Amish men ordered to jail in buggy safety case

Mose Yoder stood in Graves District Court Monday afternoon, rested his bearded chin in his hand and awaited the question from Judge Deborah Hawkins Crooks.

She told him he owed $158 in fines and court costs for refusing to display a bright orange-red safety triangle on the back of his horse-drawn buggy.
"Mr. Yoder, do you intend to pay that amount?" she asked.
He shook his head silently, and she sentenced him to four days in the county jail.

www.courier-journal.com...

Now there's a pretty picture. A bright orange-red sign on the back of their buggies just doesn't seem right. I like more rustic, natural look.

Several of the Amish men are spending jail time for not messing up their buggies with ugly signs.

The courts have said that so long as the laws are applied equally that no one can object on religious grounds. If that be the case then everyone could be forced to have poison/vacinations injected into their bodies (right now, religious grounds are the only way some parents can get out of that trap). If that be the case then the law could require anything of everyone in the locality and no one could do anything about it if it goes against his/her religious beliefs.

reply to post by Jessicamsa


You apparently never lived in the same area with the Amish. I have family living in Ohio, a very rural part of Ohio. They have Amish neighbors. Those Amish love to get drunk on Saturday nights then they drive their buggies home. Some are so drunk they pass out and their horses are free to roam the very dark country roads. Most times the Amish have their lanterns lit, but on those dark nights many cars have slammed into these drunken Amish. Not a pretty sight. And lets not forget about Americans getting drunk and driving their cars into the Amish buggies, because it certainly goes both ways. And then of course there are just gonna be car crashes, so without proper reflectors and illumination, the Amish are fighting against the odds. People who ride a bicycle or jog at night should wear reflective material, what's make an Amish person any different?

I'm on the side of the judge. If you wanna ride on the streets you must obey the minimum traffic laws, and common sense. And most of you would be surprised to learn that Amish have cell phones, portable gaming units (DS, PSP, etc), and all things battery powered. There's also Amish living upstate NY and I've seen their homes have electricity wires running to them.

Also, people don't realize how much money the Amish actually make. They are loaded and they don't pay taxes or waste money being consumers like every other American. For this guy not to pay this fine is ridiculous.

reply to post by Jessicamsa


the force is strong in mr yoder
amish me think he is

Thank God they started cracking down on these Amish hooligans, they have been terrorizing my neighborhood for ages with their horses, buggies and general tomfoolery.

reply to post by boncho


Everyone knows there are no Amish on Nibiru, Mr. Gaddafi.

reply to post by Swills


i would have to agree.
i pass through an Amish populated area on the way to my hometown for holidays, and even with the "share the road" signs with the buggies on them making you aware so you slow down and keep on the lookout, i never manage to see them till theyre suddenly right in front of me.

if they can ride in cars with someone else driving, if they can allow their kids to buy sports cars and smoke meth while on rumspringa, then they can stick a shinny sign on their dang buggy that someone else made.

has nothing to do with religion. if they dont want to follow the rules of society, then they can stay off of society's roads.

Didn't know they had Amish in KY.

The article stated that they were of the old order sect which explains why they didn't want to pay the fine. Those Amish stick to the old rules that were laid down some 500 years ago. Seeing how the elders of the church are the ones who are in charge of a particular "community" of Amish people ( that's the way it is in Indiana at least )and the fact that this sort of thing has never been publicized with this community before, it looks like there was a "changing of the guard" in regards to someone new taking over leadership of the church, therefore the community. And this person obviously doesn't like the laws of the land.

reply to post by Jessicamsa


Has nothing at all to do with religion, maybe with "the look" but absolutely all about stubbornness (many don't believe US courts should have the right to dictate anything on them) ..

But after you've driven through an area where they live and you see a horse drawn carriage splintered into tiny pieces after being rear-ended by a truck driving 60 mph you appreciate that the orange triangle isn't there to make the Amish look ... ugly ... it's there for the same reason we have break lights.

reply to post by Swills

And most of you would be surprised to learn that Amish have cell phones, portable gaming units (DS, PSP, etc), and all things battery powered. There's also Amish living upstate NY and I've seen their homes have electricity wires running to them.

True true, they also use modern farm machinery as well.. one thing I never understood though is most communities outlaw electricity unless it's powered by a gas/diesel generator..

reply to post by Swills


hopefully I don't get blasted for this mentality but who really cares. If the idiots don't want to think with their heads to put a reflector on their buggy and they die because of it then it's natural selection. Why should all of us be responsible for protecting the irresponsible. I don't condone violence but let them die for their idiocy. We pay for insurance so that our vehicles are covered in the instance of an uninsured driver. And before, I get blasted by those that are animal lovers. it's the responsibility of the owner of the buggy to protect the horse so don't lay it on me.

insert muslim for amish and youd have the same story

but with a different outcome.

i do admire the amish and their beleifs i do say good for them for stand true to their beleifs

its ashame of our justice system those buggies are one of the oldest forms of transportation still in use today but why do people have to get on their knes and pay the government more money its a buggy fir crying outloud

what the hell is next signs for bicylces?

meh

had a friends brother get killed in central IL when he hit a horse and buggy at night then hit a tree.


it's dark on the roads out there and the stupid things are black.

it's road safety for heavens sake. we can't drive at night without lights.

the guy should go to jail.

reply to post by neo96


Um here anyways you will actually get a ticket if you don't have reflectors on your bicycle.....

Didn't know they had Amish in KY.

reply to post by Taupin Desciple


I'm in Ky and trust me... there are LOTS of Amish. I have to say though, I've never seen an Amish buggy WITHOUT the caution triangles on the back. However, I have seen Amish buggies with green dice hanging from the rear view mirror (yes, they have rear view mirrors), I have been in the presence of a very intoxicated young Amish man who went on and on about the blue running lights he has installed in his buggy. I have seen intoxicated Amish nearly get their horses tangled up in a fence along the sidewalk, all while nearly getting hit by two cars. I've heard from a friend of mine how the Amish who lived on the land bordering his were always looking to buy pot. I've heard from a very reliable source that he was in a cornfield with Amish girls who were running naked. Angels, they are not!

Before I lived around the Amish, I used to think they were all sweet and innocent. HA! Somebody should make an Amish Gone Wild video!

reply to post by gemineye


Word of caution about those Amish babes, from what I am told the Amish bath maybe once a week, while during the entire week they wear heavy, dark colored cotton clothing, all year long, summer is no exception. Think about it before you go running naked in a cornfield. In fact, running naked in a cornfield is never recommended

I can see both sides of the argument on this one, but I'm leaning towards the side of the Amish man. Yes, the safety of the man and his horses is a concern, but if he wants to take the risk of riding on the roads without bowing down to modern society's demands, then let him. But what about the safety of motor vehicle drivers?

I have driven through Amish country in a couple different states, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. I HAVE almost ran into a carriage that had no reflectors, they're pretty hard to see....but, that would have been 100% my fault if I ran into that horse and buggy. They generally only ride on 2-lane country roads, and even though the road signs might say 55, if you are driving too fast to stop without running into something in the road, then you are driving too darn fast. There are safety rules that we as drivers must follow...and being in control of your vehicle is one of them.

The safety of other drivers is all up to the drivers. And the decision to integrate into modern society's rule system should be the Amish man's choice, not his requirement. Now, if he decides to jump into a car and start driving around....he's fair game.

Bicycles are slow moving vehicles and they don't require you to have big orange "slow moving vehicle" signs.

Horses can be rode down the road and don't require the big orange triangle.



Good on that Amish man. It's not like they can take his drivers license away. He doesn't need one.

Word of caution about those Amish babes, from what I am told the Amish bath maybe once a week, while during the entire week they wear heavy, dark colored cotton clothing, all year long, summer is no exception. Think about it before you go running naked in a cornfield. In fact, running naked in a cornfield is never recommended

reply to post by Swills


I'm a chick myself so I'll not be taking part in running through cornfields with naked Amish babes, hehe. But it's funny you mention bathing... or lack of, lol. My friend said that these girls apparently don't shave. Anything. Ever. My view of the Amish was tainted before he ever told of his adventures with them, but after hearing what he had to say, I'll never look at them the same again, lol.

I never knew the Amish get intoxicated. I always thought they were ultra religious about everything.

Gave me quite a chuckle picturing it though...thanks for the laugh.

The Amish I've seen around here have old fashioned wooden buggies that are brown. I'd never seen any with reflectors of any kind.

I'm in KY.

We do have lots of Amish here in KY. I buy their jellies and stuff when I can.

reply to post by Jessicamsa


4 days in jail with no phones, TV or internet
He should feel right at home then