In the year 2007, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in England
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 2 of every living thing along with a few good
humans."
He gave Noah the CAD drawings, saying, "You have 6 months to build the
Ark
before I will start the unending 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. I've been arguing with the Fire Brigade about
the need for
a sprinkler system. My neighbours claim that I should have obtained
planning permission
for building the Ark in my garden because it is development of the site even
though in my
view it is a temporary structure.
We had to go to appeal to the Secretary of State for a decision.
Then the Department of Transport demanded a bond be posted for the
future costs of
moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage
for the Ark's
move to the sea.
I told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear
nothing of it.
Getting the wood was another problem. All 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 gathering the animals, the RSPCA sued me. They insisted
that I was confining
wild animals against their will. They argued the accommodation was too
restrictive, and it was
cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space.
Then the County Council, the Environment Agency and the Rivers
Authority ruled that I could
not build the Ark until they'd 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 BMEs
I'm supposed to hire for my building team.
The trades unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I have to hire only
CSCS accredited
workers with Ark-building experience.
To make matters worse, Customs and Excise 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."