Posted on 06/06/2002 1:29:17 PM PDT by NYer
EBENSBURG, Pa. (AP) _ A judge ruled an ultraconservative Amish congregation must use orange-and-red reflective triangles on their buggies, symbols the group says violate their beliefs against gaudy decorations and against placing their faith in man-made symbols before God.
Donna Doblick, the Pittsburgh attorney representing the Swartzentruber Amish for free, said she'll appeal the ruling to Pennsylvania Superior Court. That means the $95 fines assessed to 20 sect members for failing to use the slow-moving vehicle symbols will be held in abeyance until the appeal is heard.
Also, the Swartz'ntruber, who said they'll leave Pennsylvania if they lose the case, will likely remain near Nicktown, about 65 miles east of Pittsburgh, while the appeal is heard, Doblick said. Instead of the triangles, the Swartzentruber prefer to use a gray reflective tape and a lantern on the rear of their buggies. The gray tape is legal in nine states for use on slow moving vehicles, including Ohio, where the sect lived until two years ago.
But Cambria County Judge Timothy Creany ruled that the state can abridge the Swartzentruber's religious beliefs because it has a ``compelling interest'' _ namely, keeping the Amish and other vehicles safe on public roads. Creany relied on testimony given last month by state transportation experts, who said the triangles are more visible than the tape during thE dqy _ when statistics show about 61 percent of all vehicle-buggy accidents occur.
Doblick said those statistics don't prove anything, however, because they don't show how the accidents occurred or who was at fault. ``There's no evidence any of those crashes were from the rear (where the reflective symbols are mounted on buggies), or a lack of visibility,'' Doblick said. ``There's no evidence that any of those crashes could have been prevented by bathing the vehicle in color.''
The Cambria County District Attorney's Office didn't immediately return calls for comment on the decision.
AP-ES-06-06-02 1606EDT
If they don't want to have the triangles, then don't drive on public roads.
You know, I've been wondering when someone was going to pay attention to this national buggy crisis. Everyone knows it has reached a critical mass and had to be dealt with. But what I really want to know is - were the cops who pulled these folks over to ticket them profiling? Is this really just a problem of driving while Amish?
Well, not really, but there should be.
If we do not stop them now we will see triangle-less buggies here in Metro Atlanta. Stop wasting our precious resources on fanatical muslims.....this must be stopped!
You mean there's more than one?
I can't remember if my grandparents' Amish neighbors would ask to borrow the car or just get a ride in the car. I wonder how common that is.
For most things, I'd say to leave them alone.
However, if they want to run their buggies on the public roads, they are subject to the same laws as the rest of us.
There aren't a lot of street lights in the PA countryside, the buggies are black and the horses dark brown.
In the heavily Amish areas, there are almost no lights (no electric, no indoor plumbing, etc.)... which makes it really dark on the country roads -- which is what most of PA is.
If this is a religious issue to them, they should follow their convictions to the logical conclusion and stay off the public roads.... which were made by machines and have reflectors.
The Amish Rakefighting Championship
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