Hovind's solitary considerations

Hovind latest blog entry says he's in the United States Penitentiary, a maximum security facility. This federal prison is in Atlanta Georgia, and the Bureau of Prisons entry for this facility says: As a tax evader on his way to another facility, I assume Hovind would have resided in the holdover area or in the minimum security portion, but the transfer to Atlanta is already old news, as Hovind has already been transferred to FCI Edgefield in South Carolina, a medium security facility with an adjacent minimum security camp. I think this is an aerial view.For those wanting to keep track of Hovind themselves, there's an Inmate Locator webpage at the federal Bureau of Prisons website.Hovind comes across as very sincere in his writings, and even after listening to his jailhouse tapes I don't believe the sincerity is assumed. The biggest victim of Hovind's nonsense is Hovind himself. Evidently, if he says it, he believes it.--PercyEdited by Percy, : Spelling.

From Mod's link: Too bad it probably wasn't Cheney. He's not in prison yet.

Hovind did not ask to be the Orderly to serve others, but because "it meant that I did not have to be chained for the twelve hour trip."

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

An update was posted to the Hovind blog this past week. There's no really interesting information, here's a quick summary.Hovind is at FCI Edgefield in South Carolina. His address: Hovind's attorneys are working on an appeal.Mrs. Hovind's sentencing date is June 29th, 2007.Hovind recounts a lengthy conversation he had with God.--Percy

Jo Hovind will be sentenced tomorrow morning, June 29th, at nine in the morning eastern time, and I'm wondering what tack the judge will take. Understanding that all Jo Hovind's questionable bank transactions came at the behest of her husband, will he sentence her to probation? Or while stressing the importance of accepting responsibility for one's actions, will he nonetheless recognize that Kent Hovind is a powerful personality and sentence Jo Hovind to probation anyway? Or might he rule strictly on the law and give Jo Hovind time in prison, perhaps a year or two?I'm hoping for probation but betting on time in prison.--Percy

Kids are grown. I imagine she would look forward to a few years away from Kent.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Coragyps noticed this first and posted it over at the Kent Hovind Debate thread: Looks like I'm a pretty good judge of judges - one to two years, just like I predicted! Reading the comments already posted about the article, there's the expected difference of opinion. One side believes that though she accepted the role of the submissive wife, she must have known what she was doing was wrong, and obeying one's husband doesn't include breaking the law. The other side believes that it isn't realistic to expect her to refuse the wishes of her determined and charismatic husband.The jailhouse tapes* reveal that Jo Hovind had long experienced pangs of grave doubt about the choices her husband made. If tone of voice is any indication, she often anguished over his demands and actions. She no more deserves prison than my wife, also 51 and also a grandmother, deserves prison. Depending upon your age, imagine a wife or mother or daughter going to prison. It's a terrible thing to contemplate, and a terrible ordeal to impose upon a sincere believing church-goer. At one time her days were probably filled with church bake sales, visiting the sick, raising money for the poor, and gathering donations for the local soup kitchen. Sure she went to the bank and withdrew $9500 every time her husband asked, but so what? For that she deserves prison? Listen to the jailhouse tapes. She's a victim, not a perpetrator.And what must Kent Hovind think as he learns he's responsible for the woman he presumably loves with all his heart spending the next year of her life in prison? Will the possibility that perhaps he was wrong ever enter his mind? Not bloody likely. It is ironic that the greatest evil is often carried out by those who most deeply believe they are doing good.--Percy* In Hovind Jail Calls Video Jo Hovind says to Kent Hovind, "I don't have a hope, that it's going to be different in our marriage when you get out, 'cause I'm just hearing things that sound all the same, you know."

I really sort of think that Kent is the only one Kent loves with all his heart.And I would have been as happy seeing Jo get just probation, too.

Well, Hovind probably thinks that one must be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices in the service of Jesus, and that everything he (and his wife) did was in the service of Jesus.Assuming that he is sincere. If he isn't, then he's probably to sociopathic to feel more than a slight tinge of guilt over his wife's involvement.

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Q: If science doesn't know where this comes from, then couldn't it be God's doing?A: The only difference between that kind of thinking and the stereotype of the savage who thinks the Great White Hunter is a God because he doesn't know how the hunter's cigarette lighter works is that the savage has an excuse for his ignorance. -- jhuger

The Pensacola News Journal has posted a more detailed article today: The transcripts of the trial and the written ruling may not yet be publicly available as I've been unable to find any reference to them on the web, but this article does provide some details as to the judge's thinking, and there were some additional rulings.Judge Rodgers ordered the forfeiture of the Hovinds' properties, including Dinosaur Adventure Land.Jo Hovind's prison sentence begins August 31, 2007. Appeals of both the conviction and the sentence are planned.From the article: A sidenote: it somehow escaped my notice that Judge Casey Rodgers is a woman.--Percy

quote:

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She's a victim, not a perpetrator.

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quote:

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Depending upon your age, imagine a wife or mother or daughter going to prison. It's a terrible thing to contemplate

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She's also an adult who, if I am not mistaken, wasn't forced or coerced or threatened into breaking the law that she knew she was breaking.I also fail to understand why her gender should make any difference regarding how terrible it is to imagine her in jail. Prison conditions are probably worse for men, I figure.I find your general tone rather patronizing and just a wee bit sexist, to be honest.AbE: Yes, I do feel bad for Jo for the child-like situation she's put herself in, but it is high time that she grow up and take responsibility for her own actions.I doubt you would feel as bad for Kent's accomplice if it hadn't been his nice little wife and had instead been his son, or a brother.Edited by nator, : No reason given.

You can substitute "husband, father or son" for "wife, mother or daughter." The issue isn't gender but the need for differentiating between a perpetrator versus mere minions who are themselves victims. While looking up the case information for "USA vs Hovind et al" I discovered that Hovind's son (also named Kent, but with a different middle initial) has been involved in more legal haggles with the US government than his father, and I assume that if it weren't for his father they would never have happened.I believe in personal responsibility, but I also believe in the realities of human personality that have been discovered. The Stockholm syndrome describes the inexplicable tendency for hostages to begin identifying and sympathizing with their captors. Jonestown, the Branch Davidians and Heaven's Gate are illustrations of the near-total power charismatic leaders have over their followers. Certainly a wayward husband who is also a charismatic leader would have particular power over his wife. I feel the judge's ruling failed to give such considerations sufficient weight.I've been making inquiries about the trial transcripts and the text of the rulings themselves that would hopefully provide some insight into the judge's rationale, but no luck to far. I'm currently waiting for a reply from Judge Rodger's court clerk.--Percy

Can antone interpret this comment from the CSE blog? http://www.cseblogs.com/?p=77#commentsEdited by Coragyps, : Anyone - not Antone. I don't think Antone is even here.

This actually happened last week, there are several articles. Here's a news brief from the Pensacola News Journal: This article includes not only the appeals court ruling, but more details about Jo Hovind: Here's a column from the Pensacola News Journal with a lot of details about the Jo Hovind sentencing: And finally, Panda's Thumb co-founder Ed Brayton briefly chimes in in his blog: Hovind's blog at Creation Science Evangelism has no recent updates.--Percy

Sure. God almighty designed it all from the beginning that this judge should go to eternal fire and damnation because someone else, who is in jail, needs salvation and to hear the Good News...Reading some of the posts in the link that Coragyp's provided are almost unbelievable.