Amish Man Not Allowed to Return to U.S.

[peterh]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3827211,00.html

PITTSBURGH (AP) - An Amish man who visited his ailing father in Canada has not been allowed to return because of border security aimed at thwarting terrorists. The man, adhering to the Bible's prohibition of graven images, has no photo identification.

According to officials in Licking Township, a municipality of 475 people midway between Pittsburgh and the New York border, U.S. officials told the man photo waivers once granted the Amish have been cut off due to security concerns.

Canadian border guards allowed the man into the country to visit his father in Ontario just before Christmas; the United States has prevented his return. The man's wife and child remain in the United States.

The border policy was altered when the Department of Homeland Security absorbed the Immigration and Naturalization Service, said attorney Mark Knapp of the international law firm Reed Smith, which took on the case Friday.

``We have a conflict between First Amendment rights and national security interests,'' Knapp said.

[KDLarsen]

1. What conflict?

.. There's the first amendment - and the rest is irrelevant.

I wonder how he got there in the first place, though. Did he walk, or did he ride on a horse all the way to Canada?

[Jacobin]

15. Border crossings from U.S. to Canada are quite friendly

It's coming back into BushLand that's a bitch.

I did it last summer and was greeted with a smile and a wave on my way into B.C.

On the way back, the fucking nazi U.S. customs guy grilled me and demanded I.D. for my 14 and 12 year old boys that had pictures. We only had birth certificates, since they obviously do not yet drive.

It was like a fricking international incident. My country has gone stark fucking raving mad.

[yardwork]

16. This thread keeps getting better....

.... and I've been thinking that harrassing Americans trying to get back into the U.S. from Canada might involve this sort of neocon logic:

Americans went to Canada to avoid the Vietnam draft.
Therefore any American who visits Canada must be a communist.
Therefore we should stop them at the border using any means possible.

[Jacobin]

19. It's too dangerous for the neo-cons to have a highly successful

socially liberal neighbor to the north, with healthcare for all, etc.

Makes Inanity and Limpballs look bad.

[Sugarbleus]

21. Hmmm, interesting indeed, especially since

I was talking to another young man about immigration OUT of the US. I found that to move permanently, the rules on doing so are very rigid. So now, I guess, I can tell this guy to just go for a wee little visit; lose your ID and voile' no re entry back here.......home free.
Is that about right? Yeeehaww

[Lorien]

17. Probably came by bus

or other public transport. Nothing prevents them from riding in a vehicle owned by someone else.

[MikeG]

2. I hope his lawyers aren't using computers.

Shouldn't they have to use parchment and quill pens?

[Wapsie B]

22. I'm sure his lawyers

have modern offices. They have no problem dealing with the white man's institutions like banks and law firms.

[Isome]

25. White man's institutions...

Their beliefs have nothing to do with color, besides which, the Amish are white.

Oh' wait, you were making a funny.

[leesa]

3. Our country is just the laughing stock of the world!

Americans are such friggin' cowards, it's no wonder they fell for this terrorism crap.

[gauguin57]

4. Don't eff with our Amish!

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/nation/8006722.htm

50+ Congress members protest UPN's Amish reality-TV series

Associated Press

HARRISBURG - More than 50 members of Congress have asked the corporate overseers of UPN to abandon plans for a reality-format television series featuring Amish teenagers, saying that the depiction of the teens testing their faith in their first big-city experience could harm the sect's culture.

"The mentality reminds me of the old side shows in the circus," Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa., said in a telephone interview yesterday. "And it is wrong to do this to a minority group like the Amish."

[Kolesar]

5. I would like to register the 14000 Amish in my county

Actually, I could not register the children, but I wonder if the Amish would consider waiving their taboo against voting against the greater horror of warmonger Bush getting elected in November.

Bush won Ohio by a mere 165,000 votes in 2000. This is definitely a swing state.

[yardwork]

6. The Amish don't own guns or participate in war either......

so it's hard to imagine what security threat an Amish man could be to the U.S.

[kayell]

8. Are you kidding?! The Amish are totally uninvolved in the proud American

consumer culture. Why if this were to catch on, it could DESTROY the economy....oh wait, never mind.

[Nevernose]

10. Not entirely an accurate statement

They are often misunderstood (much like Deadheads). They have nothing against capitalism, and sell their products like mad to the tourists who flock to them. Personally, I think it's a great thing, as it gives their once struggling communities a new source of financial independence. SO, while they do not actually BUY a lot of consumer crap, they certainly sell a lot of it, thus contributing to other people's rampant conumerism.

Me? I'm gonna go drink another brand-name beer that I bought at Wal-Mart, watch a blockbuster Hollywood movie (School of Rock) on my new DVD player, and use my new computer and broadband modem to post more anti-consumerist stuff on the internet. ;)

[kayell]

11. Well, since I rarely drink, never shop at walmart, don't own a dvd player

and my old computer is limping along on dialup, in addition to being a vegetarian* who doesn't own a credit card, I'm almost amish by BFEE standards. LOL

As for the selling, a lot of what you see is sold to tourists by pseudo amish. Not saying some isn't real, and the amish are definately into selling the heavy duty play equipment, sheds and jellies, but that is a bit different from basing your whole life around buying and consuming as most Americans do now. Capitalism is different from corporate consumerism.

I'm unsure if their communities were in all that much financial trouble. The amish have always been extremely efficient at production from relatively small farms (by modern standards). They have low needs, and their communities are extremely good at supporting members in times of need. Not saying that I would EVER want to be amish, or live with the types of (to me very repressive) social limitations they do, but there is also a lot to admire there.

* yeah, I'm aware that amish are very big meat eaters, but in being a vegetarian, I also consume fewer resources than most people.

[bicentennial_baby]

13. Lancaster County Blueberry pie!

Best roadside snack in PA!

[cprise]

24. That's not capitalism

...which is focused on the decision-making ability of "capital" (i.e. moneyed institutions like banks and corporations) to create order and wealth. It also puts a premium technological innovation.

The Amish are essentially businessmen which limit themselves from partaking in all that.

[Lorien]

18. My thoughts exactly!

They are American citizens, not American consumers, therefore they have no value . :eyes:

[dflprincess]

9. Not owning guns or participating in war....

is pretty subversive by Bush standards

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

7. I guess with the beard and all they confused him with some

kind of terrarist... how ridiculous.

And, our national security interests ARE our First Amendment rights. Idiots.

Our real true national security lay in our unique freedoms.

We have to get these usurpers out of The People's Government.

[Tom Kitten]

12. Gee...

I always thought the Amish were one of those compassionate conservative Christian sects...

[kayell]

14. They are anabaptists

related theologically to mennonites and quakers. They share with those groups a belief in non-violence and living simply, among other things. The amish are much, much more conservative culturally and socially, to the extent that they do not even vote, as noted in a post above.

Even within groups called amish there is a lot of variation, just as there is within differetn mennonite groups and different quaker groups.

[Lorien]

20. My Mennonite Grandparents

their relations, and Amish friends all considered themselves Democrats. (Very pacifist, pro-environment, love thy neighbor types).

[kodi]

23. religious persecution wears many hats

his rights as a citizen are being curtailed because of his religion.

this is not like the burqua veil and the photo id for a driving license. that case revolves around licensing, which is a priviledge.

instead, the tenets of this man's private religious pratices have lead him to be in conflict with "security" issues.

[baldguy]

26. Damn Amishic Terrorists!

[Born Free]

27. More info on Amish Militia

"Damn Amishic Terrorists!"

The bush team is wise to keep any eye on thos damn Amicks


http://www.geocities.com/beaver_militia/binladen.html

From the Beaver County Militia official web site:

----------

"BEAVER COUNTY MILITIA"

SPECIAL EDITION

OSAMA BIN LADEN....PLAIN TERROR

It has been recently uncovered that suspected terrorist, Osama bin Laden, was trained in the US. An un-named informant admitted that the Amish had recruited and trained Bin Laden because they liked his "bitchin beard". But when bin Laden refused to shave off his mustache, they had a falling out. The Amish have allowed UN troops to train on their "Farm Bases", but this is the first time that a report of a suspected terrorist being trained by them. As usual when questioned about the report, the Amish would not comment or even allow themselves to be photographed.

**** photos removed *****

Seen above left: Osama bin Laden was quoted as saying "They wanted me to get up at 4:00 AM, and milk cows and chop wood and plow an acre before breakfast. Then they wanted me to shave off my mustache. I said, The hell with that, and left." Bin Laden refused further interview stating that he had "20 nuclear bomb backpacks to get together". "These things don't pack themselves, you know" Bin Laden said. Above right an un-named source that refused to be interviewed out of fear of retaliation by the Amish.

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