Amish in the News: Ice Cutting, Smoke Alarm Hide N Seek, and Other Stuff!

Here's our run-down of some of the Amish/Plain stories making news the past week!

ICE CUTTING:  Farm and Dairy has a wonderful essay and photo selection of an "ice cutting" taking place on a farm near Mount Vernon, Ohio.  This is in Knox County, Ohio which is home to a patchwork of Plain people from very conservative Amish to much more progressive New Orders.  Not sure what Plain sect this farm belongs to but I'd say this is a pretty conservative group based on the clothing and the fact that they are doing ice cutting at all. Many of the New Orders (and some more progressive Old Orders) have gas-powered freezers in their homes.   I have never actually been to an ice-cutting. They aren't terribly common.  I once saw one from a distance in a Canadian Amish settlement in the dead of winter.  In retrospect, I wish I had ventured closer. And, sheesh, I know this is hard work and they are probably working up a sweat, but love the picture of the one older guy working without even a coat!  Click here for the article and photos!

SMOKE DETECTORS:  In order to be in compliance with the law, some Amish in rural Wisconsin are installing smoke detectors in their new homes.  They pass muster with the inspector and then when the building inspector leaves, the Amish remove them.  Sounds kind of childish, but I guess the Amish are doing what they believe they must.  Bottom line:  and it's like this with seat belts, vaccines, smoking, motorcycle helmets, smoke detectors....do we need the government to step in and protect us? (it often gets murkier because children are involved, so the thinking of an activist government is:  okay, the parents won't  protect the children, we will).  That's the argument.  And it's too early in the morning for me to decide which is right. I can see both sides.  But.....I don't know.....something to be said for free will...click here to read more.

HORSE POOP:  And, on the same vein,  some Amish in Kentucky have been cited and hauled into court for not cleaning up after their horses.  SIGH. Okay, granted, this is a little different than smoke detectors, this is a "community pleasantness" issue...but, really?  The stuff dissolves after a good rain, right?  How much money is being spent, I wonder, to prosecute these cases? Click here to read more.

HUTTERITE TRAGEDY:  Two young Hutterite boys fell through the ice on a Montana colony this past week.  The whole colony is now in mourning.  Sound like two fine young boys. Click here to read the latest.  One, boy, thankfully did survive and he is in stable condition.