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I've recently taken to reading a number of science-based, scientist-written blogs (i.e. Immunoblogging, Pharyngula, and Respectful Insolence), as part of a self-education campaign covering current scientific-political-cultural issues and conflicts. Thus, I've become familiar with a few of the more blatant self-created ideological dartboards out there (creationism's The Discovery Institute; and the anti-vaccination Geier father-and-son quack team).
However, recently something's come up that's tickled many of the blog-writers: one particularly egregious twit by the name of Ken Hovind (who runs a 'Dino Land' amusement park in Florida that purports to show that Man and Dinosaur were terrestrial contemporaries, and other such creationist balderdash) has run afoul of the feds. Hovind, in viewing himself as part of a sovereign nation of Christians who report to no one but their god of choice, has flagrantly ignored petty secular rules like zoning regulations, healthy and safety statutes, and income taxes. The IRS just raided him last week, shutting down Dino Land, citing such innocuous and easily flout-able charges like 10 years worth of tax evasion, failure to report commercial income, and general misbehavior. While I find myself chuckling at the sheer inanity of this ideological throwback to the Dark Ages, what tickled me most about one of the officers involved in the search, arrest and closure was the following quote:
"Scripture also says 'Render unto Caesar what Caesar demands.' And right now, Caesar demands a building permit," County Commission Chairman Mike Whitehead said.
However, recently something's come up that's tickled many of the blog-writers: one particularly egregious twit by the name of Ken Hovind (who runs a 'Dino Land' amusement park in Florida that purports to show that Man and Dinosaur were terrestrial contemporaries, and other such creationist balderdash) has run afoul of the feds. Hovind, in viewing himself as part of a sovereign nation of Christians who report to no one but their god of choice, has flagrantly ignored petty secular rules like zoning regulations, healthy and safety statutes, and income taxes. The IRS just raided him last week, shutting down Dino Land, citing such innocuous and easily flout-able charges like 10 years worth of tax evasion, failure to report commercial income, and general misbehavior. While I find myself chuckling at the sheer inanity of this ideological throwback to the Dark Ages, what tickled me most about one of the officers involved in the search, arrest and closure was the following quote:
"Scripture also says 'Render unto Caesar what Caesar demands.' And right now, Caesar demands a building permit," County Commission Chairman Mike Whitehead said.
