“The flag is fine, but we’re the only nation that worships the flag. It’s very heathen. The kingdom we live in, we pledge our allegiance to God, not the flag.” That’s a quote from an Amishman in the PBS film “The Amish”. This struck me as I’ve never really thought about it in those terms. [...]
Continue reading Pledging allegiance to the flag – or God?
You often hear how Amish are highly law-abiding–that is, except when it’s come to the “important issues” of conscience, like military participation, schooling, etc. I’m not so sure though. Warning: I’m going to generalize a bit in this post. That said, I also detect a fairly defiant approach to government on the part of some [...]
Continue reading Do Amish respect the law?
News from yet another Kentucky Amish SMV case: defendants will have a PA Dutch interpreter following difficulties understanding court proceedings. In this latest case (the third this year in KY, in Logan County), four Amish, including one woman, have been cited for not displaying the orange triangle. Even though Amish speak English from a young [...]
Continue reading Interpreting for Amish in court
Three high-profile cases involving Amish are happening right now. When Amish are involved in legal disputes, religious arguments tend to come up. But is it always valid to invoke religion? To take one example, Sam Mullett, leader of the Bergholz beard-cutting group, claimed authorities shouldn’t be involved in what was a religious issue. Shocking claims [...]
Continue reading Amish, and religion, in court
Here on the blog and on the Amish America Facebook page, some of you have been bringing up the court decision in Kentucky on Slow-Moving-Vehicle (SMV) triangles. The SMV triangle has become iconic of the Amish and the vast majority of them willingly display them on their carriages. However, some of the “lower” groups (in [...]
Continue reading The end of “low” Amish in Kentucky?
The FDA has taken legal action to stop Amish farmer Dan Allgyer from shipping raw milk across state lines, according to this article. This case against Allgyer has been going on for quite some time. Allgyer’s Lancaster farm was visited/inspected/raided by federal agents a year ago. Allgyer has been selling his milk in Maryland and DC, [...]
Continue reading Amish raw milk sting
Another photo today, of an inspirational wall decoration from an outhouse at an Amish school (thanks again to Karen Johnson-Weiner). If there is any place that could use a little livening up, I guess it is the outhouse. And why not include an uplifting message? Actually I guess this is more of a lesson in [...]
Continue reading Inside an Amish…Outhouse
Do the Amish vote? And if so, what party are they more likely to support? With a week to go before the 2010 mid-term elections, this question may have crossed minds, especially in tighter congressional races in places with an Amish population. During the last two presidential elecations, a number of media stories were done [...]
Continue reading The Amish vote
A few links I thought you might enjoy below: An Amish reading list from someone who would know! A view on politics and the Amish in one community, by someone else who would know. “Amish doctors”, home birth, genetic issues. An insightful overview of Amish society and health care , written for health care providers [...]
Continue reading Links you might like
