It's precisely because the Amish have those positive qualities that the reference is made. It's called sarcasm. How anybody could interpret that as sullying them is beyond me.
Calling Obama "Reaganesque" would also be a form of sarcasm but, personally, I would never use that term for one so evil. It might be a generational difference (I'm 70 -- and I don't know your age). Many of us born in the 40's were brought up with the notion of plain speaking -- say what you mean and mean what you say.
While sarcasm or irony is certainly not a lost art for we geezers, it's best applied and most effective in limited doses. The use of "Amish" applied to those engaging in savage acts of brutality has morphed from being sarcasm to a code word, in my estimation.
I may be wrong and you may be right on this matter but we've both aired our respective viewpoints in what I hope is a reasonable, adult manner. We may continue to disagree but I can certainly understand the point you're making and I really do appreciate your response in this thread.