Well, here goes something I have heretofore not yet attempted. I am importing an external blog into my Facebook profile. The Sacred Cow Wursthaus blog is one that I've had going for a little bit, going parallel with a podcast I've had of the same name. The podcast will hopefully return soon, but in the meantime, I'm consolidating my blogging into one area.
Meanwhile I've had another blog for a group which is now defunct: The Milwaukee Evolution League. That group is currently unnecessary with the advent of a new organization called Wisconsin Citizens for Science (which I encourage all my science-minded friends to join).
http://wisconsincitizensforscience.org/
I'll be taking at least one article from the old Milwaukee Evolution League blog and transferring it to the Sacred Cow Wursthaus each week. Since these articles are not time-sensitive, they're still relevant, and interesting, and I hope everyone will like them. Or agrue about them. Either one is fine.
And now to the good stuff: For those who haven't heard, Creationist kingpin and all-around pain-in-the-ass, Kent Hovind, is currently languishing in jail because he felt that his ministry did not have to pay taxes to the IRS for employee salaries. His son, Eric Hovind, is currently running the ministry.
Well, it seems that a follow-up lawsuit has also not gone Hovind's way. The IRS had moved to seize the property assets of his ministry, Creation Science Evangelism, and liquidate it in order to help pay off the debt. Hovind's family filed to contest that in court. It seems, they've lost again. That means that at least one "Creation Science Museum" will close its doors forever. (One down, about two dozen to go....)
An e-mail, sent out by a desperate Eric Hovind is urging supporters to send in money to help with the transition to new offices in Pensacola, FL, about 1 mile away from the old location that the government is taking over. What's interesting is what he's asking: "It would only take 3,800 people giving $100 to make the difference and help keep Creation Science Evangelism as a relevant and energetic ministry in the creation versus evolution debate." So, CSE is at least $380,000 in the hole, and that's just for relocation. This is less than the amount the IRS says that Hovind's ministry owes, which is to the tune of greater than $500,000. Hovind was convicted in July of 2006, so basically, after three years of begging for donations, he's not seemingly doing so hot.
My personal connection to the story is this: Hovind visited UWM in 2006, and because of the book I'd self-published back in 2004, "Creationism: The Bible Says No!", I was challenged to do a debate with him. He even offered me $300 to debate him. Not having anything prepared, I refused. He later claimed in his speech that "people are too scared to debate," and I think he even said something like "an atheist turned me down today," but I had no intention of being bullied into something I was not prepared for at the last minute. A few months later, Hovind was in jail, and if I'd known that would happen, I might have changed my mind.
It will be interesting to see what happens next. Kent was sentenced to ten years, and three of those are nearly up. An early release is not unheard of, but this is a federal prison, so that's far less likely. When he gets out, and finds that creationism has taken a nose-dive after ten years, he'll go at it again with a vengeance.
Only this time, I'll be waiting for him.
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