Mennonites

Ken King

Ken King

A little rusty but not crusty
PREMO Member
Originally posted by kwillia
Excuse me, missy... but it's your turn to sit on the carrot. :duh:
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You think she would give up her eggplant for a skimpy carrot? :lmao:
 
G

geminigrl

Guest
Sorry I don't have any problems with the mennonites or the amish, they don't bother me and I don't bother them.

If you don't like being caught behind a horse and buggy then you better avoid maypole and friendship school road. :biggrin:
 
Hessian

Hessian

Well-Known Member
Post 9 pm...three families of Amish are wandering the Lowes. You wouldn't hear a peep out of the kids. (And there were 5-6 with each family...wow.)

I've also dealt with the Harness & Tack guy in Loveville. He wasn't fond of selling me leather goods for Rev War reenacting but..he provided good advice and sells good quality stuff.

I heard a rumor a while back that they might be giving up SoMd and heading up to depressed areas in NY/ W. Pa & Ohio.

I can imagine what developers would do with their farms...
"Serenity Acres...Beautiful Colonials starting in the mid 300's on spacious 1/4 acre lots."

Screw the builders, Keep the Amish here.
 
D

dems4me

Guest
Originally posted by sifl
Okay, than I guess it is just my imagination when I see a whole bunch of them pile out of their station wagon at the grocery store clowncar-style. :rolleyes:
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Wow!!! I was just thinking the same thing yesterday!!! I was wondering why they are now driving or riding to the grocery store instead of the horse and buggies like they used to :shrug: I was wondering the same thing :shrug:
 
L

libragirl

Guest
Originally posted by Cletus_Vandam
Why is it that I have to pay registration fees to drive my car up and down the asphalt roads in Maryland; while the Mennonites who have to pay NOTHING to ride on these same roads with their horse drawn carriages?

Just this morning, I’m traveling through the heart of Leonardtown at 8:00 and here goes Mr. Mennonite rolling along in his carriage at mach .0000000000000002!!! I had just enough time to mash the brakes and make a lane change before making his horse next week’s Alpo. There are no shoulders in Leonardtown and these fools just drive the roads as if it were 1896 and they were on the way pick up another bag of grain.

Speaking with other people who seem to loathe them as much as I do, I understand that the Mennonites also do not have to register for the draft as they cannot go off the defend this County, due to religious beliefs. But yet they are given the same opportunities to prosper and live with all the freedoms that so many Americans made the ultimate sacrifice for.

Let’s look at another topic that burns me… I would like someone to try and obtain a building permit to construct a new house in St. Mary’s County that doesn’t have indoor plumbing. We’ll be told that it is a violation of the building code and a full functioning kitchen and toilet are required. But, apparently if you drive a horse (or bicycle) to work, don’t bathe except once a month and wear the same clothes every day, you can build that house without any plumbing. That seems like a fair enforcement of the code!!! (???)

Why is it that they won’t go out a buy their car, pay for insurance and registration; get Verizon at their house, or use SMECO’s electric, but they seem fine with jumping on the free public trans van or jumping in their buggy to ride to the local gas station to make a telephone call or buy gas for their generator???? How does religious belif come into the play here?

When I first moved here I thought it was “quant” seeing these folks. But after a few near misses of accidents and seeing what they get away with, just makes me more PO’d every time I have to change a lane to miss that pile of horse sh!t in the middle of the road… :cussing: :burning:

What’s everyone else take on this?
:confused:
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i have no problem with them. they obey the laws and are hard working people.
 
dustin

dustin

UAIOE
As long as they arent breaking any laws set forth by government, I don't care what the h-e-double-hockey sticks they do.

I pass the buggies quite frequently when I'm riding my usual stomping grounds on the bike, and all I get is smiles and waves.

We should be so lucky to have them around as a constant reminder of how simple life can be if one chooses to live it that way.
 
D

dems4me

Guest
Originally posted by dustin
As long as they arent breaking any laws set forth by government, I don't care what the h-e-double-hockey sticks they do.

I pass the buggies quite frequently when I'm riding my usual stomping grounds on the bike, and all I get is smiles and waves.

We should be so lucky to have them around as a constant reminder of how simple life can be if one chooses to live it that way.
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Someone once told me that they never pay any taxes :shrug:
 
CMC122

CMC122

Go Braves!
Hey Cletus

Maybe you should get some of their Opium:shrug:

Do you really think they are getting one over on everyone:confused:
 
Desdemona

Desdemona

New Member
Originally posted by Hessian
.

I heard a rumor a while back that they might be giving up SoMd and heading up to depressed areas in NY/ W. Pa & Ohio.
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This one is probably true. There are a few new communities popping up about 30 miles from my neck of the woods in a very impoverished area of SE OH.
 
willie

willie

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by Cletus_Vandam
Why is it that I have to pay registration fees to drive my car up and down the asphalt roads in Maryland; while the Mennonites who have to pay NOTHING to ride on these same roads with their horse drawn carriages?

Just this morning, I’m traveling through the heart of Leonardtown at 8:00 and here goes Mr. Mennonite rolling along in his carriage at mach .0000000000000002!!! I had just enough time to mash the brakes and make a lane change before making his horse next week’s Alpo. There are no shoulders in Leonardtown and these fools just drive the roads as if it were 1896 and they were on the way pick up another bag of grain.

Speaking with other people who seem to loathe them as much as I do, I understand that the Mennonites also do not have to register for the draft as they cannot go off the defend this County, due to religious beliefs. But yet they are given the same opportunities to prosper and live with all the freedoms that so many Americans made the ultimate sacrifice for.

Let’s look at another topic that burns me… I would like someone to try and obtain a building permit to construct a new house in St. Mary’s County that doesn’t have indoor plumbing. We’ll be told that it is a violation of the building code and a full functioning kitchen and toilet are required. But, apparently if you drive a horse (or bicycle) to work, don’t bathe except once a month and wear the same clothes every day, you can build that house without any plumbing. That seems like a fair enforcement of the code!!! (???)

Why is it that they won’t go out a buy their car, pay for insurance and registration; get Verizon at their house, or use SMECO’s electric, but they seem fine with jumping on the free public trans van or jumping in their buggy to ride to the local gas station to make a telephone call or buy gas for their generator???? How does religious belif come into the play here?

When I first moved here I thought it was “quant” seeing these folks. But after a few near misses of accidents and seeing what they get away with, just makes me more PO’d every time I have to change a lane to miss that pile of horse sh!t in the middle of the road… :cussing: :burning:

What’s everyone else take on this?
:confused:
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This is why you shouldn't have a CCW.
 
soul4sale

soul4sale

New Member
Originally posted by Cletus_Vandam
Why is it that I have to pay registration fees to drive my car up and down the asphalt roads in Maryland; while the Mennonites who have to pay NOTHING to ride on these same roads with their horse drawn carriages?

Cuz you evidently haul a$$ in a 2-ton steel vehicle that causes road wear. Buggies, like bikes and tractors, don't go fast enough to require registration.

I had just enough time to mash the brakes and make a lane change before making his horse next week’s Alpo.

I think that says more about you than him.

Speaking with other people who seem to loathe them as much as I do, I understand that the Mennonites also do not have to register for the draft as they cannot go off the defend this County, due to religious beliefs.

Bull. But, if war broke out and they couldn't avoid the draft, they would conscienciously object, relegating them to non-combat roles. See, like a few other Christian religions who still read the Bible, they kinda take that whole "Thou shalt not kill" thing seriously. They are traditionally anit-government, preferring to resolve they conflicts among themselves. However, they do pay taxes ("Render unto Caesar..."). And - little known fact - they refuse social security payments, medicare, medicaid, and any form of welfare and they declined the tobacco buyout. After a history of being beaten, burned and hung as heretics, they have developed a traditional skepticism of the powers that be.

Why is it that they won’t go out a buy their car, pay for insurance and registration; get Verizon at their house, or use SMECO’s electric, but they seem fine with jumping on the free public trans van or jumping in their buggy to ride to the local gas station to make a telephone call or buy gas for their generator???? How does religious belif come into the play here?

Well, until SoMD became a haven for gentrified Navy contractors - swarming with SUVs and high rents - the principle economic activity was tobacco farming. That didn't require a whole lot of transportation or communication. Now, with Glendening's slaughter of the tobacco market and the growth of the housing market, the simple peoples are faced with either destroying their community values and lifestyle completely, uprooting their community and moving, or making compromises to stay viable. They've chosen to make small compromises - hitching rides and using cell phones.

What’s everyone else take on this?

My take is that you're being a prick.

I'd like to address another misconception I've seen here. The Amish and the Mennonites are both Swiss/German Anabaptist sects that settled in PA roughly 200+ years ago. The Amish broke from the Mennonites at some point. The date escapes me. The Amish have maintained much stricter rules on dress and technology than even the most simple Mennonites. The Mennonites, on the other hand, are a rainbow of different sects, all with their own beliefs on how modern they should be. Those who choose to remain less technological do so not out of Luddite obstinance, but out of the fear of what technology will do to the community. Simple peoples do adopt new technologies, but only after their benefits are shown over time to outweigh their detrimental impact on the community. This process has not kept up well in the last century of rapid technological development.

The SoMD groups came here in the 40s to avoid the WWII draft(MD's draft board was less thorough than PA's then). The Amish settled in Northern SMC and Southern Charles. You can generally tell them by their gray buggies, long beards (mostly on the men) and one-color dresses. Two sects of Mennonites settled in the Leonardtown/Mechanicsville area. The Old Order sect (Stauffer diocese) drives black buggies. The men shave, and the women wear printed dresses. The Eastern Mennonites dress similarly to the Old Order, but drive cars (usually dark colored with no hub caps) and use power and phones. They don't, however, use the TV or radio.
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