[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 96 (Tuesday, July 13, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H5544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     AMISH SHOW SHOULD BE SCRAPPED

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, UPN is making a new reality TV show about the 
Amish. The very act of making this show violates a fundamental Amish 
religious tenet, and paying a few Amish teams to participate requires 
them to break it.
  See, the Amish believe that television or photographs themselves 
violate the Ten Commandments' ban on graven images. If one is selling a 
show based on its participants' religious identity, should they not at 
least respect the religious tenets of those participants and their 
families?
  One affiliate in Pennsylvania, UPNTV15 in Harrisburg, has decided not 
to air the program until it previews its content. UPN15 has taken a 
principled and courageous stand. Its request to prescreen the show will 
help them ensure that the show's content does not offend its viewers. 
Other affiliates should follow suit, and advertisers should think twice 
before attaching their names to a show that potentially degrades a 
minority religious community.
  This series would be offensive, exploitative, and inaccurately 
portray a minority group. It should be cancelled.

                          ____________________