Conflict over the SMV safety triangle, which has seen numerous Amish sent to jail in Kentucky, has ended. Governor Steve Beshear signed Senate Bill 75 into law yesterday. Â The new law allows reflective tape to be substituted for the Slow Moving Vehicle emblem. Â Amish reaction from the APÂ story (no longer online): Atlee Miller, an Amish farmer from Franklin, said he appreciates the help from the…
The Kentucky Amish SMV situation has seen quite a few developments this week. Â On Tuesday the KY House Transportation Committee passed Senate Bill 75 by a count of 25-1, sending it to the House for full consideration. Â This bill would allow reflective tape in lieu of the SMV triangle. Â If it passes the House, it returns to the Senate for final passage. Â The last hurdle…
Whenever I hear people complain about US infrastructure problems, I shake my head. I always say that when you consider its vast scope and quality, the US driving experience has to be the best in the world, bar none. Â We take it for granted how good it is. As an example, main roads in Krakow, the Polish city where I live part of my year,…
Kentucky Amish SMV problems continue. If you missed it, on Saturday, a Graves County teenage buggy driver was cited for failure to display the SMV triangle after his buggy was hit and dragged into a ditch. Five children were in the carriage, ages 7 to 15 (Amish children operate horse-drawn vehicles from a young age). Â Luckily they were unhurt. It should also be noted…
Thursday came and went, unsurprisingly, with no change in the stance of Amish in Graves County, KY over the SMV triangle. So another group of Amishmen were sent to jail yesterday (looks like 10 this time, though it’s a little unclear from reports), with sentences from 3 to 13 days. As with the Amishmen jailed last September, the men had refused to pay fines for failure to…
The big story last week was the imprisonment of 8 Kentucky Amishmen for not displaying the Slow Moving Vehicle triangle on their buggies. Back in June we covered this issue with a lot of discussion on the implications of the case. Â It’s an issue of freedom and safety, similar in a sense to controversies over raw milk or vaccines, and one that brings out strong…
Here’s a video of a singing taken in the Guthrie, Kentucky Amish community (thanks to Mike). From the video commentary, the occasion was a funeral visitation, for an Amish man hit while driving a tractor. Beautiful singing.
Well, after yesterday’s “ugly” post, I felt I had to do something to redeem myself. So I hope you enjoy these shots of an Amish settlement in Hardin County, Kentucky, taken last year on a beautiful summer day (note: this first photo is not an Amish place, but is from a nearby town; all the rest are Amish). …
Kentucky is an interesting state when it comes to Amish. Â No Amish really located there until the late 1950s. Â Today, it has the 8th-largest Amish population. Diverse Amish groups are found in Kentucky. Â On one end of the spectrum are highly conservative Swartzentruber Amish. Â On the other end are progressive New Order Amish. Â The settlement near Munfordville in Hart County is the largest in the…
Reader Brett shares some photos of Amish in Western Kentucky. Â Graves County is home to a pair of settlements, one of which is a Swartzentruber Amish community. Kentucky Amish settlements range from Swartzentruber to New Order communities. Â Amish have moved into the state in large numbers in recent decades. Â In fact, all present Kentucky Amish settlements (except one) have been founded over the past 40…