Origins TheologyForum for the discussion of Creation Science (Young/Old) vs Theistic Evolution. Discussion of Atheistic Evolution should be taken to the Discussion and Debate forums.
Excuses about "valid laws" are useless; if we want to talk validity, technically we should be under tribal law, since we stole this land. :p
Seriously, though, those excuses are worthless. We can argue that maybe the government should not have passed some laws, but they did.
Hovind, well aware of what the law requiring taxes is (no matter what he thinks it ought to be), disobeys it.
This is not significantly different from his burglary charges a while back.
The guy's a con-man. He's been busted on it by Creationist groups; it's not like this is some wacky evolutionist plot.
I don't see why it's such a big deal. We've always had snake-oil salesmen in our little family. We catch 'em, we call 'em on it, they repent or they leave.
Unless they're really photogenic and have a lot of emotionally gripping soundbites against evolution; then we defend them and make up surrealist theories of constitutional interpretation so we can pretend it's okay.
My own personal and wildly speculative theory is that Hovind actually believes himself to be Harold Hill.
__________________
I use the black cross, because at heart, I'm Johnny Cash.
My own personal and wildly speculative theory is that Hovind actually believes himself to be Harold Hill.
And that's trouble with a capital T, and that rhymes with E, and that stands for Evolution!
__________________ Save me / And when you see me strut / Remind me of what left this outlaw torn I follow Christ; therefore I am To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. . I affirm the Nicene Creed.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -- Romans 8:38-39
Hovind has been in trouble with law enforcement several times.
[edit]
Assault and battery
In 2002, he was charged with one count of felony assault, one count misdemeanor battery, and one count assault and burglary.[6] In December 2002, the charges were dropped by the alleged victim, Hovind's secretary.[5]
[edit]
Property taxes and zoning ordinance
Hovind was charged on September 13, 2002 for failure to observe county zoning regulations with respect to Dinosaur Adventure Land.[5]Despite arguments that the owners did not need a permit due to the nature of the building, [7] the park has been found in violation of local regulations. On June 5th 2006, Hovind pled nolo contendere as charged to three counts: constructing a building without a permit, refusing to sign a citation (Case # 2001 MM 023489 A)[14] and violating the county building code (case # 2002 MM 026670 A)[15]. Hovind was ordered to pay $225.00 per count. The plea brings to an end the 5-year criminal (misdemeanor) court battle over a $50.00 building permit. The 4-year civil court battle with the county remains open (Case # 2002 CA 000149)[16]. Hovind estimates he spent $40,000in legal expenses on this case. On June 19th, 2006, the delilquent 2003-2005 property taxes/penalties for Dinosaur Adventure Land were paid in an amount of $10,402.64 [17].
[edit]
Tax evasion
Hovind does not run his various educational and religious activities through a U.S. Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) organization. Instead, the organizational structure he uses apparently is "based on various questionable trust documents purchased from ... a known promoter of tax avoidance schemes."[3]The U.S. Tax Court has concluded that Hovind used these trust documents as well as other fraudulent means to conceal the ownership and control of his activities and properties.[3]
In 1996 Hovind unsuccessfully filed for bankruptcy to avoid paying federal income taxes. Hovind was found to have lied about his possessions and income[18]. He claimed that as a minister of God everything he owns belonged to God and he is not subject to paying taxes to the United States on the money he received for doing God's work (citing US tax code §508(c)(1)(a)) [19].
The court ordered him to pay the money and upheld the IRS's determination that Hovind's claim "was filed in bad faith for the sole purpose of avoiding payment of federal income taxes." In the ruling, the judge called Hovind's arguments "patently absurd." The judge also noted that "the IRS has no record of the debtor ever having filed a federal income tax return," although this was not the court's reason for denying the bankruptcy claim.
On May 13, 1998, Hovind and his wife attempted to evade all responsibility for any previous promises, debts, or legal agreements made prior to April 15, 1998, by filing a document called "Power of Attorney and Revocation of Signature" [20] with the Escambia County Clerk of Courts. The document reads, in part: "I/we do hereby revoke and make void... all signatures on any instruments...". The Hovinds claimed they had signed government documents "due to the use of various elements of fraud and misrepresentations, duress, coercion, under perjury, mistake, 'bankruptcy'."
In 2004, IRS agents raided Hovind's home and business to confiscate financial records.[22]IRS agent Scott Schneider said none of Hovind's businesses had a business license, nor tax-exempt status. The Associated Press quoted Schneider as saying "Since 1997, Hovind has engaged in financial transactions indicating sources of income and has made deposits to bank accounts well in excess of $1 million per year during some of these years, which would require the filing of federal income taxes."[23]
On June 3 2004, the IRS issued tax liens[24] of $504,957.24 against Hovind and his son and their businesses. A separate lien was filed for each, due to previous legal maneuverings on the part of the elder Hovind to evade taxation by moving property between himself, his son, and other legal entities. The IRS is currently (July 2006) proceeding to levy Hovind's property to satisfy his tax liabilities.[3]
[edit]
Threats, false complaints and criminal tax charges
On July 13, 2006, Kent Hovind was arrested and indicted in federal court on 58 charges. Of the charges filed, there is one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the due administration of the internal revenue laws, including falsifying bankruptcy documents, filing a false and frivolous lawsuit and complaints against the IRS, destroying records, and threatening to harm IRS investigators. 12 of the charges are for failing to pay employee-related taxes, totaling $473,818, and 45 charges of evading reporting requirements by making multiple cash withdrawals just under the $10,000 reporting requirement (smurfing). The withdrawals, totaling $430,500, were placed in 2001 and 2002.
However, Hovind has maintained his innocence. "I still don't understand what I'm being charged for and who is charging me," he said. [25]
__________________ Poverty is not only low income and no assets. It is a condition of exclusion from the institutions and organizations of modern life. In many countries law courts, banks, education, health services, roads, water, electricity, even respect, are not available to the poor.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Here are the links which are endnoted through the article.
__________________ Poverty is not only low income and no assets. It is a condition of exclusion from the institutions and organizations of modern life. In many countries law courts, banks, education, health services, roads, water, electricity, even respect, are not available to the poor.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Speaking of laws, I'm beginning to sense a new scientific Law arising here (and in the CvE forum): the degree to which a person will defend Hovind's innocence is inversely proportional to that person's knowledge of science.
What shall we call this thing? The Hovind Law?
I guess all these musings will be put to rest on Monday when Hovind appears in court to defend himself.
__________________ We can allow satellites, planets, suns, universe, nay whole systems of universes, to be governed by laws, but the smallest insect, we wish to be created at once by special act.
Running afoul of the law is a lousy thing to do because it discredits all Christians and our faith, not just the YECs.
But that's a topic that seems to be a bit removed from the origins forum topics.
If he wants to run a bad parody of a roadside zoo, that's his business. If he wants to list a copy of the ten commandments under "fossils," that's his business, albeit tasteless. But a bad parody of a roadside zoo isn't a church, it's a business, and should be dealt with as such. And building codes and taxes apply to him just as they apply to all of us.
I can't enclose my patio because of local building codes and as much as I feel that it's a stupid law that doesn't mean that I'm exempt from complying with it nor does it mean that they are enforcing the code because I'm a TE either.
I checked out Hovind's site. One of the things that stood out to me is that a man who feels that he and his staff are qualified to teach others about trilobites doesn't realize that most of the trilobites aren't extinct, all of them are.
I suspect that if Hovind were to produce a single living trilobite he'd be able to cash that critter in for more than enough to render unto Caesar what ought to be rendered unto Caesar.
For those who want to see the "mostly extinct" trilobite info, here's a link to his site. About page 3 of the fossils section. The ten commandments are toward the back of the "fossil" section.
Speaking of laws, I'm beginning to sense a new scientific Law arising here (and in the CvE forum): the degree to which a person will defend Hovind's innocence is inversely proportional to that person's knowledge of science.
What shall we call this thing? The Hovind Law?
I guess all these musings will be put to rest on Monday when Hovind appears in court to defend himself.
Actually it is probably at least an inverse cube relationship.
Hovind could easily have paid a few dollars for a building permit instead of spending thousands on a legal fight to exempt the ministry. He could easily have registered his ministry as a 501c non-profit with the IRS, and avoided costly legal issues. He could have easily withheld SS, medicare, and income taxes from what he paid those working for him as employees, instead of leaving the payment of these taxes up to those hired as contractors, and avoided tax evasion charges.
Hovind is only charged with violating BS Big Brother laws, not of lying, stealing, etc. Hovind is an eccentric man who really believes that God's business is not the State's business, and he's willing to fight for it.
Hovind could easily have paid a few dollars for a building permit instead of spending thousands on a legal fight to exempt the ministry. He could easily have registered his ministry as a 501c non-profit with the IRS, and avoided costly legal issues. He could have easily withheld SS, medicare, and income taxes from what he paid those working for him as employees, instead of leaving the payment of these taxes up to those hired as contractors, and avoided tax evasion charges.
Hovind is only charged with violating BS Big Brother laws, not of lying, stealing, etc. Hovind is an eccentric man who really believes that God's business is not the State's business, and he's willing to fight for it.
Of course, if you change Hovind's name with some business that makes profit from employing undocumented workers, in the name of God, all conservatives would be up in arms. Tax evasion is tax evasion, whether it's in God's name or not. It's funny to see how so many people seem support illegal activities because the person fighting is religious.
__________________ Entropy is driving the universe toward "heat death" --- Jesus is the force behind the Strong Nuclear Force that keeps the protons together - Colossians 1:17. - AV1611VET
Linear Mode
