How Amish interact with government on issues including schooling, raw milk, politics, military service, and others.
Every four years inquisitive reporters try to discern what the Amish are planning to do in the upcoming presidential election. I think this is partly due to natural curiosity–what do a “people apart” think about a civic activity such as voting? But mainly I believe people are interested because the largest Amish populations are found in Ohio and Pennsylvania, two swing states heavily contested in…
You have probably heard by now that the Bergholz beard-cutters were convicted in the federal hate crimes trial last week. They will have to wait four months for sentencing, however, until January 24 (appeal remains a possibility as well). Now attention has shifted to whether some of the convicts should remain free or be imprisoned leading up to sentencing. According to the lead of this…
“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. I know that people do object to the pledge on…
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) 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. 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 about Ohio Bergholz group To follow up on this story,…
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 particular the Swartzentruber Amish and a few others) refuse to…
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, violating rules against interstate sales. His customers are said to be…
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 humble sharing: Outhouses have been in the news lately. USA…
Most Amish and some Mennonite farmers use steel wheels on their tractors, an aspect of church rules that encourages slower and less driving. It’s hard to get a fast (or at least a comfortable) ride when you feel every pebble in the road thanks to the unforgiving metal. Thus steel wheels deter unnecessary trips (in contrast, in a few Amish communities, rubber-tired tractors have meant…