NCSE Evolution Education Update for 2009/08/07

(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)

Dear Friends of NCSE,

The way is clear for the government to seize a creationist theme park
in Florida. And the complete run of Creation/Evolution is now
available on-line.

DINOSAUR ADVENTURE LAND TO BE SEIZED?

Dinosaur Adventure Land, Kent Hovind's creationist theme park in
Pensacola, Florida, is to be seized by the federal government, the
Pensacola News Journal (July 31, 2009) reported. In November 2006, a
federal jury found Hovind guilty of fifty-eight charges, including
failing to pay payroll taxes for his employees, structuring financial
transactions to avoid reporting requirements, and "corruptly
endeavor[ing] to obstruct and impede the due administration of the
internal revenue laws." Hovind was subsequently sentenced to ten years
in prison and to pay over $600,000 in restitution.

After the judge presiding over the case ordered that two bank accounts
and ten real properties located in Pensacola be forfeited to satisfy
the financial judgment against Hovind, two claimants filed separate
objections. Eric Hovind -- who is running Creation Science Evangelism
while his father is incarcerated -- claimed ownership of a single
property, in which he lives, while Glen Stoll -- who was hired by
Hovind to restructure his ministry so its assets would be managed
through supposedly tax-exempt trusts -- claimed ownership of the
remaining nine as well as one of the bank accounts.

Eric Hovind's claim was upheld by the court in its July 29, 2009,
order, which noted that the conveyance of the title to his home was
not part of Stoll's scheme for restructuring the ministry. But Stoll's
claim was not: the court held that "Stoll has not shown he played
anything more than a titular role in the trusts he created, and the
court finds he was a nominee title holder for Kent and Jo Hovind. ...
As such, Stoll has no legal interest in any forfeited substitute
property and lacks standing to challenge the court’s June 28, 2007,
and October 8, 2008, forfeiture orders."

Among the properties forfeited appears to be Dinosaur Adventure Land,
which describes itself as "a theme park and science museum that gives
God the glory for His creation." Reporting on his visit there in the
November 2004 Skeptical Inquirer, Greg Martinez concluded, "Dinosaur
Adventure Land is just a playground tricked out with dinosaur dressage
to attract an audience that can then be enticed, seduced, and
eventually duped into accepting superstitions, pseudoscience, and
plain nonsense passed off with a patina of both scientific and
religious authority."

For the story in the Pensacola News-Journal, visit:
http://www.pnj.com/article/20090731/NEWS01/90731016/1006

For the court's order (PDF), visit:
http://ncseweb.org/webfm_send/1130

For Greg Martinez's account of his visit to Dinosaur Adventure Land, visit:
http://www.csicop.org/si/2004-11/hovind.html

CREATION/EVOLUTION NOW AVAILABLE ON-LINE

NCSE is pleased to announce that the complete run of
Creation/Evolution is now available in PDF form on the NCSE website.
Published from 1980 to 1996, Creation/Evolution was the leading source
of information about and criticism of the creationist movement through
that momentous period, which saw the rise and fall of attempts to
require the teaching of "creation science" in the public schools as
well as the beginnings of the "intelligent design" movement.
Creation/Evolution was originally published by the American Humanist
Association, under the editorship of Frederick Edwords; in 1991, it
was acquired by NCSE, and John R. Cole became its editor. In 1997,
Creation/Evolution was merged with NCSE Reports to produce NCSE's
current journal, Reports of the NCSE, edited by Andrew J. Petto.

Highlights of Creation/Evolution include Frank Awbrey's "Yes,
Virginia, There is a Creation Model" (issue 1), Laurie R. Godfrey's
analysis of the creationist movie Footprints in Stone (issue 6),
Robert A. Moore's "The Impossible Voyage of Noah's Ark" (issue 11),
Conrad Hyers's "Genesis Knows Nothing of Scientific Creationism"
(issue 12), a special issue on the Paluxy footprints (issue 15),
Thomas McIver's report on his field study in the Grand Canyon with a
group of creationists (issue 20), John A. Moore's "Is 'Creation
Science' Scientific?" (issue 28), Bernard Ortiz de Montellano's
"Afrocentric Creationism" (issue 29), Eugenie C. Scott's review of
Phillip Johnson's Darwin on Trial (issue 33), Taner Edis's "Islamic
Creationism in Turkey" (issue 34), and Robert T. Pennock's
"Naturalism, Creationism, and the Meaning of Life" (issue 39).

For the complete run of Creation/Evolution, visit:
http://ncseweb.org/media/cej

For information about subscribing to Reports of the NCSE, visit:
http://ncseweb.org/membership

Thanks for reading! And as always, be sure to consult NCSE's web site
-- http://ncseweb.org -- where you can always find the latest news on
evolution education and threats to it.

-- 
Sincerely,

Glenn Branch
Deputy Director
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
420 40th Street, Suite 2
Oakland, CA 94609-2509
510-601-7203 x310
fax: 510-601-7204
800-290-6006
branch@ncseweb.org
http://ncseweb.org

Eugenie C. Scott's Evolution vs. Creationism -- now in its second edition!
http://ncseweb.org/evc

Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design Is Wrong for Our Schools
http://ncseweb.org/nioc

NCSE's work is supported by its members. Join today!
http://ncseweb.org/membership