Moses sentenced to prison for parting waters

Snowden · 08-04-2007, 13:22

Moses sentenced to prison for parting waters

Ironically named real estate developer tried to change flow of Idaho creek

Updated: 5:08 a.m. ET Aug 4, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO - A man called Moses who tried to part the waters of an Idaho creek for a real estate development project violated the Clean Water Act and should go to prison, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

Real estate broker and developer Charles Moses sought to reshape the flow of Idaho's Teton Creek near a housing development starting in the 1980s. He argued that he was not increasing pollutants into U.S. waters and did not heed U.S. agencies ordering him to stop.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals did not agree with Moses' arguments and upheld a district court sentence of a year and a half in prison for each of the three-counts of his conviction.

"While his sang-froid (or even contempt) in the face of agency demands may show either courage or foolhardiness, it does not save him from the consequences of his actions," the court wrote.

According to the book of Exodus in the Bible, Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt, and when they reached the Red Sea he raised [his] hand and the waters miraculously divided. They were able to cross on dry land and the waters closed on the pursuing Egyptian army.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20113928/

conlor · 08-04-2007, 18:52

Poor Moses! He was only doing what he felt was his calling.

Snowden · 08-04-2007, 20:45

I got such a kick out of that headline! I couldn't resist it.

irish_blue69 · 08-05-2007, 20:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by conlor

Poor Moses! He was only doing what he felt was his calling.

Right, he was just living up to his name.

Snowden · 08-05-2007, 20:40

I had a travel agent named Moses once. He called me at work during lunch hour one day and my boss, a patent attorney, answered the phone. When I got back, the lawyer approached me with a puzzled look on his face and told me I had received a phone call. "From.... Moses??" he said. He plainly thought it was a joke or that he had misunderstood the name.

That Moses was an Armenian from Jerusalem, so not being certain he understood the name was reasonable -- but his face and the whole thing was hilarious.

To add to the fun, Moses at that time lived in Texas, and if he's still living, I'm sure it's still in Texas.

sabadgeman · 08-08-2007, 11:33

Slightly off on a tangent the manager of the Alberton Crematorium in Transvaal RSA was a Mr Van Vuuren. Vuur is fire in Afrikaans Vuuren is Firer LOL

irish_blue69 · 08-08-2007, 11:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabadgeman

Slightly off on a tangent the manager of the Alberton Crematorium in Transvaal RSA was a Mr Van Vuuren. Vuur is fire in Afrikaans Vuuren is Firer LOL

It took me a second to have this sink in right. After it did I thought it was quite funny. It is interesting how sometimes the last names and occupations of people are the same, or mean the same.