http://www.wgal.com/news/9981693/detail.html


Police responded to a multiple shooting and hostage situation in eastern Lancaster County this morning at a small, one-room Amish schoolhouse, where a state police officials said "a number" of people were shot to death.


Right down the road from where I used to live and presently only about 30min from where I currently live. I don't get it :(

I don't know a whole heck of a lot about Amish culture but one would think they are sheltered some what from the media..so the recent school shootings shouldn't of fueled this shooting. Makes me think it was an outside whack job..but who knows.

Yesterday driving on the turnpike I saw a load of Amish folk getting out of one of the new H3s. There's a wide gambit of the range of how much interaction they have with technology and modern culture. My cousin, a Mennonite (which isn't exactly Amish but very similiar as it is also Anabaptist), has her cell phone and laptop computer and acts like most people her age. While they very much could have been as strict as can be and not even allow a phone in their town ... they also could have had radios and televisions and all that.

Kelraz, how did you know they were Amish?

I don't :) I was just replying to Ibuden, but actually rereading the article if he was a truck driver he probably wasn't Amish and if he was - he wasn't practicing very devoutly. He'd have had a lot of access to mass media.

heh, actually I see all different sorts of "sects?" within the Amish community. Some drive, some don't. Some own motorized farm equipment, some don't. Some have motorized farm equipment that they will pull with a team of horses. Many sellout and move away, their farms are worth millions of dollars and they sell to developers and move to Ohio or some place else. The Amish community is big business for this area, it's like a major touristy thing. However, I have seen hummers and navigators on the farms but the Amish'ers will hire an Englishman to drive them around. It's some funny stuff :D

Oh and apparently there is some timeframe in which they choose whether to follow the faith or be banished. So the younger ones are the ones with all the gadgets and technology. It's ok for a male/female in their teens until 21ish to drive and have all the comforts of English life. I'm pretty sure once they choose and marry they have to give it up. Sometimes there will be a big write up in the paper about a hellish party at a barn that got out of control (amish teens are wild).

This however was a 32 yr old milk man who shot these girls execution style before killing himself. So far no idea what the motivation was. It's sick though.

The last thing I heard on the news was it was "payback" for something that happened many years ago, according to his last message to his wife.

Such has Fox news spoken, such it shall be.

This is horrible and really nothing could of prevented it. A seemingly normal man snaps and decides to kill a bunch of innocent young girls. If there is a devil this guy was recruited by him.

I decided to venture over and take a look at the Free Republic equivalent for the looney left.

Here are some choice quotations explaining the Amish shooting (you can't make this shit up -- all taken from here http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2540310):

First up is the common excuse when any gun violence happens -- blame the gun laws

"What this country needs is more guns so this wouldn't happen (sarcasm)" =

Next up is the culture of violence excuse (and a good dosing of "franken" foods) --

"I mostly blame poor diet and rotten culture. We're way too atomized in this country and the food is really driving us nuts and killing us. Oh, and then there's all the chemicals, hormone disruptors, etc. and the endless cavalcade of murderous violence we 'entertain' ourselves with."

Third is the...well read for yourself --

"Global warming?I wonder if it's having unknown effects on human brains."

Wow. We have got to get this global warming thing under control. Anyone else feeling a desire to go on a mass murder spree because it's hot?

And finally, last but not least is the end all be all excuse (I like to call it the Nydia theory) --

"Maybe we have a "Manchurian Candidate" situation going on here? Maybe KKKarl told his brainwashed operatives to "Play some card" so that the MSM "news" could be filled up with these shootings?!?"

From sophist back to sixth grader today, eh Furt?

As an aside, someone recently named what Furt did above (digging through a blog's comment section to find quotables) "nutpickin'."

I'll remember that phrase the next time Ll dredges up a cesspool of muck and mire from the freeper board and you all go apeshit talking about the ramifications of it all.

I'll remember that phrase the next time Ll dredges up a cesspool of muck and mire from the freeper board and you all go apeshit talking about the ramifications of it all.
So, pretty much any post he makes?

I saw this morning that the baptist church that sends protesters to the soldiers funerals is going to send protesters to the funerals of the Amish children killed...they are blaming this on the gay thing...the christian right is so cool...don't ya think.

Westboro Baptist Church is the group you're referring to, led by Fred Phelps.

the christian right is so cool...don't ya think.

Yes I do, but these people are not Christians (ultimate judge is God, not me though) and they are not right in any sense of the word.

You're such a demagogoe Rover.

As reprehensible as their behavior is, they do have some biblical foundation for their central viewpoint, and this interpretation (gays are bad) has fairly widespread appeal among many in the Christian right and their leaders, true demagogues (http://www.frcaction.org/index.cfm?i=WX06C06).

What attention getters. OMG blame the gays blame the gays! A seemingly normal man goes off the edge and kills Old Order Amish but it's because of the gays. Give me a break these people need to be shot.

Don't confuse a viewpoint against homosexuality with "these amish girls deserved to die because the governor called us nut jobs."

Many conservatives have ripped these people on air and in print for the what they stand for and I'm certain that there may be 100 people in this country that agree with what they're doing. They don't represent the Christian Right, period.

No confusion at all. No doubt that the vast majority of the Christian right opposes their activities against our troops and in this case as well (perhaps even against murdered gays like Matthew Sheppard, tho' the outcry was much lessened then). But the biblical foundations are the same, alike in the "sense of the word," and receive support from highly placed and highly influential individuals.

I'm always pleased to see Christian right leaders condemn the Phelps gang, of course.

They don't represent the Christian Right, period.

They might not be representative of the Christian Right, but as extreme right wing Christians, they are representing the Christian right.



All that extremists like the Phelps clan do is give the other side ammunition, and there are seriously wacko folks on both the right and left.

An interesting thing to remember is that the Amish folks are Conservative Christians as well. If I recall correctly, they are Biblical literalists.

What attention getters. OMG blame the gays blame the gays! A seemingly normal man goes off the edge and kills Old Order Amish but it's because of the gays. Give me a break these people need to be shot.

OMG...dont you get it...if we allow gays to be gay...then we will end up all decorated and stuff like that. Imagine the horror of mauve houses, or pink oxford shirts or what about clothing that is coordinated on all men.

There was a time when I thought this country was going the way of judging a person on their merits, but thank god for people like this who judge people on their gayness.

I say stop color coordination in our lifetime!!!

LOL Rover.

Yes, Akipt you're right it's not a gay issue for the WBC. I didn't know that until this morning when I heard they are protesting the Amish funerals b/c of Rendell. This just shows more ignorance on their parts b/c the Amish community is a separate intity from the government. They could care less who the gov is or who's running or even who the president is. So it's like telling a blind person the sky is blue. Bunch of dumbasses.

I've been so wrapped up with work this week that I have missed a good deal of all that is going on except the water cooler talk. This place is nuts here with all the coverage on TV, radio, and in the newspaper. I hope to get a chance to actually absorb some of it after Cerner leaves tomorrow, gah working 7:30am to 8/9pm sucks :(

What I found amusing about all the coverage was the media's lack of understanding that the families of the victims were so ready to forgive the shooter, and his family.
I've even heard that they invited the shooter's wife to the funerals.
The media kept asking the same quetsions of the Amish over and over: "Do you forgive the Shooter? Do you have any anger towards his family? How are you able to forgive so quickly?"
The faith these people have in God is astounding. The media's lack of comprehension is very telling.

The media's lack of comprehension is very telling.Nothing new there.

It's the standard array of questions, like asking "How does winning the championship make you feel?" and "Are you sad that your family died in the earthquake?"

What I found amusing about all the coverage was the media's lack of understanding that the families of the victims were so ready to forgive the shooter, and his family.
I've even heard that they invited the shooter's wife to the funerals.
The media kept asking the same quetsions of the Amish over and over: "Do you forgive the Shooter? Do you have any anger towards his family? How are you able to forgive so quickly?"
The faith these people have in God is astounding. The media's lack of comprehension is very telling.

Perhaps that was the coverage you saw but not where I live. But then, living less than 40miles from there probably has allot to do with that. I've finally had time to absorb much of it and it's really sad. Apparently one of the victims is starting to talk and speak about what happened in there.

I agree, the Old Order Amish have strong faith and could teach WBC and some other right wingers what forgiveness and being godly really means. Mostly I feel sorry for them b/c they are being put under a microscope and being bombarded with our way of life and something they don't want. I wish people would leave them alone and let them grieve.

People spend way to much time judging others after tragedies like these. We should feel bad for what these poor kids and their famlies had to go through. It doesn't matter what religon, shape, color, they are. The simple fact is a tragedy like this could happen in any school to any kid.