| | Goodbye, Dinosaur Adventure Land (no spam)
| 
08-08-2009, 10:14 AM
|  | Super Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The sun, the moon, and the stars.
Posts: 30,324
| | |
Dinosaur Adventure Land was a theme part for "Creation Science Evangelism," which is to say, a nutty Pentacostal attempt to dictate scientific reality based on some bizarre interpretation of the Christian bible. As a rule I tend not to start threads about this stuff, but I found this interesting:
A federal judge has cleared the way for the government's seizure of a creationism theme park in Pensacola owned by a couple convicted of tax fraud. A ruling by U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers states that the nine properties that make up Dinosaur Adventure Land as well as two bank accounts associated with the park will be used to satisfy $430,400 owed to the federal government.
Kent Hovind, who founded the park and a ministry, Creation Science Evangelism, is serving 10 years in federal prison for failing to pay the Internal Revenue Service more than $470,000 in employee taxes. He was found guilty in November 2006 on 58 counts, including failure to pay employee taxes and making threats against investigators.
The conviction culminated 17 years of Hovind sparring with the IRS. Saying he was employed by God and his ministers were not subject to payroll taxes, he claimed no income or property. Hovind is incarcerated at the Edgefield Federal Correction Institution in South Carolina.
His wife, Jo, also was sentenced to a year in federal prison for her role in the tax fraud. She's currently jailed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Marianna. Rodgers' 16-page order released late Thursday gives the government the green light to divide up the nine properties in and around the 5800 block of North Palafox Street and begin to sell them until the $430,400 forfeiture amount is satisfied.
The properties have a combined value of more than what the Hovinds owe, according to Rodgers' order, and any excess property available after the sales will be returned to the Hovinds. The Hovinds' son, Eric, and business associate Glenn Stoll unsuccessfully tried to block the government's attempt to seize the properties. They said they are the legal owners.
Only Eric Hovind, who has managed the park since his father's incarceration, was successful in his claim, according to Rodgers' order. Stoll said he owned nine of the 10 properties in question, according to a motion filed with the court. Eric Hovind claimed ownership of a single property, where he lives with his family. He will be allowed to keep the Cummings Road home.
Kent Hovind made a series of quick transfers to conceal his ownership of the properties at risk for seizure, according to documents filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Eric Hovind was not available for comment Friday. His secretary said he could not be reached until Monday.
A lot of frauds do a Tartuffe, masquerading as pious religious types to perpetuate all sorts of crimes. At least this particularly stupid one was caught. (Those are my bolds above, by the way, as if you didn't guess.) I'm also pleased people won't become more ignorant if possible out of seeing such faux science in masquerade.
Your thoughts.
__________________
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe. | | |
08-08-2009, 11:09 AM
|  | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hyrule
Posts: 1,880
| | |
Blow me
__________________
"I pressed this black button labeled in black on a black background and all that happened was this black light lit up black with a message telling me no to press the button again"
Last edited by Claudius; 08-11-2009 at 11:16 PM.
| | |
08-08-2009, 12:37 PM
| | Super Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The sun, the moon, and the stars.
Posts: 30,324
| |  Quote:
Originally Posted by Claudius  The fraud angle is interesting too, but what caught my fancy was wondering if they had 'rides' and such with Jesus piloting brontosaurus and Moses taming teradactyls.. | I think Moses would drown teradactyls, if they were following what they believe to be scripture.
__________________
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe. | | |
08-09-2009, 05:10 AM
|  | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Australia
Posts: 6,347
| |
Pterodactyls, please. Unless there's a pun there I'm not getting.
I really wanted to visit that park dammit. Now it'll probably be closed dwn before I get the chance... 
__________________
Proud SLURRite Gunner of the Rolling Thunder (TM) - Visitors WELCOME!
( Feel free to join us for a drink, play some pool or even relax in a hottub - want to learn more?
The soul must be free, whatever the cost.
| | |
08-09-2009, 09:03 AM
| | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hyrule
Posts: 1,880
| | |
suck it up folks
__________________
"I pressed this black button labeled in black on a black background and all that happened was this black light lit up black with a message telling me no to press the button again"
Last edited by Claudius; 08-11-2009 at 11:16 PM.
| | |
08-09-2009, 09:27 AM
| | Super Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The sun, the moon, and the stars.
Posts: 30,324
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by Claudius Ode,,,just a little cognitive dissonance for me between dinosaurs and the bible. No pun. | Huh? I thought you were playing off terra. Well! Last time I turn to you for puns! It's off to linguistic re-education camp for you!  
__________________
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe. | | |
08-09-2009, 12:07 PM
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: middle of 10 acres of woods in Ky.
Posts: 1,077
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by Ode to a Grasshopper Pterodactyls, please. Unless there's a pun there I'm not getting.
I really wanted to visit that park dammit. Now it'll probably be closed dwn before I get the chance... | don't worry there's still a museum in N. KY....ugh
never been....I just know my head would explode....... 
__________________ I do not intend to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death"-anon | | |
08-09-2009, 12:31 PM
| | Exalted Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hyrule
Posts: 1,880
| | |
Off with my head!
__________________
"I pressed this black button labeled in black on a black background and all that happened was this black light lit up black with a message telling me no to press the button again" | | |
08-11-2009, 05:51 PM
|  | Moderator and Board Bimbo | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The space within
Posts: 9,911
| |
Good news!  People like Hovind deserved to be behind bars.
I'm amazed by how many cult leaders turn out to committ serious financial frauds.
__________________ "There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance." - Hippocrates Moderator of Planescape: Torment, Diablo I & II, Dungeon Siege and Space Siege | | |
08-12-2009, 02:12 AM
|  | Exalted Member | | Join Date: May 2001 Location: Victoria
Posts: 4,527
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by fable Dinosaur Adventure Land (snip) "Creation Science Evangelism," | I never thought I'd see the two in the same sentence...
__________________
! | | |
08-12-2009, 02:34 AM
|  | Moderator and Twisted Sister | | Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: The maelstrom where chaos merges with lucidity
Posts: 19,215
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by C Elegans
I'm amazed by how many cult leaders turn out to committ serious financial frauds.
| I'm not actually..
To be honest, I suspect that cult "leaders" get into the racket in the first place precisely because it *is* a money-making opportunity... If you haven't already, try watching the TV evangelists sometime.. They spout religion and pleas for "donations" in roughly equal doses.
And of course, since the Constitution makes every effort to ensure freedom to practice one's religion.. there's a convenient legal loophole many attempt to hide behind.
__________________
testingtest12Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
testingtest12.......All those moments ... will be lost ... in time ... like tears in rain.
Last edited by dragon wench; 08-12-2009 at 02:38 AM.
| | |
08-12-2009, 08:19 AM
| | Super Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The sun, the moon, and the stars.
Posts: 30,324
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by Tamerlane I never thought I'd see the two in the same sentence... | As Orwell noted, what better way to promulgate your views than take over the opposition and remake it into your own image? This is exactly what the Creation Science crowd want to do: make science fit into their sub-culture's parameters of belief.
I'm willing to bet they don't even understand that science is a matter of discovering facts. They perceive it as a mirror of their own behavior, arbitrary opinions formed by faith-less people, as opposed to the faith-full.
Hovind, though, is a scam artist. I don't think he was ever one of the Creation Science crowd, just someone to prey off them. His actions make it clear he was into it for the money, and it sounds as though he had quite a few properties that for a while were accumulating a tidy nest egg.
__________________
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe. | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | | Display Modes | Rate This Thread |  Linear Mode | | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
| | | |
