So, how are the amish doing without things we have (and govt into it all?)

[The Straight Story]

Like AT&T, rfid, and so on.

They just keep plugging along doing their thing, buying up land, farming, making furniture, and so on.

Now they have issues to be sure, but I am more interested here in thinking about how well they do without what we seem to need so much - and something our government seems so likely to use against us - communications channels and ideal monitoring (ie watching blogs, DU, etc and so on). Despite all their internal restrictions they abide by, they seem somewhat more free.

Seat belts? Not really needed. Health care? They manage somehow. Internet? What is that? And so on.

So - what could you do without and how would that affect the government? How much does the government monitor the amish? Quakers, etc?

Is there a point to all this? Not really I suppose. Just having grown up near the amish and spending some time around them I was just comparing and contrasting them - ie, they live in the same country we do but seem almost totally seperate (not fully of course, and not perfect either, but a lot different than the rest of groups I have seen). How many amish are in Iraq? How many are bush buddies in his admin, or any other admin? How is it they seem to plug along just fine while things around them seem to crumble?

[pitohui]

1. do they plug along just fine?

i have some mennonite ancestry, you may sit here now and say the mennonites are all rich people who have their own land and are not plothered by the teevee, but my ancestors came here as political refugees with nothing

because they are not allowed to serve in armed services, they are considered suspect

quakers too, fbi routinely monitors the friends

the amish i don't know anything abt but as a bettin woman i would be willing to say the gov't knows where every penny of cash is that is hidden under that mattress

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. They seem to have it "wired" . With ** in power, we might all be

"Amish" soon, out of necessity.

[tnlefty]

3. Well, one Quaker peace group was infiltrated and a gentleman from that

group testified in Rep. Conyers' basement hearings, but I understand what you're getting at.

[Redstone]

4. Dirty little secret: At least some of the Amish in Pennsylvania

are in the dope-selling business. (Young males, on their "year off.")

Do a bit of research, and you'll find the references.

Redstone

[The Straight Story]

6. Same in Ohio really

Not perfect by far, but they seem rather insulated to a lot of things in the world of politics.

[madokie]

5. Here where I live is in the center of many amish and Mennonites

they all seem to be doing alright. Some of 'em have some of the niceties of our society like a phone booth at the end of their driveway and such. Nothing against them but they make it hard to compete with in the construction world around here. If you pay them with a check it is to be made out to their church so no taxes are paid, they get their 90% and everybody is happy except the old boy that missed the job because he has to pay taxes. Around here they get more than their fair share. They don't go to the service, conscientious objectors I believe.

[Selatius]

7. If the economy collapses, you'll be living like an Amish

The Amish have their own land to grow food, their own animals, and they build their own homes together. They support each other, something that is lacking in our culture. If the economy collapsed tomorrow, many would fight and kill each other for what's left over. That's what many were taught to do in our culture from the time they are children until the time they die. Competition and exploitation is the norm in our society.

Then there are those who do realize that mutual cooperation rather than mutual competition is the best avenue of survival when everything else fails. The Amish are one example. Others include folks from the Zapatistas to Christian socialists trying to live out the teachings of Jesus. Unfortunately, in our culture that encourages cutthroat competition and exploitation of others for personal profit, there is little trust of each other, and that's absolutely essential if you want to build a way of life dependent on mutual cooperation. There's too much greed and hate in our society.

It's poisoning the well water for all of us.

[SmokingJacket]

8. The Amish near my family are totally under the radar.

They have their own schools and produce most of their own goods. I think they're mostly apolitcal, hardly Bush buddies.

There's something very beautiful and stark about their lives, at least as I observe them from outside. I think their clothes are beautiful, and their farms and houses. But it's pretty much all work and bible reading, all the time. No movies, books, wine, dark chocolate, or much music at all. No travel to foreign countries, no art, none of that. It would be, for me, life stripped of all the good stuff except for family.

They're getting along because all they want is survival, and to be left alone.

[Freedom_Aflaim]

9. At the risk of stereotyping, how do the Amish vote (generally)

Do they vote Republican (ala fundy etc), or Democrat (ala helping your fellow man)

I know very little about these folks, just wondering do they lean liberal or con?

[FreeState]

10. They don't vote

not usually anyway. Bush got some of them to vote for him somehow in the last election- but generally they do not vote.