I have lived in Decatur, Ind., and Wauseon, Ohio, towns with Amish communities, and much longer in Chicago and suburbs with multi-ethnic neighborhoods.

Sparta reminded me of Decatur, from the courthouse in the square to the library with a fountain, and most everyone European and that northern. It came as a surprise to find that the ethnic minority, despite "others" - Hmong, black (army families mostly) Native American, a few Hispanics (whose second language was Spanish, the first an Indian dialect) and one or two Asians - were the Amish.

Sparta has Mormons and Seventh-Day Adventists, and Viroqua has enough "New World" off-the-grid (old hippies?), organic produce, home schooled, practicing herbalists and Wiccans to think we were back in California. Yet the Amish, sixth-generation Americans, Swiss or German background, and one of the oldest Protestant sects (Quaker and Mennonite-Amish broken off from Mennonite) are looked on much as the orthodox Jews. I find this sobering. One might have expected Native Americans to be the "they" here. (Casinos took them off the list?)

I am from the Society of Friends, Downers Grove, Ill., silent meeting. We can quell any religious discussion when we announce we have no minister, no symbols, no music (thank goodness - no 500 hymns you can't sing in tune) and are not democratic. The majority does not rule, and one wonders how anything is ever resolved! There is some dispute over this among certain meetings.

I find the La Crosse paper overlooks what in another area paper would be called "insensitive." The Amish are not the only farmers with horses and wagons, and there are farmers with metal wheels, lug wheels and probably a few with studded tires and snow chains. The "English" seem to take pride in pointing out when the Amish veer from their (Amish) beliefs. Wasn't there a parable about "the two-by-four in the eye?" I suspect the "English" would very much object to farm tractors, lawnmowers and snowblowers licensed in order to pay for air pollution prevention. Remember when the "just-on-the-farm-truck" had to get a license?