Practicing what they preach

Usually, I'm ranting about the hypocrisy of the Right, especially the crazy Christianist Right. Well, this time, I'm going to congratulate them for their ideological purity. Turns out a local wingnut right here in America's Taint™ is practicing what he preaches -- literally.

A federal judge has cleared the way for the government's seizure of a creationism theme park in Pensacola.

A ruling this week says the nine properties that make up Dinosaur Adventure Land, and two bank accounts associated with the park will be used to satisfy $430,400 in restitution owed to the federal government.

Kent Hovind, who founded the park and his ministry, Creation Science Evangelism, is serving 10 years in federal prison as a result of a tax-fraud conviction for failing to pay more than $470,000 in employee taxes in a long-running dispute with the Internal Revenue Service.

Kent Hovind was found guilty in November 2006 on 58 counts, including failure to pay employee taxes and making threats against investigators.

The East Peoria, Ill. native sparred with the IRS for 17 years before his conviction. He claimed no income or property since he was employed by God and said that his ministers were not subject to payroll taxes.

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.

U.S. District Judge Casey 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.

Now, I know I shouldn't be criticizing someone for not paying taxes, thanks to my own participation in the War Tax Boycott. But I highlight this not so much because of the Hovinds' failure to pay taxes, but because of their rationale: it's basically a perfect storm of wingnuttery. It's a veritable mind-meld of tea party lunacy and fundamentalist claptrap ... and you'll only find it right here in the Land That Time Forgot. (And, hey, we had our own creationist attraction -- who knew?)