U.S. Court Refuses Amish Man's Appeal

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

PITTSBURGH - A federal appeals court on Thursday refused a request to keep a Canadian Amish man in the United States while he challenges a law requiring his photo be taken for legal residence in the country.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned away an emergency appeal seeking to prevent Daniel Zehr's removal.

Zehr's attorney, Mark Knapp, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Thursday. U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said the Department of Homeland Security might continue efforts to send Zehr back to Canada.



http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040423/ap_on_re_us/amish_border_security_5

This is obscene. Like any of the Old Orders would be a threat to anything.... except traffic.

[Dookus]

1. well

how do you propose we handle a special rule just for the Amish?

My parents live in Amish country... I love the Amish. But I don't think they need or deserve special immigration rules.

How does one prove that they ARE Amish? How do you prevent someone from faking?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

2. Ummm, cause he lives there as one of them. has married a US

citizen and is from Canada.

[Dookus]

3. I'm not discussing a single case...

I'm talking about how you make a POLICY that exempts one religion over another. It can't be done.

[LiberalFighter]

12. Remember the woman in FL?

that didn't want her pic taken for drivers license

Court ruled against her.

[pennylane100]

4. He know what the law was before he came.

amd it is not an unreasonable one. He should have stayed away or had his photo taken.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. So, what was the applicable U. S. law BEFORE 911 that dealt with....

...this kind of situation? There WASN'T one, was there?

Did you even read the article before you chipped in your two cents?

[Dookus]

6. First...

the article doesn't say he came before 9/11. It just says he came in 2001.

Second... was there REALLY no requirement that people applying for permanent residency have their photo taken prior to 9/11/01? I find that hard to believe.

[DoNotRefill]

7. I've got family immigration documents from the 1910s....

and they all have photos on them.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

13. Sorry, cameras hadn't been invented when my family lines came over...

...in the 1600s and 1700s.

Feel better now?

[DoNotRefill]

17. My point was...

that photographs for immigration documents isn't a new thing...

[pennylane100]

8. I don't care what the law was before 9/11

if he wants to stay in this country he has to obey the law of the land like everyone else.

Using the bible to justify bypassing the law is not acceptable. What if he wanted to bring in three wives and the right to practice Sharia. Would we let him to so to avoid treading on his religious beliefs. I don't think so.

Thats a dimes worth.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

15. Here's about 50 cents worth...

...Number One: He's married to an American citizen, and as such, he should be granted all of the rights of an American citizen. This extra layer of "Homeland Security" bureaucracy combined with the so-called "Patriot Act" has created a Fascist state, IMHO.

Number Two: The Amish have lived in this country for quite a long time, and we as a country have always respected their way of life. What's changed? Have the Amish suddenly become a threat to National Security?

Number Three: Your example of a man and his three wives had nothing to do with this issue at all...what was your point in using it?

[DoNotRefill]

18. What rights is he being denied?

He's to be allowed to immigrate, provided he complies with the law, which requires a photograph.

Why should he be exempt from standard immigration law that's been in place for a hundred years?

Suppose he objected to having standard immunization shots required for immigration. Should he be able to skate on that too? After all, some fundie sects don't believe in immunization, right?

Suppose he had been convicted of a crime in his homeland for practicing his religion. Should the laws about felons not being able to immigrate be waived for him?

Religious beliefs have NEVER been worthy of a waiver of the law before. Why start now? Is that a door you REALLY want to open?

[Dookus]

21. But you still

haven't shown that ANY of this is related to 9/11 or the Department of Homeland Security making new regulations.

If you're going to be as snarky as you are, at least back up your points.

[NNN0LHI]

9. Is it common that the Amish do not like having their photo taken?

I have never heard of this before until now.

Don

[Dookus]

10. Yes it is...

though it doesn't seem to be a hard and fast rule.

I guess it's a violation of the Graven Images commandment, although my mother has pictures of her Amish friends that were given to her by them, albeit somewhat secretly.

[NNN0LHI]

11. Thanks for the info. I learn something new every day here n/t

[Media_Lies_Daily]

16. The Amish don't like any of the trappings of any modern industrialized...

...nation. They prefer to live simply without any modern conveniences to include cameras.

[DoNotRefill]

19. That's not necessarily true.

If a modern "convenience" is required for something like employment, they can and do use them. When I lived in PA, I had some construction work done by an Amish contractor. He had a cellphone. He didn't take it into his house, but had a "phone box" outside that he left it in so that it wouldn't intrude into his home life. When he worked, he had it with him and used it. His community didn't hassle him about it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. "Don't like" and "prefer" aren't reason enough

We may not like paying taxes, and for an extreme libertarian that might be a deeply held belief. We don't give people exemptions for that. The man won't have travelled to and from the USA and Canada without taking advantage of some parts of modern society, eg roads. It's about time he recognised he has to allow some things in return.

Anyway, photos aren't 'graven'. He should stop being so childish. 3000 year old rules invented when there were no such things as photographs shouldn't be set in stone, so to speak.

[doc03]

14. clip clop clip clop BANG BANG clip clop clip clop- -- - - - - --?

Amish drive-by shooting.

[AngryAmish]

22. This makes me angry

Chickenz!