| Noah in 2006
In the year 2006, 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 two 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 couldn't 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."
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