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REQUIEM

Below are the two final essays to be posted on Allegiance and Duty Betrayed. The first one is written by a friend -- screen name 'Euro-American Scum' -- who, over the past four years, has been the most faithful essayist here. He has written about everything from his pilgrimage to Normandy in 2004 to take part in the 60th–year commemoration of the invasion, to his memories of his tour in Vietnam. His dedication to America’s founding principles ... and those who have sacrificed to preserve them over the past 200+ years ... is unequaled. Thank you, E-A-S. It has been a privilege to include your writing here, and it is a privilege to call you my friend.

The second essay is my own farewell. And with it I thank all of the many regular visitors, and those who may have only dropped in occasionally, for coming here. I hope you learned something. I hope a seed or two was planted. But, even if not, I thank you for stopping by ... 25 March, 2010

4/02/2007

New Hope


Sincere apologies to all who have posted here over the past week or so. I will be responding to those posts very soon. In the interim, I simply want to make you aware of a timely update on the Lancaster County Amish community ...

Amish students who survived the shooting spree in Nickel Mines, Bart Township, Lancaster County, PA attended school in a new building today, exactly six months after the massacre that took the lives of five of their classmates.

The new school, re-named the New Hope Amish School, is located within just a few hundred yards of the location of the old West Nickel Mines School, which was demolished by the Amish community just ten days after Charles Roberts IV shot ten young Amish girls inside the school last October.


The new school is more secure, location-wise, than its predecessor, being located behind a series of Amish homes, barely visible from the nearest public road, and accessible only by driving down a private driveway. There are now locks on the door, but the Amish have remained true to their shunning of modern conveniences by not installing a telephone within the building.


Students have been attending classes in a farmer’s garage for the past six months, but leaders of the local Amish community wanted students to be holding classes in the new building before the school year ends in mid-May, when most of the students are needed at home for spring farm chores.

The Nickel Mines Accountability Committee has collected more than four million dollars, part of which paid for construction of the new, partially brick school. Donations also have helped care for the five girls who were wounded by Roberts and survived.

Four of the five wounded girls have returned to school, but the fifth, six-year-old Rosanna King, remains in a comatose state, being fed by a feeding tube and no longer able to communicate with her family.

Roberts' widow and three children have moved from their home in a nearby village, about a mile from the shooting, to another community within Lancaster County.

Emma Zook, the nineteen-year-old teacher who ran for help on the day of the shootings, spent her first day teaching at the new schoolhouse today.

May the Lord continue to bless the Amish community, and always provide them the wisdom, strength and comfort that only He can.

~ joanie

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is such good news but I feel so bad for the little 6 year old girl. How awful for her family.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Joanie. It's good to know that life goes on in Nickel Mine.

Anonymous said...

The level of insanity in this situation is so great that I still find it impossible to comprehend.

What happened to the toxicology test on the killer?

Anonymous said...

This is all so very sad, the Amish have to hide their school away and the little girl is in a vegetative state. I also feel so sorry for the killers wife and children. God bless them all.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the update Joanie, good and bad at the same time.

Anonymous said...

I also feel so sorry for the killers wife and children.

I feel sorrier for the little girls killed and maimed by the so-called "husband-father."

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear they're back in a real classroom.

Hurry back, Joanie. I want to hear you rant about the high court's decision on CO-2. :>)

Anonymous said...

Ditto the hurry back. I'm in need of an angry response to SCOTUS's ruling and I'm too lazy to write one myself. ;)

Anonymous said...

It's interesting that they had enough money to build an elaborate school and yet they stuck to simple and functional. It looks like they haven't abandoned their simple ways in any way after this tragedy. Good for them. I hope little Rosanna King either recovers or doesn't linger in this state. Her family must be heartbroken. It chokes me up just thinking about how she is now living thanks to thank awful man.

Luis said...

Thank you Joanie,

It is good to have an update and be reminded that hope is possible in any situation.