Pa. Amish Complain About Zoning Laws

Washington Post ^ | 1/10/03 | AP

[Kay Ludlow]

BELLEFONTE, Pa. ?? An attorney for two Amish men cited for keeping horses on their properties says township officials are trying to restrict religion.

The lawyer, James M. Bryant, said a Walker Township zoning ordinance was a means of keeping the Amish out of certain areas. The ordinance's language, which specifically bars horses instead of a broader prohibition against keeping livestock, showed it was targeted at the Amish, he said.

"You can have ducks. You can have cows. You can have sheep. You can have burros. ... You can't have horses," Bryant said. "It's just subtle prejudice."

[Kay Ludlow]

Once again, planners show that zoning is more about social engineering and designing Utopia than about health and safety. Walker Township is VERY rural; many "English" also have horses in towns there. Unfortunately, they are part of Centre County, where the Centre Region Planners (ie State College PA) have been working hard to spread their radical zoning/planning ideas to all municipalities within commuting distance of the Center Region. Walker Twp bought into it in Nov 2000. The Centre Region planning model is all about raising property values to keep the undesireables (anyone not like them) out...

[Kay Ludlow]

Here's the local Centre Caily Times version of the story, which they printed with big front-page photos of the Amish. Since most of the CDT reporters aren't from the area, they must not know about the Amish desire to NOT be photographed. That or they're too elitist to care about the plain folks beliefs...

Amish challenge zoning ordinance

[Slyfox]

They ought to move to Texas. We like horses down here. You see them everywhere.

Only thing though, the Amish would have to get air conditioning.

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[AmishDude]

There are certain rules here at Free Republic. One is that AmishDude must be pinged on all Amish-related threads.

[Kay Ludlow]

Sorry, must've slipped my mind!

[Willie Green]

From the CDT link:

Amish religious orders restrict worldly conveniences such as electricity and automobiles.

Please forgive my curiousity, but how do you reconcile your use of computers and the Internet with this cultural restriction???

[PokeyJoe]

Well, they can move to Lubbock/Amarillo/Mesquite area (w/air conditioning) and we can maybe keep some cattle on our Texas lands instead of Mexican squatters.

Besides - I like Amish Apple pie. Guess they would have to learn to make pecan pie to survive in Texas though.

I wonder what Amish BBQ tastes like . . . I wonder if they "smoke" their meat . . . or do what all yankee's do, bake it.

[AmishDude]

Please forgive my curiousity, but how do you reconcile your use of computers and the Internet with this cultural restriction???

Simple: Lots of children, bicyle-powered generators.

[billorites]

Move to Vermont and you can marry your horse.

[Willie Green]

Better than putting the kids on Ritalin, I suppose.

[Steam King]

I know many Amish people and they are honest, hard working folks, though not saints as many Yankees who don't know them believe. I'd certainly rather have them and their horses move into my area as neighbors than a bunch of yuppies and housing developers.