Governments in Wisconsin, Amish clash over religious freedom

Journal Sentinel ^ | July 13, 2008 | MEG JONES

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this Upper Midwest/outdoors/rural list please FR mail me. And ping me is you see articles of interest.

Amish fear that if they register their farms, it could lead to the state requiring them to register their animals individually. They say that would be akin to “the number of the beast” in the Book of Revelation.

Well, yes, that's precisely why you need to get that sill number, so animals can be registered individually.

Including fish.

Some of these things, like building permits, they may have to adapt to. Others, like blaze orange on their own land, where they apparently are willing to accept the risk of being shot by a tresspasser, isn't anyones business.

Somehow the government of a PROGRESSIVE state like Wisconsin should be able to find a way to leave the Amish alone.

[realdifferent1]

The Amish are peaceful folk and should not be bothered by such crap.

That said, if they get shot, well...

[SampleMan]

I'd love to talk to an Amish about the deer vest thing. It appears to me that the prohibition on bright colors is actually a prohibition on flashy clothing intended to showcase the individual in an egotistical fashion. Utilitarian safety equipment hardly does that.

As God created the colors, I doubt he finds blaze orange abhorrent (except in hair die).

[SampleMan]

I forgot to mention their biggest mistake. They failed to claim exclusion to the rules by virtue of being Muslim. Had they done that, the state would have apologized, paid them a settlement, and then began mandated days of all black clothing in public schools.

[ParityErr]

They could take up archery which doesn’t require orange clothing. Problem solved.

[50cal Smokepole]

Somehow the government of a PROGRESSIVE state like Wisconsin....

Progessive = Marxism
Trust me. I live here.
There will be sea change soon, maybe not this election, but before my young grandsons reach voting age.

[xcamel]

Please refer to the number of non-orange wearing Amish hunters in the 7 other major state populations... exactly **zero** in the last 5 years.

[Iowa Granny]

Thanks for the ping

[SJackson]

The Amish are peaceful folk and should not be bothered by such crap. That said, if they get shot, well...

On their own property, only, I agree, but not just for Amish.

I understand the states interest in the deer, which are the property of the people of the State of Wisconsin, but what you wear on your own property seems a bit of a stretch.

[Tamar1973]

Darwin Zwieg has been district attorney for almost three decades in Clark County, which has a large Amish population. This was the first case he could recall involving Amish deer hunters claiming that wearing blaze orange was against their religious beliefs.

Considering the fact that most Amish do put those bright orange triangles on the back of their horse drawn carriages, I think their invokation of the First Ammendment doesn't pass the smell test.

[American_Centurion]

The guv knows best! Why not let them hunt how they please ON THEIR OWN LAND!

“But a prosecutor pointed to statistics showing that a majority of firearm accidents during Wisconsin’s gun-deer season involved hunters in the same hunting party and most happened on private land.” >>> I’ll bet money that the idiot judge didn’t even bother to note how many of those happened REGARDLESS OF THE ORANGE REQUIREMENT.

[RFEngineer]

Amish don’t pay Social Security Tax. To me, that makes them more advanced than the rest of us.

I think that’s why government doesn’t like them.

[sionnsar]

“The orange clothing requirement is not an unconstitutional burden on defendants’ exercise of their religion,” Counsell wrote in his June 24 decision. He also noted that “nothing in the defendants’ religion compels them to hunt deer and hunting deer is not central to the Amish way of life.”

Nice. One more step down the road to total control.

[buccaneer81]

As God created the colors, I doubt he finds blaze orange abhorrent

And 1970's home decor (remember the counter tops in the Brady Bunch? And orange shag carpet?)

[Aglooka]

If these things happened to muzzies you can bet the left would be outraged.

[Pontiac]

The pending cases involve Amish who claim it’s a violation of their religious faith to get a building permit, said Paul Millis, the attorney for the towns of Franklin and Albion.

“By having to comply with the uniform dwelling code their argument is they would have to change their ways so they’re in conformity with the rest of society and that violates their religious faith,” Millis said.

Once someone proves they have a sincerely held religious belief and is burdened by a state law, the burden shifts to the state to prove that the law is based on a compelling state interest that cannot be served by a lesser alternative.

I don’t see any compelling state interest in Amish homes being built to code. Anyone who buys an Amish home should know that it is not wired for electricity but is otherwise well built.

[chadwimc]

My limited experience with the Ohio Amish during hunting season makes me wary of the whole bunch. It seems bag limits and trespass regulations only apply to the rest of us. It's nothing to see 15-20 Amish guys driving a small parcel of land, killing every deer they kick up. Then it's into a van driven by a hired driver and off to the next parcel of land. But don't get near their property line. No siree, Bob...

[Ellendra]

“But since only half of those farms had registered with the state, it took inspectors two days to drive up every road in the outbreak area and alert farmers, something that had could have done much quicker by phone if they all had been registered under the state law,”

How do you call someone with no phone?

[spanalot]

Dont be dissin my buggie homies..,

they gonna get mideavil on yo hiney.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5ecEF0nNNoM