CitizenSugar -- Breaking News, Together.

Voting Bloc: How Will the Amish Vote?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800

With only 13 percent of eligible Amish voters casting their votes in 2004, they are not the most coveted vote. But with large populations in states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, they are not to be ignored.

Actually, they are kind of being ignored this year — unless you count Obama’s sad attempt to court the electricity-shunning group with the Amish For Obama blog — but in 2004 Bush went all out to woo them with his Southern charm. Without the influence of the Internet or TV, they are some of the most issued-focused voters out there.

How will they vote this year? Will they? To find out,

Are Amish Girls Are Expected to Forgive Rape?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:45:29 -0700

Think the Amish are gentle, peace-loving folk? Or haven't you given the faith much thought since Amish in the City? If your experience with this quiet faith stops with Witness, here's another look.

Torah Bontrager escaped her Amish community at 15 after coming close to committing suicide. Now, at 27, the Columbia grad is speaking out about common misconceptions about the Amish and her escape.

In an interview with author Tim Ferriss, she lists the pros and cons of her Amish childhood. Here are some high- (and low-) lights:

Pros of Growing Up Amish

The emphasis on the solidarity of the extended family unit
The emphasis on being hospitable to strangers, helping those in need, whether Amish or “English” (anyone who’s not Amish is “English")
Building your own houses, growing your own food, sewing your own clothes

Cons of Growing Up Amish

The rape, incest, and other sexual abuse that run rampant in the community
Physical and verbal abuse in the name of discipline
Women (and children) have no rights

For people with a peaceful, forgive-and-forget creed, I wondered how so much violence could be possible. To find out how,

California Parents Do Not Have Right to Homeschool

LibertySugar — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 15:01:08 -0700

This week, a California appeals court reaffirmed the state's compulsory education statute — which requires parents to send children to an accredited full-time day school, or have their children instructed at home by a credentialed tutor. The panel of three judges, rejected the notion that parents have a constitutional right to educate their children at home.

The parents in the lawsuit also argued that the state's law violated their freedom of religion. But the court rejected a parallel to US Supreme Court allowing for Amish families to withdraw their children from schools at age 13. The judges reasoned that the present case missed various common factors, including deep religious beliefs held by an organized group. Simply asserting a religious objection, would be too easy a loophole.

Do you think parents have a right to teach their children at home, or a legal duty to make sure they are being taught by accredited teachers?

Source