Could Noah Build His Ark Today?

In the year 2008 the Lord came unto Noah and said, "Once again the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me.  Build another ark and save two of every living thing along with a few good humans."

He gave Noah the CAD drawing, saying, "You have 6 months to build this ark before I will start the rain for 40 days and 40 nights."

Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard, but no ark.

"Noah!" He roared, "I'm about to start the rain.  Where is the ark?"

"Forgive me Lord," begged Noah.  "But things have changed.  I needed building regulations approval and I've been arguing with the fire department about the need for a sprinkler system.  My neighbors claim that I should have obtained planning permission for building the ark in my garden because it is considered development of the site, even though in my view it is a temporary structure.  We then had to go to appeal to the Secretary of state for a decision.

Then the Department of Transportation demanded a bond be posted for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstruction to clear the passage for the ark's move to the sea.  I told them that the sea woulod be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it.

Getting the wood was another problem.  All of the decent trees have Tree Preservation Orders on them and we live in a Site of Special Scientific Interest set up in order to protect the spotted owl.  I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls, but no go.

When I started planning to gather the animals, the S.P.C.A. sued me.  They insisted that I would be confining wild animals against their will.  They argued the accommodation would be too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space.

Then the County Council, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Rivers Authority ruled that I couldn't  build the ark until they conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.

I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Equal Opportunities Commission on how many disabled carpenters I'm supposed to hire for my building team.  The trade unions say I can't use my sons.  They insist I have to hire only accredited workers with ark-building experience.

To make matters worse, Customs seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species.

So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this ark."

Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky.

Noah looked up in wonder and asked, "You mean you're not going to destroy the world?"

"No," said the Lord.  "The government beat me to it."

~Author Unknown

Comments

[Bill Huffhine]

Hey Ryan,

You're correct. It is not original. And as indicated by my history of doing so, I would be happy to attribute authorship if I knew who the author was. This piece was e-mailed to me in one of those unending "forwards."

[Ryan Wiksell]

I'm pretty sure this is not an original piece. Wouldn't it be best to give credit to the author?

[Dalton Lifsey]

Bill that was absolutely hilarious. I was crying reading it to Anna. The part about the spotted owl cracked me up.