"Amish face legal action for building homes without permits" by Todd Richmond, Associated Press | December 14, 2008
TOWN OF FRANKLIN, Wis. - .... The legal actions brought against Amish residents in Wisconsin and New York in the past year and a half for building without proper permits have sparked local debates about where religion ends and government begins.
At Judaism, right? Notice how they are never hassled about their separateness, unlike just about any other religion you can name?
Amish advocates - the Amish religion precludes them from defending themselves physically or legally - argue that the Amish belief that they must live apart from the world trumps local regulations.
Yeah, but that argument and excuse is only okay for Jews. I think Agriprocessors and the food, folks!
Local authorities say the Amish must obey the law...
Too bad they aren't Jewish.
The Amish emigrated from central Europe to Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. Also known as the "Plain People," the Amish believe they must live a simple, nonviolent life. Many reject electricity, indoor plumbing, and cars...
And I AM ALL FOR THAT!!!! How about LEAVING THEM ALONE!!!?
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The Amish population has nearly doubled in the United States over the past 15 years, growing to 227,000 this year, according to estimates from Elizabethtown College's Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. As the Amish look for new farmland, conservative congregations have migrated into states that haven't seen them before, said Karen Johnson-Weiner, an Amish specialist at the State University of New York at Potsdam.
How come Zionist Jews are never met with such concerns?
See: How to Destroy a U.S. Town
That sets up conflict between building officials with little experience dealing with their beliefs and conservative Amish who aren't familiar with the codes or don't want to compromise, Johnson-Weiner said....
Attorneys acting on behalf of the Amish argue they have a constitutional right to religious freedom. They don't have to conform to building regulations that require them to use architectural drawings, smoke detectors, quality-graded lumber, and inspections, Steve Ballan, an assistant public defender assigned to the Amish in Morristown wrote in court documents.
"They should be allowed to practice their religion and their religious traditions without interference from the government," he said in an interview. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which has taken up the Amish's cause in Hammond, plans to file a federal lawsuit in New York in the next few weeks arguing that.
The Amish advocates have a strong argument, said Douglas Laycock, University of Michigan law professor. The government must show a strong reason why regulations outweigh religious freedoms, he said. Building officials argue that permits and codes ensure structural safety, but Amish homes aren't falling down, he said. "People aren't getting hurt."
Yeah, if houses were collapsing on people, then maybe the state should say something. Otherwise, LEAVE THEM ALONE!
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Besides, I think they would know how to build after all these years. They aren't cutting corners like corporations.
