There are many ways to be stupid, but today we have an account of a truly spectacular public display of world-class stupidity. And more. Much more. Stick around.

Steve Beshear is the Governor of Kentucky. In the Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky we read Beshear to announce ‘Ark Encounter’ theme park to be developed by N. Kentucky Creation Museum.

Note: That story’s been pulled and a different one was substituted in its place. Our humble blog may be the only record of the original story. Here are some excerpts from the now vanished story, with bold added by us:

Gov. Steve Beshear and Answers in Genesis, which operates the Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky, will unveil plans Wednesday for a creationism-themed amusement park.

Good lord! This guy is the Governor, and he’s working with Ken Ham‘s Answers in Genesis (AIG) and the mind-boggling Creation Museum.

The paper says the new theme park will be called Ark Encounter, with a full-scale wooden ark, a museum, and other facilities. They estimate the place will attract 1.6 million visitors a year, and it’ll cost $24.5 million to build the place.

One last excerpt:

Joining Beshear [at the plan unveiling] will be Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum, and Grant County Judge-Executive Darrell Link.

These things speak for themselves. Kentuckians can be proud!

Whoa! Just as we were about to publish, we checked our links for the last time. The newspaper pulled the story we had written about and at the same link they have a new story with this headline: Proposed creationism theme park to seek tax incentives from Kentucky. Maybe the original story was too embarrassing for the Governor. The new story says:

Operators of the popular Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky are seeking state tax incentives to build a creationism theme park at a nearby site — a project that Gov. Steve Beshear officially will announce Wednesday.

If the people of Kentucky are willing to elect a full-blown creationist moron like Beshear, they ought to be willing to shell out for Noah’s Ark. What else does the new story say?

Beshear spokeswoman Kerri Richardson declined to answer questions Tuesday about possible incentives for the project.

We’re guessing, but she’s probably the one who had the original story spiked. If so, she’s hoping that the story was killed in time. Sorry, Kerri, but your humble Curmudgeon noticed it. You should have acted sooner.

Anyway, here’s what’s going on behind closed doors:

The developers are seeking incentives under the Kentucky Tourism Development Act, which allows up to 25 percent of the cost of a project to be recovered. Under the law, the state each year returns to developers of approved projects the sales tax paid by visitors on admission tickets, food, gift sales and lodging costs. Developers have 10 years to reach the 25 percent threshold.

Good deal! Hambo gets to collect sales taxes, and then the state lets him keep them until he’s recovered 25% of his development costs.

There’s a lot going on here. Tax incentives, political connections, pulled press stories, and Noah’s Ark too. We’ll stand by our original title: Kentucky’s Governor is a flaming idiot.

Update: See Ken Ham Announces Noah’s Ark Theme Park.

Update: See Editorial Opposes Gov. Beshear & Noah’s Ark.

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