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Vaccines, Flu, and a Neat Photo....
SIGH, I've deliberately steered clear of this topic (vaccinations) forever because I'm not a doctor or a scientist so I just don't feel I know enough to have a cogent conversation. The Amish are often paraded out as evidence of the link between childhood vaccines and autism. The argument goes that autism is allegedly more rare among the Amish who, as a group, supposedly don't vaccinate their children. This definitive statement that the Amish "don't vaccinate their children" just isn't true. That I can say with certainty. It is true that some don't, but I know first-hand plenty of Amish that do. If we've learned anything from all the stories posted on this website is that there are very few "absolutes" that apply to all Amish. Read here about the Amish and vaccines, I found this accurate based on my experience. The mounting pile of evidence points to no conclusive link between vaccines and autism. Again, though, I am not a scientist...which is why I have steered way clear of this topic. People have pointed to mercury in vaccines as being harmful and I don't like that...I also don't like petroleum being part of the plastic bottles I drink soda out of and aluminum being in the deoderant I use....so I think people who complain about chemicals everywhere are not nuts...I don't like it either...but scientifically speaking using the Amish as evidence for an autism link is tenuous.
Anyway, I'm talking about vaccines this morning because of a groundbreaking study conducted on Hutterite colonies about the impacts of flu-shots given to children. It appears that vaccinating the colony children protected the entire community from flu outbreaks. Click here and, really, the main reason for calling this topic to anyone's attention is the great photo with this that - in a single shot - shows the communal aspect of Hutterite life.
Mennonites on the Move...
This is a strange story, but also fascinating because it is an illustration of the many "splinter groups" that have developed on the edges of the Amish and Mennonite churches. While splinter groups do occur in every church they tend to happen less in churches where the structure is more centralized. The Amish and plain Mennonite churches are so decentralized that fragmentation and splits can form for the seemingly smallest issues. So for a fascinating window into another world, click here to read. And if you're in rural Kentucky, this church is headed your way!
SIGH, Hollywood Does It Again; Silliness in Upstate New York Continues.....
On March 28, the Lifetime channel will show a movie called "Amish Grace", a depiction of the tragedy at Nickel Mines, PA that saw a deranged gunman charge into a schoolhouse and start shooting. Of course, Hollywood then has to start shooting also, shooting a film. Hollywood's depiction of the Amish is always overromanticized, over-glamourized, or over-simplified. Too often rush-job producers sanitze and simplify what is actually a very rich and complex culture. The film is based on the book of the same name "Amish Grace", but the authors, all three are esteemed academics, declined to participate in the film's production. I can see why...based on early reviews, Hollywood has again failed to portray the Amish accurately. In fairness, I am only basing my opinion on reviews....I'll watch the actual movie and then decide, but it doesn't sound good. Take a look at this scathing editorial about the movie in the Harrisburg, PA Patriot-News.
In other news, Amish residents continue to be cited around Morristown, New York for building homes without proper permits. I'm just not sure why this tiny town is spending so much of its resources on this case. The courts have traditionally sided with the Amish on issues like this and it just seems as if they are attacking an ant with an Abrams tank.
Court Rules in Favor of Amish Farmer....
An Amish farmer in Wisconsin challenged the state's new livestock registration program in court and has come away victorious. The new program would tag all commercial livestock in the Badger State with a numerical code so that disease outbreaks could quickly be traced and tamped down. But the Amish farmer saw it differently. The farmer invoked his religious rights claiming that this amounted to too much government intrusion and that the numbers could represent the "mark of the beast." Courts have traditionally helped sort out the murky middle where government needs and religious reason overlap. And in this case the judge was persuaded that the farmer's religious convictions truly would make this ID system untenable. So, in this instance, I think the Court did exactly what they are intended to do which is to umpire a dispute. Click here to read more about the outcome of the case.
Story...<Shrug>
Okay, I'm not saying this is a bad story....it's just...a story, kind of blah. You know me, I always sort of have to "pick on" newspaper journalism. This is a story that ran in today's Evansville Courier in Indiana. There's nothing really wrong with the story, but I found myself trying to figure out what it's point was: okay, so the Amish run busineses and some are feeling the pinch from the recession and some aren't...okay....and???? I don't know, maybe I'm looking for too much...sometimes a feature story is just that a feature story. But if that's all it was it seems like the reporter could have dug a lot deeper and really added some more texture and nuance. SIGH.... Sooo, it's an okay little read that gives some insight into SW Indiana's Amish country.
SIGH: Hutterite Impasse.....
I am "sighing" because it just seems like there are a slew of cases lately of "plain people" religious rules butting up against the government. And in all of these cases whether they be steel wheels on Mennonite farm equipment in Iowa, livestock tagging in Wisconsin, improper sewage disposal at an Amish school in Pennsylvania, or building code cases in Upstate New York, nothing - after months of mediation, hearings, etc - seems even remotely close to being solved. Democracy is sometimes messy and the push-pull of opposing sides sometimes leads to creative compromises. Other times these things just wind their way through the courts and someday come to a resolution. For instance the 1950s and 60s were full of cases where local governments came down hard on Amish parents who were pulling their children out of public schools during the 9th grade. The constant litigation eventually wound its way to the US Supreme Court in the landmark case, Yoder. vs. Wisconsin. The courts sided with the Amish and that was that. The courts seem to have traditionally been kind to the Amish. One of the attorneys who paved the way for an Amish court victory excluding Old Orders from having to wear "yellow hard hats" at construction sites is a fan and regular reader of the column. Hopefully things will get settled in these cases. It just seems like an awful exhaustion of money, resources, courts, etc on issues where simple compromising might yield results. Today's "impasse in the news" concerns Canadian Hutterites and drivers license photos. Members of a couple of Hutterite colonies are now vowing to defy the law and drive without a photo ID. It'll be interesting to see where their civil disobedience gets them.
More Media Silliness.....
I was intrigued by several news outlets in the Evansville, Indiana and western Kentucky area announcing a "hit and run accident" by a horse-drawn buggy. Well, it was initially reported as that, but very quickly, once everything was sorted out, it turned that the incident was not a "hit and run" at all. But that hasn't stopped KFVS television out of Cape Girardeau, Missouri - and others - from running the headline on their website all day "KY state truck damaged in hit and run by Amish horse and buggy." I admit, it would be a novel story IF it were true. Read what actually happened in this article out of the Evansville Courier and Press. I'm just hyper-sensitive to media obsession with the Amish. If it had been a car that dinged a state vehicle and drove off it would have never made the news. But it does with the Amish and I actually do, in this case, understand why...I mean, we'd all be snickering a little if a buggy actually did a hit and run. And I think it has happened before. But in this case it didn't happen and yet some news-oulets still couldn't help themselves by running the irresistable - but inaccurate - headline. SIGH.
Ugh...This Is Just Wrong.......
We've been following the story about Old Order Mennonites in Mitchell County, Iowa who are now being ticketed for using steel wheels on pavement. Disclaimer: I have not been to Mitchell County, I have not seen the roads, etc...but, in my opinion, I think this is all quite absurd. I just find it very hard to believe that A) a compromise couldn't be reached as one was in neighboring Howard County and B) that there really are all that many miles of roads that the Mennonite-owned farm equipment travel on. I bet we're talking about a dozen miles, if that.
Mitchell County Supervisor Stan Walk was quoted in the Waterloo Courier this morning as saying:
"As far as I'm concerned, it's settled. The ordinance is in place. The Mennonites can modernize," he said.
"We're just trying to help them out of their tradition," Walk added later.
Huh??? "HELP" them out of their tradition???? That is just an outrageously WRONG thing to say. Who the $##$#@ does this guy think he is that he has to "help" any group out of their traditions????? You can read the whole article here. The article is very thorough and there's a lot of good information in it. I've tried to be very respectful of Amish and Mennonite beliefs through the years even if I don't always agree with them. This country is richer for their presence and the presence of all sorts of cultural groups from Louisiana Cajuns to Native Americans to Gullahs on the Sea Islands of the East Coast. Walk's comments just strike me as so arrogant. Can you imagine if those comments were made today about Native Americans or African Americans or basically any other group? There would be uproar. I hope there is over his comments about the Mennonites. As usual, someone can put me in my place if you think I'm overreacting.
Colorado Mennonites
I might be wrong about this, but 20 years ago I don't think Colorado had any "plain presence." The past decade, though, the state seems to have an increasing population of Amish and Mennonites. Depending on where in the state, land can be relatively inexpensive and there is room to pursue various economic pursuits without bumping up against too many worldly ways. The Daily Press in Craig, Colorado did a superb article this morning about a visit with a conservative Mennonite family. I like the reporter's approach of just sort of focusing in on this one family and the interactions in the household. So many of these articles (and I'm not necessarily saying the reporters are deliberately doing this) are just so "us vs. them." This article, though, really takes the reader into the area's tiny Mennonite community and reminded me of all the things I found appealing about Amish and Mennonites in the first place. Plus a neat photo with the article! Click here to read the story.
A Really Good Article! This is About Amish birthing......
The Lincoln, Nebraska newspaper today ran an article about the debate within the state's growing Amish community about the use of midwives vs. hospitals when giving birth. First of all, this is a great article because of its insight into the tiny Amish presence in the state of Nebraska. There are not many Amish in the state, but their settlements have been growing and I think they will continue to grow. Land is plentiful, fertile, and relatively inexpensive in Nebraska. So that may be a state poised for an "Amish explosion" in the years ahead. But this article also does just a great job of the exploring the variety of opinions found among the Amish on the topic of home-birth vs. hospital. My experience is that most seem to prefer home-birth. Some Amish settlements have "hybrid" options, like a "birthing center" that combines some of the ambiance of home with ready access to medical care if something goes wrong. The reporter in this article did a great job of conveying the conversations. This seems like a fairly conservative Amish settlement. Click here to read the full article.
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