Rita asks: I’ve seen the comments about teens, during Rumspringa, driving cars. How do they get a permit, practice time, license and money to buy a car without the parent’s assistance? We’ve discussed Amish youth getting their first buggies, but what about cars?  First off, some Amish youth do in fact drive, and some Amish parents have no choice but to concede car driving to…
A controversy has erupted in a small New York Amish community (near Marathon in Cortland County, 1 hr S. of Syracuse) over busing of Amish schoolchildren. New York state law requires busing to be provided to private school students as well as those attending public schools. This would include the local Amish community. The issue has to do with Amish kids mixing with non-Amish children….
There has been a lot of speculation over the Holmes County Amish shooting. Â Many have wondered about the lack of a bullet hole in the buggy, and the distance from which the gun was fired. Over the weekend, reader Mary (not to be confused with Michigan Mary, who has also added details) shared some insights into the tragedy. Mary is a cousin of Rachel Yoder’s…
Amish found guilty of abuse Two Amish horse owners have been fined $300 each for leaving their beasts in the heat at a Lancaster Costco. You hear a lot of stories of Amish treating horses poorly. Â These cases bring out strong reactions to the Amish as a whole (if you can stomach pure bigotry, check the Facebook comments on this story). That noted I think…
It sounds like a parody, but it isn’t. Â An Ohio Amish man was arrested Monday for shaving off the manes and tail hair of an Amish neighbor’s horses. Apparently there was bad blood between them (the two men, not the man and the horses). Â He also left a threatening message on the other party’s answering machine. Inspired by the Bergholz group? Â I don’t think horses…
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 Amish. This can go beyond simple grumbling about regulations and…
News from yet another Kentucky Amish SMV case: defendants will have a PA Dutch interpreter (story no longer online)Â 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 age, and many very capably, we might…
Three high-profile cases involving Amish are happening right now. Â When Amish are involved in legal disputes, religious arguments tend to come up. Â 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 about Ohio Bergholz group To follow up on this story,…
How much do Amish interact with the public? Â It’s a broad question, without a straightforward answer. Â Two recent stories show Amish crossing boundaries of sorts. Law Enforcement On the whole, Amish are less likely than your average American to call the police. Â They have been criticized for this reluctance, particularly when criminal matters are involved. Â Amish have cooperated with the law in the recent…
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…