Posted on 06/12/2008 7:20:35 PM PDT by DelaWhere
In a clash of conservative traditions and society’s modern laws, two Amish men may spend 90 days in prison for refusing to pay fines over the use of an outhouse.
District Judge Michael Zungali on Thursday ordered Sam Yoder and Andy Swartzentruber to serve 90 days in the Cambria County Prison beginning July 21. The men had refused to pay $1,000 fines each for violating state sewage-disposal laws at the sect’s Barr Township school.
(Excerpt) Read more at tribune-democrat.com ...
Denise Smith (Wife of Friend who is helping) - If you can offer suggestions or help, email her here.
Man, I’m glad I didn’t get busted for that during my childhood and teen years! From the Little House to the Big House!
I guess it depends on if it’s *YOUR* well that the Amish are shitting in...
Most likely there own, if anyones...the Amish run their own schools and have done so healthfully for generations.
As I understand it, the state rules require a sewer for all schools, regardless. Its JBT time again...
Convicting the Amish for dumping buckets of poo on their fields? How GREEN can you get? LOL!
I don’t see how an outhouse is any less sanitary than a septic tank.
I believe an outhouse was required to be 50 feet from a well when they were in the thousands. Compared to the stuff going down toilets in cities, the
amish are probably better greens that toilets.
ping
A CONSERVTIVE website supporting McCain? Get real!
Actually, a well designed outhouse is much kinder to the environment than a flush toilet (no water consumption, no waste water problem) and if properly built, does not smell.
We teach these VIP (Ventilated Improved Privy) latrines for use in villages in the developing world.
Of course, the Gestapo that is most local health departments cannot allow deviation from the prescribed order.
In the absence of any immediate danger, it seems to me a pretty clear violation of The Free Exercise of Religion Act:
SEC. 3. FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION PROTECTED.
(a) In General: Government shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except as provided in subsection (b).
(b) Exception: Government may substantially burden a person's exercise of religion only if it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person--
(1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and
(2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.
IMHO, this fails both tests, since (1) there is no proven danger, and (2) it's not all clear if less restrictive measures were ever cosidered.
I would guess just about any Federal Court would issue a stay and remand to the local court to determine (1).
I'll bet you won't be able to support that assertion.
Jut wait til Barry gets elected. This will be the least of their worries I’m afraid. They can forget selling the raw milk products much longer too. I think these men are from the more conservative Swartzentruber Amish (and one of them is named Swartzentruber) because most Old Orders nowadays (other than the Swartzentrubers) use modern indoor bathrooms; at least the ones I know in Lancaster County, PA and in Indiana do.
another thought. It has only been the last couple of years that honeywagon (septic pumper truck) have had to dump the pumping in a facility. Before that, it was spread on a farmers field, and the sun did the rest. Now it is 8 cents a gallon.
Let me guess, the local 'honeywagon association' made some campaign contributions recently?
I once lived in a very rural part of upstate NY that adopted a set of zoning ordinances (substantially unchanged) from the suburbs of California. All at once, you needed a dozen permits and to pass a hundred hurdles to do anything on your own property.
NRD has been upheld, regardless of who owns land, so I don’t think your analysis is complete.
How absurd. Their religion is based on age old practices which are very environmentally and economically sound and while not appropriate for a regular public school, it is perfectly acceptable for their tiny single room schools.
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