Going on Back Home...and Elsewhere

Amish on Amish Violence Goes to Federal Court

For probably all of three people who were wondering whatever came of this bizarre story from last fall...including me.

For various reasons, the Amish believe their religion exempts them from many things that affect public safety as well, including using reflective orange triangles on their buggies so the buggies are more visible to drivers.  The entirely black buggies containing occupants wearing dark, mostly black clothing (even in summer) and pulled by dark colored (brown or black) horses are nearly impossible to see in any kind of setting that is not ideal.  Rain, snow, fog, or any kind of darkness makes them nearly impossible to see.  Any driver that makes a mistake and hits a buggy is instantly at fault...but, shouldn't the Amish be somewhat at fault for fighting all the laws that are meant to keep them safer? 

Amish Fight Buggy Laws

As someone who lived among many thousands of Amish for thirty years, I think even the orange triangle is outdated and, that at night, some sort of light source visible by vehicles traveling 55 mph  should also be mandated.  I often had to slam on my brakes and pray that I stopped once I realized that weird "alien spaceship" in the road was closer than I thought since the swinging kerosene lanterns the Amish use (if any light at all) render the judgement of distance an impossibility.  Kerosene lanterns are NOT bright enough to be seen by a car traveling a lawful speed from any distance. They just aren't.  Sorry.  Shove some LEDs on there, or....anything...would be better, even duct taping some Mag Lights to the buggy would be better.

 I no longer live amongst the Amish, but prefer them to ghetto trash.  I say we fill the empty, burnt out dregs of Detroit with Amish and see if they don't improve the mix. I bet they would.  Amish pay property tax, they fix their property, they farm the land, the grow their own food, they do all kinds of things that benefit the community. I'm not trying to run them down.  For their own safety, they just need to modernize a bit on points of public safety. 

There are lots of things about them I didn't like. I didn't like their shady care of animals. I don't like their treatment and attitude towards women. That said, not all Amish are shady toward their animals, and I doubt all of them expect their women to be baby factories, its just the majority of the low order Amish that do.  Lots of other people in the world are the same way....including some rednecks. 

I'd sure prefer some reasonably quiet Amish neighbors to the guy who likes to rev his Harley Davidson nightly for no reason and people who think its their right to break into empty houses to steal copper.