Goodbye, Dinosaur Adventure Land (no spam)

[fable]

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.

[Claudius]

Blow me

[fable]

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.

[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...

[Claudius]

suck it up folks

[fable]

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!

[BlueSky]

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.......:laugh:

[Claudius]

Off with my head!

[C Elegans]

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.

[Tamerlane]

Dinosaur Adventure Land (snip) "Creation Science Evangelism,"

I never thought I'd see the two in the same sentence...

[dragon wench]

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.

[fable]

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.