Great story

It amazes me that this happened, but then violence always does. It's no way to settle a dispute.

Flower - thank you for sharing your thoughts on this heinous happening in the Amish country. I have been to Lancaster, PA and remember the sight of the signs posted warning motorists to beware of the horse and buggies on the road. How horrible to have such hatred spewed forth. It gives me goose bumps - but then there is so much of this in our world today - do people just accept it as part of the culture or do they speak out and vent their anger and frustration? I hope for the latter.

This is evidence of what we call in Christian theology the depravity of man. Sorry to have to break it to ya, but we recognize it as a fact of life, traceable to what we call (figuratively, if you prefer) the fall of man.

Our fearless leader (whom they could not keep in the tomb) warned us about it when he spoke these words: "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." ...or, by extension, shoot bullets at your road-sign ridin' buggy drivers.

That fearful contagion can be identified on many roads across our land. Bicyclists can discern it in the honks and roaring accelerations of impatient motorists. The muffler-marauding pedal-gunners must make their displeasure known at having to suffer some torturous delay inflicted by tortugous peddling sobs such as myself.

They are IDiots. But then I'm am no super ego either, so I try to forgive them, just as your Amish neighbors apparently did on a regular basis. God bless 'em. At least there are a few unhurried people in this frantic existence.

"Law enforcement officials are doing a good job of keeping abreast of the situations, but they can't be everywhere and their biggest concern is that the 'lone wolf' will break away from the pack and act before they can stop them."

In her Pittburgh Post-Gazette column this morning, Sally Kalson commented on the alarming number of deranged "lone wolves" acting out their hatreds in violent, even murderous ways. She reminded us that while these malcontents may be acting alone, their impulses to act are often reinforced by the multitude of sympathizers who condone or encourage their actions.

I think many of us are already aware of that phenomenon, but it was the last sentences of her column that struck a resonant chord. After acknowledging that many of the worst actors are true loners, she commented, "If that's supposed to make us feel less threatened, it's not working. A forest full of lone wolves is still a very dangerous place."

Thanks Flowerchild,
Throughout history ANY religion, advocating that members maintain neutrality are met with anger from proponents of Nationalism.

During the Vietnam War many conscientious objectors, had to flee the Country, go to prison or perform some type of Community service for exercising they're Rights to Freedom of Religion. The State hates those, who want to seperate themsevlves for religous reasons.

“The Love it or Leave it crowd” then; and the present battle cry “you’re either with us or against us”, foments hatred.

The Government has no use for Neutrality and only puts up with it because the Supreme Court was forced to concede in some major cases.
I’m not so sure they would uphold or support new challenges today?

The Government doesn’t actively seek to protect these groups.
The Government, employing Nationalism or jingoism, stirs some to commit acts of violence or intimidation against those opposed to American involvement in Wars.

If you stand for your principles, bullet holes in the signs, remind you to be silent or else.

Shooting signs is minor compared to what they did to these groups during WWI and WWII. Hanging, tar and feathering to name a few of the atrocities, not just by Blue Eyed Americans.

Thinking any religion that does not support the war effort are Un-American.

The Amish along with other faiths are often persecuted in other countries as well for trying to maintain Neutrality
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“In the late 1500's, along with the more familiar reformation movements such as the Lutherans and the Calvinists, there was a more "radical" movement known as the Anabaptists. As the name suggests, they believed that baptism should come in early adulthood, when one is capable of making a meaningful confession of faith. In addition, they believed in complete separation of the church from affairs of the state, and refused to serve in the military. These beliefs led to considerable persecution…...”
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/amishlinks.html

Many interesting links included.

Bullet holes in signs are a sign of the times we live in.

Thanks for telling this story. It is the tangible parables that tell us so much, and make a dent, when usually all we hear is catch phrases and meaningless words over and over.
Thanks.

That story is chilling, There are many who don't think the Amish are "true Christians" because their practices are different.

There are many who are so afraid of "different" they want to eradicate it. That's why, I think, so many of us tend to conform. We're afraid to awaken the beast that lies restlessly around every corner.

Fear is the common factor in so many human actions and reactions. And there are always those who pounce on that fear and profit from it in one way or another.

Thanks for this. We need to keep awareness alive and this is the way to do it.

I used to live in north eastern Ohio where we had the third largest settlement of Amish in the country. I went to school with a number of Amish kids and do not remember any of them every getting into any trouble at all. (A claim not even I can make for myself). Most were very easy to get to know. (Except for one girl who did have a bit of an attitude but for good reason. )

I remember the buggies and if memory does not fail me, if you ever hit one with your car...you were in big trouble.

We also had a large Mennonite population as well with a small church just down the road from me. Also very nice people.

Would that the rest of the Christian sects where as easy to get along with.

C

There is another possible explanation that does not require that the shooters are directing hate or fear or any other emotion at the Amish in particular. Kids, young men up to the age of about 30, just like to shoot at signs. Growing up in Texas it was obvious in many rural areas that this urge was carried out on signs of all kinds separately but equally.
It is possible and I think likely that the new signs put up were just targets of opportunity the first time. Since they were put up for the benefit of a particular group and were immediately shot at there was probably speculation that it was an act against that group rather than against the signs. Was it in the news? Was it talked about in general conversation? It is very possible that guys driving around drinking beer just took the newly replaced signs as a challenge and considered it a joke on everyone, not just the Amish, to shoot them full of holes as fast as they could.
The part about the shots being centered on the buggy challenges my theory and it also indicates that those shots were fired from a rifle rather than a pistol. This means the shooters likely stopped and got out since a rifle from a car is not too handy. The rednecks I knew would be less likely to do that if there was any chance of being spotted by an approaching car or attracting notice just by stopping.
Drive-bys of signs was usually done with a pistol from inside a moving car just like smashing a rural mailbox with empty beer bottle. Hitting the sign would be easy, grouping the shots on a small part would be quite hard with a pistol even if stopped and taking rested shots.
I'm only suggesting that an overt attack on any specific group might not be what was demonstrated by the sign shooting, it might simply have been the overt stupidity of which so many young men are so proud and love to demonstrate. Lots of them just love to hear things go bang and see things explode.
I hope my idea is at least a partial explanation and I advance it as much out of this hope as anything because it is really a shame to see people attacked for wanting to live a simple, peaceful life.

"the undercurrent of fear and hate that runs just below the surface of our happy little lives."

This is a really interesting perspective to put forth at a time when most are pre-occupied with the fear and hate that runs not below, but above the surface.

Thanks Flower.

There are some people who must hate to feel alive, I think. They would have to have an imaginary enemy to hate if there were no one left on earth except themselves, like a child has an imaginary friend to keep him company.

And, OMG, the Amish? Those same wonderful, gentle people who helped the family of that killer who murdered their children. True Christians in my opinion.