghan’s City of God and it appears to go much deeper than just the Jackson Lab controversy.

Monaghan and Co. No Stranger to Scandal

My first introduction to the bizarre happenings at Ave Maria was the Thomas Golisano Scandal. On November 5, 2009, AMU Chancellor, Thomas S. Monaghan, announced that AMU has received a $4 million dollar donation from New York billionaire Blasé Thomas Golisano to fund the construction of the University’s first indoor athletic facility, the Tom Golisano Field House. Giving Golisano a standing ovation, Monaghan said “The entire University community is humbled and quite frankly ecstatic over this contribution.” The $4 million was blood money. Golisano is a major backer of the Abortion Industry, giving millions to NARAL-endorsed pro-abort politicians and to pro-aborts President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton. Golisano insists that he is “prolife” and always has been “pro-life.” Monaghan and Healy   continue to defend the honoring of Golisano by AMU. Golisano is currently under investigation for election law violations. In addition, in March of this year a California appeals court upheld a $26 million award in a fraud lawsuit against Golisano and a company he founded.

My second introduction was the Fr. William Thomas Internet Porn Scandal of 2005 that involved Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Mich. and Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, Mich. AveWatch with Fox News Detroit broke the story on July 9, 2007, but I did not learn about it until I began this series on the Ave Maria and the Jackson Lab in the spring of 2010.

Fr. Thomas was ordained to the Diocese of Lansing, Mich. in 1978. At the time, the diocese was shepherded by the “gay friendly” Bishop Kenneth Joseph Povish, a backer of the notorious pro-sodomite New Ways Ministry and defender of Michigan native Bishop Keith J. Symons of the Diocese of Palm Beach who was forced to resign his office in 1998 following the revelation that he had sexually molested at least five teenage boys. Within a year, Bishop Symons was back in action thanks to Povish’s successor Bishop Carl Mengeling who permitted the  mitered homosexual predator to present a daylong program of prayer and meditation on the Blessed Virgin Mary at the St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt.

Fr. Thomas was appointed pastor to Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church in Brighton in August 1999 where he quickly gained a reputation for “conservatism” (EWTN-style) and a penchant for an expensive lifestyle. Not surprisingly, he soon  attracted the attention of Monaghan’s Ave Maria Foundation (AMF) in Ann Arbor , and over the years built a solid working relationship with the AMF.

Thomas also developed a friendly relationship with Ave Maria School of Law Chaplain Fr. Michael Orsi, who assisted at Holy Spirit on weekends. Orsi’s relationship with many members the faculty of the law school was less than cordial. In a letter dated February 18, 2007, some faculty members complained to Orsi’s bishop, Most Reverend Joseph A. Galante, D.D., J.C.D., of Camden, N.J. , that the priest acted more like an enforcer for Law School Dean Bernard Dobranski than a chaplain.

Thomas appeared to be living a charmed life until 2004 when Patrick Flynn, business manager for the parish, inadvertently discovered homosexual/pederast pornography on Thomas’ computer. Later records from the Michigan State Police revealed that Thomas had bookmarked references for “teen” and “boy” and “young” pornography and that he spent hours viewing web sites like “Boyscherries.com” featuring very young looking men simulating their first experience with sodomy.  (http://avewatch.com/2006-2007/files/d0c0bb9de22a3d0c810208da27aa2246-110.html).

Finally, sometime in the late fall of 2005, after months of careful monitoring and tracking of Thomas’ computer operating systems’ registry and related data, Flynn brought the matter to the attention of Bishop Mengeling, but without much success. Flynn’s next step was to seek advice and assistance from Fr. Orsi, but that proved to be an even harsher reception for reasons that will soon be made clear.

In early September 2007, after Flynn’s visit, Thomas was summoned to the bishop’s office and told to get rid of everything on his computer, but not to destroy evidence. Say what?

That very same day, Orsi put Thomas in touch with Ave Maria School of Law’s Information Technology (IT) people who informed the priest that the hard drive of his computer could never be completely erased. Alarmed by this news, Thomas coordinated with attorney/parishioner Robert Pavlock to replace the hard drive  with a clean new drive. Twenty-one days went by before the State Police secured Thomas’ original drive with the incriminating evidence from Pavlock who was about to be served with a search warrant.

In the meantime, Thomas was granted a “leave of absence” with full pay and benefits while canonical proceedings by the diocese languished in Rome .

All this while, Dobranski, Dean of the Law School , says he was kept in the dark and was not informed of the details of the Thomas case until December 2005. That month he ordered an in-house investigation by the school’s law firm and Monaghan’s long-time legal representation Butzel Long. The firm was of the opinion that the law school had done nothing illegal. Dobranski let the matter drop and never informed the authorities of the events related to the charges against Thomas.

In the end, no criminal charges were filed against Fr. Thomas as the suspected child and simulated child porn was located in an unallocated sector, which is not prosecutable. Thomas died in Germany shortly after the story broke in July 2007. Father Thomas had gone to Germany to join up with the Schoenstatt Movement, known for its international youth ministry.

Like many decent, fair-minded whistleblowers, Flynn, the father of seven who wanted only to get Thomas the help he needed, lost his job in 2006 for “budgetary” reasons.

Father Orsi, on the other hand, who was aware of the police investigation of Fr. Thomas yet withheld that information for months from Dobranski, was never censored or reprimanded either by Dobranski or Monaghan.

And where was Monaghan in this sordid mess? Listening carefully to every detail Dobranski and his attorneys were feeding him one can be sure, and praying the matter would never come to light. 

            Tom Monaghan and His City of God  

I must confess, as a cradle Catholic I’ve never been favorably impressed by calls to build a New Jerusalem, here on earth. This early prejudice, was reinforced with my first reading of Msgr. Ronald Knox’s 1950 classic work Enthusiasm on the history of revivalist sects and the dangers they pose to the Catholic Church. More recently, my skepticism was rekindled by the pederast/homosexual Society of St. John, “a private association of the faithful” which collected millions of dollars from traditional Catholics to build a “City of God ” in the Diocese of Scranton. The affair did not come to a happy end, and neither, I believe, will Monaghan’s  Ave Maria Town.

I came into this series knowing a great deal about the Jackson Lab, but not about Ave Maria Town, AMU and the people who lived and worked there, or Tom Monaghan. I knew nothing about the relationship that exists between them. All this changed during the three months of my investigation as I came to know and understand the true nature of the malignant entity known as Ave Maria Town. The Jackson Lab story is important, but ultimately, I think the story behind Ave Maria Town is even more important. Until that story is written, Catholics, especially any Catholic considering relocating to Ave Maria Town or parents who are considering sending their children to AMU would be wise to heed the warning signs ahead.

Ave Maria is not God’s town. It’s not a Catholic Town . It’s Tom Monaghan’s little theocracy, a mini-state governed by a man who regards himself as divinely guided.

The official religion practiced and promoted here is not traditional Catholicism but rather a Pentecostal-Charismatic fundamentalism with all the eccentricities and characteristics and dangers of a full-blown cult. The “Praise and Worship” services, Novos Ordo guitar Masses and bizarre healing services held at the Quasi-Parish of Ave Maria Oratory (the “healing services” were eventually banned inside the Oratory by the local Bishop) are not merely a variant on Catholicism, but a different religion altogether with a different theology of grace and salvation.

While it is true that the Latin Mass is offered at the Oratory, it is important for the reader to understand that this is only due to the insistence of the local Ordinary that it be made available.

Catholicism has doctrine, dogma, hierarchy, structure, sacraments, and a sacred liturgy – the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Catholic faith is based on the Redemption of the cross. Catholics worship Christ crucified. This is why we wear a crucifix. Baptists, Evangelicals and most other Protestant sects hail an empty cross, from which Jesus has already risen. (http://www.catholicthought.com/promise_keeper.htm). Not only do Catholics have doctrines, but as Knox emphasizes, we have a balance of doctrines and a balance of emphases.

This is in sharp contrast to the religion of Revivalism promoted by Monaghan and Co. which seeks a new Pentecost and a New Jerusalem. In its heart of hearts it is anti-hierarchical and anti-authority. It is also anti-intellectual, that is, it fosters a morbid distrust of our God-given intellect, and relies instead on a blind faith where external signs and flashes of intuition take priority over common prudence. It is a religion where the Sacramental life is secondary in importance to signs of wonders and religious experiences of all kinds especially glossolalia, that is, speaking in tongues. The latter, it should be recalled has generally been regarded by the Catholic Church as a symptom of diabolic possession, not divine inspiration. 

It is no coincidence that Monaghan has had strong connections to the Word of God Community of Ann Arbor, a neo-Pentecostal quasi-Catholic community formed by Ralph Martin and Steve Clark and known for its cult-like tendencies. Healy, the President of AMU, has had ties to the Mother of God Movement of Montgomery Village, Md., which in 1994-1995 was investigated by Cardinal James A. Hickey, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. after complaints of cult-like practices and activities were leveled against community leaders. Later, Mother of God was allowed to restructure itself as “a private association of the faithful” with the approbation of the archdiocese, but its dark past is a matter of public record. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/mog/mogmain.htm).

Neither is it a coincidence that relations between Monaghan and Bishop Frank J. Dewane of the Diocese of Venice where Ave Maria Town is located have always been strained.

It may come as a surprise to the reader that Ave Maria University (AMU) is not a Catholic University . The University itself has no relationship to the diocese and is not recognized as a Catholic University by Bishop Dewane. The latter has no authority over any decision at AMU. He simply sits as an ex officio member of the AMU board, but without any voting privileges. “Ave Maria University, Inc.” is classified as a B43 non-profit organization by the IRS and Monaghan is listed as the University’s primary benefactor and Chancellor/President/Director.

No doubt, the recently released statement of July 22, 2010 by the Diocese of Venice highlighting the moral and ethical questions surrounding the Jackson Lab’s involvement in illicit human embryonic stem cell research, will not be welcome news for Monaghan or Barron Collier. The concluding paragraph reminds Catholics that:

Economic growth and development are not the only components which impact the life of a community.  An organization which truly respects the rights of all human beings could and should “rule out” human embryonic stem cell research. This is precisely because it involves the destruction of innocent human life and consequently, affects the community. Without such an understanding, the plan of Jackson Laboratory, as it has been reported, presents difficulty for the Diocese of Venice in Florida.”

This brings us to what I consider to be one of the key questions concerning the Jackson Lab controversy. It is the proverbial elephant in the living room.

The population of Ave Maria Town is over 95% Catholic, the majority of whom I would venture to say is pro-life. Ave Maria University has over 50 faculty members including a number of converts and over 500 students, most of whom would classify themselves as pro-life. On its Mission Page, the university stresses both the responsibility of Catholic academicians to explicate the truths of the faith and of students and graduates to bring the truths of the faith to bear on contemporary issues, including abortion as well as non-therapeutic fetal research and presumably human embryo and human embryonic stem cells experimentation.

How then does one explain the fact that during the more than three months that the Jackson Lab controversy has raged in Collier County, we have yet to hear any public criticism of the building of a eugenic playground in their backyard from the faculty, staff, and students of Ave Maria University, from the faculty, staff and students of Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, or from any self-identified resident of Ave Maria Town, again, with the exception of Marielena Montesino de Stuart? In response to the hundreds of e-mails on the Jackson Lab issue sent by the U.S. Coalition for Life to faculty and staff of AMU and AMSL, we have received two responses – one from Fr. Robert Garrity telling me I was “misinformed” about the issues and a second asking to be removed from our mailing list. I find this silence to be unnatural and a bit unnerving. It is the same kind of silence one associates with religious cults. Who or what are the people of Ave Maria afraid of? I believe this matter along with the Revivalism aberrations mentioned above, merits the immediate attention of the local Ordinary, Bishop Dewane.

Bishop Dewane is the head of the Diocese of Venice. He is the shepherd of his flock, and that flock, for good or evil, includes Tom Monaghan and the Catholics of Ave Maria. I urge him to initiate such an inquiry/investigation. The sooner the better.

The End

Released: Saturday, July 24, 2010

This three part series is available below

  Part I     Part II    Part III  

Media Contact: USCL Office at rvte61@comcast.net or call 724 327-8878 or write:  Box 315 Export, PA 15632 

[Randy Engel is a prolife veteran of more than 40 years. Engel is the founder and Director of the U.S. Coalition for Life (www.uscl.info), the oldest pro-life research agency in the United States and the co-founder with Dr. Jerome Lejeune of Paris , of the Pittsburgh-based International Foundation for Genetic Research/Michael Fund (www.michaelfund.org), the pro-life alternative to the March of Dimes.  The Michael Fund, created in 1978, combines a pro-life philosophy with a truly therapeutic research program centering on treatments/ and cures for chromosomal disorders especially Down syndrome.]

Randy Engel, one of the nation’s top investigative reporters, began her journalistic career shortly after her graduation from the University of New York at Cortland , in 1961. A specialist in Vietnamese history and folklore, in 1963, she became the editor of The Vietnam Journal, the official publication of the Vietnam Refugee and Information Services, a national relief program in South Vietnam for war refugees and orphans based in Dayton, Ohio . She recorded for the Voice of America and Radio Saigon. In 1970, she received the Distinguished Service Medal for “exceptional and meritorious service to Vietnam .”

In addition to her writings and relief work on behalf of the VRIS, in the mid-1960s, Randy Engel developed an intense interest in pro-life issues including population control, abortion and eugenics, putting her on the ground floor of the emerging Pro-Life Movement. In 1972, she founded the U.S. Coalition for Life in Pittsburgh, Pa. , an international pro-life research and investigative agency, and began editing the USCL’s official publication, the Pro-Life Reporter. Her four-year study on the eugenic policies and programs of the March of Dimes titled “Who Will Defend Michael?” quickly put the USCL on the map as the finest pro-life research agency in the U.S.

Her investigative findings documenting the rise of the federal government’s anti-life programs at home and abroad served as the basis for her testimony before Congressional hearings in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Randy Engel’s groundbreaking investigative findings related to US/AID abortion and sterilization programs in Latin and South America, Asia and Africa were instrumental in bringing about major pro-life changes in the Agency for International Development’s foreign assistance programs.

Many of her original research publications for the USCL including “A March of Dimes Primer – the A-Z of Eugenic Abortion,” and “The Pathfinder Fund – A Study of US/AID Anti-Life Funding” have become pro-life classics and continue to enjoy wide circulation.

In 1995, the veteran pro-life researcher exposed the long-standing eugenic abortion record of Dr. Henry Foster, President Bill Clinton’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General, resulting in the Senate’s failure to approve the nomination.

Sex Education – The Final Plague, Randy Engel’s first full-length book on the sexual conditioning of Catholic school children was published by Human Life International (Baltimore, MD) in 1989 and later by Tan Publishers ( Rockville, IL ). Her second book, The McHugh Chronicles – Who Betrayed the Pro-Life Movement? was published in 1997. Over the last forty years, Randy Engel’s articles, have appeared in numerous Catholic publications including Liguorian Magazine, Our Sunday Visitor, The Wanderer, Catholic Family News and the Homiletic and Pastoral Review. She has received numerous awards for excellence in investigative journalism including the prestigious Linacre Quarterly Award for Distinguished Writing by the Catholic Medical Association.

♦   ♦   ♦

Marielena Montesino de Stuart

You may read about Marielena Montesino de Stuart’s observations and opinions through RenewAmerica, USAToday, Poynter Online, Spero News, The New Liturgical Movement-Poland, The Naples Daily News, Les Femmes-The Truth, Culture War Notes,  ProLife Blogs, The Wanderer, etc.

E-Mail:  ContactTRCW@aol.com 

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:  Ave Maria University + The Jackson Laboratory + Workshops and Resources for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research + Eugenics + Margaret Sanger + Tom Monaghan + Tom Golisano +  Nicholas J. Healy Jr., President of AMU + Barron Collier Companies + The Ave Maria Stewardship Community District.

© All Rights Reserved                   www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com

NOTICE TO READERS: Marielena Montesino de Stuart and  www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com  do not disparage anyone’s motives at Ave Maria, Ave Maria University, including the administrators, faculty, staff and students,  Ave Maria entities, Ave Maria Town, the residents and property owners in Ave Maria, Barron Collier Co., as well as anyone doing business in, with, and for Ave Maria and any of its entities.  Nothing contained in The Chronicles of Ave Maria© or Divine Comedy©, or anywhere on this blog/website questions the commitment of all involved to what they genuinely see as the best interests of Ave Maria, Ave Maria University, Ave Maria entities, Ave Maria Town and Barron Collier Co.  Marielena Montesino de Stuart and www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com concede this.

The views and opinions expressed by the U.S. Coalition for Life are those of the USCL author only, not of www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com

THE CHRONICLES OF AVE MARIA©: THE BISHOP Has Compelling Doubts About THE JACKSON LAB and Authentic Human and Economic Development

The Roman Catholic World

July 23, 2010

by Marielena Montesino de Stuart

(Read Important RELATED STORY) 

BISHOP FRANK J. DEWANE and MARIELENA MONTESINO de STUART

 This is not a good day for the supporters of the Jackson Lab deal, which is an IMMORAL and UNDEMOCRATIC bail out of the Monaghan-Barron Collier Ave Maria experiment.

For readers that may just be getting acquainted with this moral and economic scandal – Tom Monaghan and Nicholas J. Healy, Jr., — chancellor and president of Ave Maria University, respectively, have embraced the proposed coming of the Jackson Lab to Ave Maria.  The Jackson Lab’s activities include holding “workshops” and providing “resources” for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research.  Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research is strictly condemned by the Roman Catholic Church. 
 
The proposed opening of a Jackson Lab facility in Ave Maria has been a joint effort by Monaghan, Ave Maria University, Barron Collier Companies and the Economic Development Council– working with other local entities that seek to expand the economic vision of Collier County.
 

The Board of Collier County Commissioners may try to finance the Jackson Lab’s move to Ave Maria through taxpayer funding, without a public vote.   Polls show that 82% of Collier County citizens oppose any taxpayer funding for the Jackson Lab’s move to Ave Maria.  

Of additional concern is the fact that the Catholic faculty at Ave Maria University has shown no public opposition to this moral and financial scandal, nor have the Catholic residents of Ave Maria–  with the exception of this writer.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane of the Diocese of Venice in Florida, is letting the public know that he is very concerned about the Jackson Lab, and whether it can provide authentic human and economic development. 

Bishop Dewane’s concerns about the moral and ethical questions surrounding the Jackson Lab, casts a shadow of doubt on the credibility of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, which gave Monaghan a stamp of approval, so that he could proceed with making land available for the Jackson Lab.

The question is– why didn’t Monaghan seek the guidance of the local Bishop, instead? 

Seeking the guidance of his local Bishop, one who sits on the Board of Trustees of Ave Maria University, could have stopped this Jackson Lab fiasco from happening.  A fiasco  which could have profound repercussions, not just for the residents of Ave Maria, but because of the burden it could place on taxpayers of Collier County, for many years to come. 

But, was Monaghan prepared to hear and accept the statement below?  

Bishop Dewane’s solid background in the world of business, and active participation on matters ranging from the environment to economic development, brings to the table not just moral and ecclesiastical authority as a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, but an authentic voice based on experience.

The following statement from the Diocese of Venice in Florida was issued through the Office of Communications:

While the Catholic Diocese of Venice in Florida is aware of the potential economic benefits of any company coming to the region, there are other questions which have a profound moral and ethical impact that must also be considered.  Indeed, moral and ethical questions are at the very core of what constitutes truly authentic human and economic development.  Authentic human and economic development, in keeping with the Teachings of the Catholic Church, highlights not only the ‘wants’ of life, but more profoundly, the ‘oughts.’  This is also the case with regard to The Jackson Laboratory’s proposal to operate in Collier County.

Jackson Laboratory’s purported association with and openness to human embryonic stem cell research causes the Diocese of Venice concern.  Of particular note is a public statement made by the company that they are “not willing to rule out doing human embryonic stem cell research” (Naples Daily News, April 10, 2010).

People knowledgeable of stem cell research and therapy are aware that adult stem cell research has led to more medical advances and promise than that of human embryonic stem cell studies.  The Catholic Church does  support research using adult stem cells taken from a variety of sources. However, as is well known, since work on human embryonic stem cells involves the destruction of innocent human life, the Church does not approve of such research.

While encouraging and supporting biomedical research which respects innocent human life and advances the common good and in keeping fully with the Teachings of the Catholic Church, the Diocese of Venice has ethical and moral concerns as regards the potential activities at the proposed Jackson Laboratory facility.  Economic growth and development are not only components which impact the life of a community.  An organization which truly respects the rights of all human beings could and should “rule out” human embryonic stem cell research.  This is precisely because it involves the destruction of innocent human life and consequently, affects the community.  Without such an understanding, the plan of Jackson Laboratory, as it has been reported, presents difficulty for the Diocese of Venice in Florida.

Sincerely,

Bob Reddy

Diocese of Venice in Florida

Communications Department

(941) 486-4701

___________________________

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:  

His Excellency, Bishop Frank J. Dewane

Bishop Frank J. Dewane serves as the spiritual leader of more than 250,000 Catholics in the 10-county Diocese of Venice in Florida. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 as the second Bishop of the Diocese.

Bishop Dewane currently serves on a number of boards and committees, including the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum,” the charitable arm of the Holy See; the USCCB National Catholic Rural Life Committee as President of the Board of Directors which examines rural areas and determines what the Church is doing to help; the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace; and the Florida Catholic Conference Committee for Farmworker Justice and Immigration.
Bishop Dewane was born in Green Bay on March 9, 1950, the third child of Eleanor and Ben Dewane, devout Irish-Catholics who owned and operated a dairy farm. St. James Parish in Cooperstown, Wisc., was the center of community life for the Dewane family, which included four children. After high school graduation Bishop Dewane attended the University of Wisconsin where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences. He then earned a Master’s Degree in International Administration from The American University in Washington, D.C.
Prior to entering the seminary, he worked for the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) in Moscow, Russia, and then for a subsidiary of PepsiCo in New York City.
Bishop Dewane began his studies for the priesthood at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind., where he completed one year of philosophy. He then studied theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. While in Rome, he also completed advanced studies in canon law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
On July 16, 1988, Bishop Dewane was ordained to the priesthood and appointed to the Diocese of Green Bay as assistant pastor. He also worked for the Diocesan Tribunal.
In 1991 he was appointed to serve as a member of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York City. He had been serving in the Diocese of Green Bay as assistant pastor at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
From 1995 to 2001 Bishop Dewane served on the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum.”
In 2001, he was appointed Under Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, a post he had held at The Vatican until 2006. The primary responsibility of the Pontifical Council is to promote justice, peace, development and human rights world-wide. As Under Secretary, then-Monsignor Dewane was an official delegate of the Holy See to numerous international conferences and world summits.
On April 25, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI named him Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida. On July 25, 2006 Bishop Frank J. Dewane was installed as the second bishop.
CHRONOLOGY:
1950-born in Green Bay, WI, to Eleanor and Ben Dewane.

1988-Ordained to the priesthood

1988-1991 Assistant pastor at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Green Bay

1991-1995 Member of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York City

1995-2001 Pontifical Council “Cor Unum,” Rome

2001-2006 Under Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Rome

April 2006 Coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida

July 2006 Ordained as Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida

BOARDS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES:

Member of Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”

USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace

Pontifical North American College in Rome Board of Directors Treasurer

USCCB National Catholic Rural Life Conference President of the Board of Directors

USCCB Advisory Group on Interreligious Relations to the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

Catholic Legal Immigration Network Board of Directors

Holy Land Foundation Board of Directors

Florida Catholic Conference Committee for Farmworker Justice and Immigration.

Ave Maria University Board of Trustees

Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from St. Leo University

Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

Chaplain ad honorum to the Order of Malta

Episcopal Advisor to the Daughters of Isabella

Third Degree Knights of Columbus

WORLD CONFERENCES AND OTHER INFORMATION:

1992, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Conference on Environment and Development

1994, Cairo, Egypt – Conference on Population and Development, Cairo

1995, Beijing, China – Women and Development, Beijing (China);

1995, Copenhagen, Denmark – World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen

1996, Istanbul, Turkey – Conference on Human Settlements

1998, Rome, Italy – Diplomatic Conference instituting the International Criminal Court

2001, Durban, South Africa – World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Durban

2002, Monterrey, Mexico – Conference on Financing for Development

2003, Kyoto, Japan – Third World Water Forum

2003, Cancun, Mexico – Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization, Annual Meetings of the Board of Directors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

2006, Mexico City, – Fourth World Water Forum

May 2007 – Member of an international delegation of Church leaders on a mission to press G8 European leaders to honor commitments made to aid Africa.

__________________

RELATED ARTICLES:

Eugenics Meets the Pizza King:  Ave Maria in the Shadow of Auschwitz

A Blow from a Hatchet:  Eugenics and the Catholic Perspective

How AMU justifies honoring Golisano

♦  ♦  ♦

Marielena Montesino de Stuart

© Marielena Montesino de Stuart

E-Mail:    ContactTRCW@aol.com

You may also read Marielena Montesino de Stuart’s commentaries through: RenewAmerica, USAToday, The Dallas Morning News, U.S. Politics Today (an EIN Service for Political Professionals-*) Poynter Online, Spero News, Daily Estimate, The New Liturgical Movement-Poland, The Naples Daily News, Les Femmes-The Truth, Culture War Notes,  ProLife Blogs,  The Wanderer, etc.

© All Rights Reserved

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:  Bishop Frank J. Dewane + Ave Maria Florida and First Amendment +The People’s Republic of Ave Maria, Florida + Ave Maria University + The Jackson Laboratory + Workshops and Resources for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research + Eugenics + Margaret Sanger + Tom Monaghan + Tom Golisano +  Nicholas J. Healy Jr., President of AMU + Barron Collier Companies + The Ave Maria Stewardship Community District.

Notice to readers

THE CHRONICLES OF AVE MARIA©: Ave Maria University and The Jackson Lab

The Roman Catholic World

July 20, 2010

by Marielena Montesino de Stuart

THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL . .

NICHOLAS J. HEALY, JR., PRESIDENT OF AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY, VISITS THE JACKSON LAB, IN MAINE - NAPLES DAILY NEWS - JULY 19, 2010

 

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE . . .

Here are some of Nick Healy’s quotes from Naples Daily News, One on One with Jeff Lytle  (Oct. 18, 2009):

“The whole idea of Catholic education is to develop a moral vision– understanding the whole purpose and destiny of life. . .”

“I don’t succeed as a Catholic man unless I am practicing virtues to the best of my ability in all my affairs.”

AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY - PRESIDENT NICHOLAS J. HEALY JR. SPEAKS TO JEFF LYTLE'S One-on-One - NAPLES DAILY NEWS - OCTOBER 18 2009

 

BUT– FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS…

FACT - In June 2008 the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved  a 2,000-word policy statement calling embryonic stem-cell research “gravely immoral (PDF).”

FACT – The Jackson Laboratory’s activities include holding Human Embryonic Stem Cell Workshops, such as this one held at its facility in 2005, and these International Human Embryonic Stem Cell Workshops held at its facility in 2006 and 2007– as well as this recent “workshop”  (May 1-5, 2010)– held at its facilit,y which included “talks and demonstrations on methods” in Human Embryonic Stem Cells (Human ES cells).  The Jackson Laboratory also promotes  its ”resources” for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, such as this one. 

FACT - The Jackson Lab’s Vice President, Charles Hewett has said:

“We certainly are very thoughtful about the subject, but not willing to rule out doing human embryonic stem cell research.”– Naples Daily News, April 10, 2010

 

FACT – AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY:  Nick Healy, the president of this”unabashedly Catholic” university has said:

 “If they [the Jackson Lab] were to locate here I think there would be very considerable benefits to the entire area…” – Naples Daily News, April 10, 2010

FACT – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following guidelines in Catholics in Political Life (2004):

“The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”

FACT – AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY:  The “unabashedly Catholic” university, is erecting a building in honor of Tom Golisano, a billionaire / politician who has given breathtaking financial support to pro-choice institutions, as well as to hard-core, NARAL-endorsed pro-choice politicians– including Barack Obama.

FACT -  The Catholic faculty at Ave Maria University, which includes physicists, economists, theologians, philosophers, priests– and other assorted proclaimed experts on Catholicism and moral issues—shows no signs of public opposition to the honoring of Tom Golisano, nor to the proposed move of the Jackson Lab to Ave Maria.

FACT - AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY’s administration and faculty have not expressed public opposition to tax payer funding of the Jackson Lab’s move to Ave Maria– which is ”corporate welfare.”

FACT - AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY’s administration and faculty have not expressed public opposition to the fact that tax payers are not being offered the opportunity to vote on tax payer funding of the Jackson Lab proposal– in spite of the fact that, as of today, the Naples Daily News Poll shows that 81% of the public is against any type of public funding for this project.

Final thoughts. . .

There are those who try to cling to any excuse, in order to justify the Jackson Lab’s move to Ave Maria.  One of the most egregious excuses is that the Jackson Lab is not “actually doing” Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research– that it is only holding “workshops” and providing “resources” for it. 

The fact that tax payers are expected to fund the Jackson Lab’s move to Ave Maria– adds insult to injury.

- – -

IMPORTANT RELATED ARTICLES:

A Three-Part Series on the Town of Ave Maria, Thomas S. Monaghan and the Jackson Lab Scandal, by the U.S. Coalition for Life

A Blow from a Hatchet:  Eugenics and the Catholic Perspective

How AMU justifies honoring Golisano (who has given millions to pro-choice politicians– including Barack Obama)



♦  ♦  ♦

Marielena Montesino de Stuart

You may read about Marielena Montesino de Stuart’s observations and opinions through RenewAmerica, USAToday, Poynter Online, Spero News, The New Liturgical Movement-Poland, The Naples Daily News, Les Femmes-The Truth, Culture War Notes,  ProLife Blogs, The Wanderer, etc.

E-Mail:  ContactTRCW@aol.com 

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:  Ave Maria Florida and First Amendment +The People’s Republic of Ave Maria, Florida + Ave Maria University + The Jackson Laboratory + Workshops and Resources for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research + Eugenics + Margaret Sanger + Tom Monaghan + Tom Golisano +  Nicholas J. Healy Jr., President of AMU + Barron Collier Companies + The Ave Maria Stewardship Community District.

© All Rights Reserved                   www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com

NOTICE TO READERS: Marielena Montesino de Stuart and  www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com  do not disparage anyone’s motives at Ave Maria, Ave Maria University, including the administrators, faculty, staff and students,  Ave Maria entities, Ave Maria Town, the residents and property owners in Ave Maria, Barron Collier Co., as well as anyone doing business in, with, and for Ave Maria and any of its entities.  Nothing contained in The Chronicles of Ave Maria© or Divine Comedy©, or anywhere on this blog/website questions the commitment of all involved to what they genuinely see as the best interests of Ave Maria, Ave Maria University, Ave Maria entities, Ave Maria Town and Barron Collier Co.  Marielena Montesino de Stuart and www.TheRomanCatholicWorld.com concede this.

THE CHRONICLES OF AVE MARIA©: Mutant Mouse Expert, Explains The Jackson Lab

The Roman Catholic World

July 19, 2010

by Marielena Montesino de Stuart

Looking for  The Chronicles of Ave Maria©  ?

 

THIS JACKSON LAB ESCAPEE "Did Not Sign Up for this Deal"

This video would generally fall under the Comedy Category, were it not for the IMMORAL and UNDEMOCRATIC circumstances surrounding the Jackson Lab deal, as a tax-payer funded real estate bail out of the Monaghan-Barron Collier Ave Maria experiment:

THE JACKSON LAB – MUTANT MOUSE EXPERT

THE JACKSON LAB – MUTANT MOUSE EXPERT

This movie requires Adobe Flash for playback.

  (Updated and adapted from The Chronicles of Ave Maria © regarding the subject of The Jackson Lab).

Outside the walls of Ave Maria, expert leaders in the world of laboratory science—such as Julius I. Pericola, retired president of Bristol Laboratories in Syracuse, New York are strongly voicing their opposition to The Jackson Lab.  Here is an excerpt from Pericola’s comment in the Naples Daily News:

“Beware:  Scientists are very, very poor businessmen and will promise anything to have projects funded.”

Alvin E. Strack, Sr., former director in the international division of Smith, Kline & French Labs (now Glaxo-SmithKline) had this to say to the Naples Daily News:

“Pericola is right on in recognizing the airy-fairy promises being made for this company. Wall Street is awash with venture capital for promising biotechnology projects.  Let Jackson Lab get the money there if these venture capitalists feel it has something worthwhile to offer. 

To support this lab is a totally inappropriate use of the tax money of Collier County.

Keep the mice in Maine!

Finally, I find it even more reprehensible that part of the funding scheme to get Jackson Lab here would involve diversion of stimulus money intended for Medicare.  Medicare is just that.  The money is for care, and not extremely risky research ventures.

Shame on them!”

The complete comments by Pericola and Strack are available here and here.

Pericola and Strack are supported by an overwhelming public opposition to a tax-payer funded Jackson Lab move to Ave Maria (today’s poll results):

NAPLES DAILY NEWS POLL - THE JACKSON LAB - JULY 19, 2010

The absolutely embarrassing fact is that the public opposition being published by the Naples Daily News ’Letters to the Editor’ appears to be exclusively from outside Ave Maria—and not just from business leaders and corporate executives, but also from the general public.

But what about Ave Maria’s town government?  What does it have to say?

During a public meeting held on June 8th, 2010 I presented the following questions to the Ave Maria “Special District” (AMSCD) town government, regarding The Jackson Lab:

The County Commissioners and the Economic Development Council of Collier County  do not speak for the taxpayers in this District.   So, what is the Ave Maria Stewardship Community District (AMSCD) saying regarding The Jackson Lab matter?

Ave Maria is in a high-risk fire zone.  The Jackson Lab is involved in activities that could create fires.  They already reported having a major fire in their Maine facility where 400,000 mutant mice were lost.

What measures will the Ave Maria Stewardship Community District take to prevent the Jackson Lab’s toxic waste—which may include dangerous diseases and chemicals– from becoming a hazard to the residents of Ave Maria—including contamination of waterways?

Ave Maria shares one ambulance and one fire truck with the town of Immokalee—which is a high crime area, with a much larger population than Ave Maria.   How will the AMSCD  improve our Emergency Medical Service and Fire Fighting capabilities—given the potential presence of The Jackson Lab?

Would the expansion of the EMS and fire fighting capabilities mean an added burden to the tax payers in the Ave Maria District?

What does the Jackson Lab mean for the pocket books of the citizens of this District?

The Ave Maria Stewardship Community District has been publicly silent, while the press covers the subject of The Jackson Lab on a daily basis.  Why?

The Ave Maria “Special District” Board did not provide any answers to basic or critical questions regarding the impact that  the Jackson Lab could have on the tax payers and residents of  Ave Maria.  These are taxpayers and residents who have no vote in this bizarre form of “taxation without representation” government called a ”Special District”– operating under a “specially crafted”  law, which gives control to the large landowners (Tom Monaghan and Barron Collier Companies).  READ “Ave Maria:  A Town Without a Vote– Now and Forever.”(Naples Daily News – May 9, 2009).

Meanwhile, the Catholic faculty at Ave Maria University, which includes physicists, economists, theologians, philosophers, priests– and other assorted proclaimed experts on Catholicism and moral issues—shows no signs of public opposition to the welcoming of The Jackson Lab—and its “workshops” and “resources”(mutant mice) for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research (a practice condemned by the Catholic Church, along with abortion)—nor for the very UNDEMOCRATIC way in which this immoral Jackson Lab deal is being rammed down the throats of taxpayers.

Tom Monaghan, Chancellor of Ave Maria University has been reported as saying “Go ahead with it [the Jackson Lab].”  Nicholas J. Healy, Jr., the president of Ave Maria University has said  “If they were to locate here I think there would be very considerable benefits to the entire area.”  Naples Daily News – April 10, 2010.

Residents of Ave Maria and students of Ave Maria University are shown by the media conducting public demonstrations and prayer vigils 40 miles away, outside of Planned Parenthood in Naples—yet, they show total absence of indignation for the well-publicized announcement that The Jackson Lab may be opening a facility in Ave Maria. It seems that these Ave Maria demonstrators have a convenient blind spot for the Jackson Lab issue. I’d say—save on gas, you’ve got your work cut out for you, right here, inside Monaghan and Barron Collier’s Ave Maria!

Why the silence in Ave Maria?

It appears that they are quietly expecting a bail out.

Imagine that—the bail out of a town comprised overwhelmingly of Catholic families—by bringing a laboratory that is involved in holding “workshops” and in providing “resources” for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research!  A laboratory that works with scientists involved in finding “better contraception methods.”

A real estate bail out financed by the citizens of Collier County— with funding that may even involve tax payer dollars that should go to the sick.

For the record:

I am the only one in Ave Maria who PUBLICLY opposes this IMMORAL and UNDEMOCRATIC bail out of the Monaghan-Barron Collier Ave Maria experiment.

This, of course, comes with a price:

The ongoing vilification, ad hominem attacks and ostracism from the Monaghan-Barron Collier militants.

A frightening example for others that could possibly speak out.

RELATED ARTICLES: 

The Chronicles of Ave Maria © :  “A Blow from a Hatchet”–Eugenics and the Catholic Perspective

The Chronicles of Ave Maria ©:  Plunging into Compromise 

♦  ♦  ♦

Marielena Montesino de Stuart

© Marielena Montesino de Stuart

E-Mail:    ContactTRCW@aol.com

You may also read Marielena Montesino de Stuart’s commentaries through: RenewAmerica, USAToday, The Dallas Morning News, U.S. Politics Today (an EIN Service for Political Professionals-*) Poynter Online, Spero News, Daily Estimate, The New Liturgical Movement-Poland, The Naples Daily News, Les Femmes-The Truth, Culture War Notes,  ProLife Blogs,  The Wanderer, etc.

© All Rights Reserved

Notice to readers

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:  Ave Maria Florida and First Amendment +The People’s Republic of Ave Maria, Florida + Ave Maria University + The Jackson Laboratory + Workshops and Resources for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research + Eugenics + Margaret Sanger + Tom Monaghan + Tom Golisano +  Nicholas J. Healy Jr., President of AMU + Barron Collier Companies + The Ave Maria Stewardship Community District.

THE CHRONICLES OF AVE MARIA©: From the People’s Republic of Ave Maria, Florida– “A Town Without A Vote, Now and Forever”

The Roman Catholic World

July 4, 2010

by Marielena Montesino de Stuart

Featuring the Award-Winning Story “AVE MARIA:  A Town Without a Vote– Now and Forever”

 

I  REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS  LIKE,

UNTIL ONE DAY– 

UNAWARE  I HAD LEFT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA . . . 

© Copyright Marielena Montesino de Stuart

 

I CROSSED THE BORDER INTO . . .

 THE  PEOPLE’S  REPUBLIC of AVE MARIA, FLORIDA. . .

A Town Without a Vote– Now and Forever” (link)

Ave Maria, Florida

Ave Maria, Florida

AVE MARIA, FLORIDA–

A TOWN WHERE FREE SPEECH CAN BE CHILLED,

 AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT CAN BE CONTROLLED. . . 

Paul Roney, a member of the Ave Maria Town Government Board, and Monaghan’s Chief Financial Officer at AMU [Ave Maria University]  admitted on March 2nd, 2010, on the AMSCD public town government meeting record, that he “reported” a resident to the Ave Maria University’s administration, which resulted in the university threatening the resident with arrest for stepping on campus.  As a result of this “reporting”, the resident was also banned  from over 900 acres of campus property, for nearly three months.                
 
Why? 
                                                                                                                                                                                            

Because the resident asked questions during a  town government meeting held on November 3rd, 2009, concerning compliance of Florida statutes.  Questions which were deemed “disruptive.”  Questions regarding laws and town government matters– which had absolutely nothing to do with Ave Maria University, a private corporation. 

(CLICK on red text below)

Ave Maria’s founders already had decided how the town

 northeast of Naples would be ruled. They would have the power

to control the town forever. This power, some say, is so great, it might be unconstitutional.” (link)

Where in America, other than in Ave Maria, does a citizen attend a local town government meeting– then goes home to find that they are banned from entering the entire campus and property of their local college or university, because of  questions they asked about compliance of government statutes?   A university campus which has been consistently promoted as part of the benefit of buying a home in this town.  

This kind of  “control over freedom of movement”– of  ”turning people in” and  ”reporting”  by government agents,  is only found in fascist and communist systems– and indeed, in the Town of Ave Maria.”

– From The Chronicles of Ave Maria © (link)

♦  ♦  ♦

Marielena Montesino de Stuart

© Marielena Montesino de Stuart

E-Mail:    ContactTRCW@aol.com

You may also read Marielena Montesino de Stuart’s commentaries through: RenewAmerica, USAToday, The Dallas Morning News, U.S. Politics Today (an EIN Service for Political Professionals-*) Poynter Online, Spero News, Daily Estimate, The New Liturgical Movement-Poland, The Naples Daily News, Les Femmes-The Truth, Culture War Notes,  ProLife Blogs,  The Wanderer, etc.

© All Rights Reserved

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:  Ave Maria Florida and First Amendment +The People’s Republic of Ave Maria, Florida + Ave Maria University + The Jackson Laboratory + Workshops and Resources for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research + Eugenics + Margaret Sanger + Tom Monaghan + Tom Golisano +  Nicholas J. Healy Jr., President of AMU + Barron Collier Companies + The Ave Maria Stewardship Community District.

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