Kentucky Amishmen Avoid Jail, Get $20 Fine
Monday February 25, 2008
A while ago I blogged about the case of three Amish men in Kentucky who claimed that the state's laws ordering them to display orange triangles and flashing lights on their horse-drawn buggies violated their religious beliefs. You may recall that the men could have ended up in jail for non-compliance. On Wednesday, Judge Deborah Crooks fined each of the men $20 plus court costs.
Members of some sects of the Amish community say that the symbols conflicted with religious guidelines prohibiting possessions that are "too worldly".
Members of some sects of the Amish community say that the symbols conflicted with religious guidelines prohibiting possessions that are "too worldly".
A video recorder is a possession, a car is a possession, warning lights are NOT. When these people end up maimed and injured because some idiot was driving too fast and didn`t see them, then they will understand.
This has happened In PA too – where I’m from. Some of the Amish gave in & added the triangles, some did not. We’ve almost hit the ones w/o the triangles many times. Beleive me i’m all for freedom of religious expression (a Wiccan in a tiny Roman Catholic PA mining town – are you kidding?!, but i don’t think this is really a conflict with Amish religious practices. The Amish we deal with are not to “plain” to make use of our roads & also of our local hospital when a family’s buggy was hit & children were hurt & killed. I’m nnot asking them to stay off the road but I would rather see them than hit them …
I have been a longtime admirer of the Amish for many years and i have to agree with gerij. I would rather see then than hit them, and if they are going to use the “Englisher” roads, then they need to have the triangles. In fact, many times in the media/ or tv movies,or shows when there is an Amish buggy, there is the triangle. I thought it was standard to have them, if not common sense. Shows how little I know, lol.
Hey Gerji!! Excellent way to put things in perspective! I have a wonderful friend who is Amish (Indiana) and she and her hubbie have a beautiful baby boy so it hurts my heart to think of them meeting a car, truck, tractor, or, even worse, a SEMI the wrong way just because they didn’t have a battery operated orange triangle on their buggy! I know some Ordnungs are very strict while others (like the Amish here) are much more progressive–most of the buggies around here are also equipped with turn signals! In fact, I shot a photo of an Amish buggy towing a fishing boat (WITH a small outboard engine!)!! (If it matters, the boat was just a “plain” old aluminum boat….LOL!) And, Tina–Sadly, it seems that “common sense” is no longer COMMON at all!!
Peace to all and Blessed be–
It is only for there own protection and I agree with the law.. In reality, at night, how are we going to see them? If there aren’t any lights or reflectors shining 9 chances out of 10 someone is going to end up hurt or worse, killed……..For example, as I was driving to my brothers last saturday night,and I approached some amish in a blind curve driving at a normal rate of speed of 35, when all of a sudden here I was faced with hitting another car head on or the horse and buggy or the ditch line. Which do I choose, the ditch! My car wasn’t hurt, nor was I but I was outraged because of the fact, the Amish didn’t even stop to see if I was alright nor did they have any reflector, that I could have spotted before we appraoched the curve..