Amish Truths
by Allison Sloan Roberts
The Amish will go to court
in defense of their rights as American citizens—
even though they have rejected the culture
and government that establish these rights.
They must accept government’s protection
in order to reject the government:
American citizens with citizens’ rights
only when it suits them.
This kind of contradiction is endemic within the Amish;
the larger the business—the higher the chance of interference
(and investigation for possible fraud)
from the state and the higher the taxes.
The Amish, therefore, perpetuate
small business, agrarian values
and a lack of education
to avoid government interference.
In 1972 the Supreme Court voted in favor of the Amish:
No longer would state or Federal laws requiring
children to attend school after eighth grade
be applied to the Amish.
The Constitution remains silent about children;
children’s rights are placed under an umbrella
of their parents’ rights. The child is entitled
to due process and protection if the state acts against him.
Children who are minors in the perspective
of the Court are subordinate to their parents
in a relationship that does not have to be consensual.
In examination of language only:
if the same subordinate, non-consensual relationship
were to be imposed upon an adult—
it would violate the Thirteenth Amendment
which forbid slavery.
A minor is exempt from this relationship
only if the parent can be proved to be abusive.\u2028In regards to the education of the Amish youth
where’s the line?
Allison Sloan Roberts lives in NYC. She knows more about the Amish than she would care to admit.
