Wanna Opt Out? Here’s your Milk Bucket and Oil Lamp

In response to Ann Neumann’s piece Who’s Amish Now? that we ran last week, Kay writes in with some validation that the Republicans who are smacking their lips about going “plain” don’t have a clue. She writes:

As a lapsed Menno/Brethren child (my father being a pastor, and my very large extended family comprising a long line of dairy farmers and missionaries/MCC volunteers), I’m sending a shout out to Ms. Ann who pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Anyone who fantasizes about “going plain” hasn’t got a clue what that means. And trust me, after two weeks of that communally exacting life, they’ll gladly pay the Obama stipend. Maybe that would be a worthwhile initiative for healthcare reformers — require everyone to live simply on the earth (freshly spread manure and 4 a.m. milking and those loooong Sunday hymns, and more), before they can opt out of the health plan.

For those interested in learning more details about just why the Anabaptists are so keen on the separation of church and state, please spend a few hours with “The Martyr’s Mirror” — 17 centuries of persecution in just under 1200 pages. 300 of those pages are about my own particular ancestors, alone. Bethel College has pix here: http://www.bethelks.edu/mla/holdings/scans/martyrsmirror/

Great writing – cheers.
Kay Stoner
Boston, MA

Thanks for writing, Kay! What do you think?