(Goodbye, Hurricane Henri, we barely knew you, and good riddance. Saw this  rainbow when the rain stopped and I was driving Moise home from the bus stop in Hoosick Falls.)

It’s not simple being Amish in techno and anxiety driven America, where so many things are done out of fear and alarm. Americans generally trust few people or institutions, or even one another. We are always changing our passwords, ignoring our phone calls, deleting e-mails we don’t know about and doubting anyone who contacts us.

The Amish are in a very different place, their culture is built around trust and connection and faith and community. This morning I drove Moise and his brother-in-law (and best friend) Jacob and on the way, they told me of their struggle to open a bank account in our town.

After 911, Congress passed a slew of laws requiring banks to adopt a raft of new requirements that were supposed to make it difficult for terrorists to open bank accounts or move money around. The new regulations made it difficult for lots of people to open bank accounts and move money around, from immigrants, temporary visa workers, the elderly, and those who didn’t have enough identification.

Most banks and credit unions now refuse accounts for people who don’t have a social security number. This causes enormous trouble for the Amish, who are forbidden by faith to take money from the  federal government or any government (this includes stimulus checks, which they returned.) .

They don’t have social security ID’s.

Moise had a credit union account from the town he lived in before – some credit unions are exempt from the 911 laws. But that credit union is hundreds of miles away and many local businesses won’t accept checks from far out of town. The Amish also have to take steps to protect their cash, they make certain that it is safe and protected, but all of that is serious inconvenience even hardship for them.

With their approval, I called a local attorney (I can’t use her name without Moise or Jacob’s approval), a very sharp lawyer who did some checking and found out that some banks – Wells Fargo, TDY – don’t require social security numbers to open an account. Some credit unions don’t either, but those around here do.

The Amish argue that they are being prosecuted for their religious beliefs, they are not permitted to accept money from the federal government or any government body. We also learned that immigrants working here or working with temporary visas are not required to have social security numbers and can open bank accounts,

I don’t know how far the Amish want to take this issue, they don’t much approve of lawsuits, but the lawyer I talked with thinks they have good points to make and she feels there is a real possibility that a local bank might agree to let them open accounts.

When I picked up Jacob and Moise at their bus stop around 6:45, I filled them in on                          my talk with the lawyer and told them what she said. She said she would represent them and thought she might be able to help.

I had a good feeling about her, in fact, I hope she will represent me if I need legal advice.

I left this information – name and phone numbers – with Moise and Jacob, and I will step out of it and leave it to them. I can call them and make an appointment of they wish, or they can ride to her offices in town and deal with her directly. That’s my choice and recommendation.

I’m not a lawyer, but it’s hard for me to believe that there isn’t a way for people who are as safe and productive and reliable as these families are to get a bank account in the community where they live.

We’ll see what happens, I’ll share the process. Things like this involving the Amish move slowly and carefully, they don’t make noise or complain or see publicity. They are mostly forbidden from filing law suits.

I have a good feeling about this. The lawyer is sharp and enthusiastic, but it’s up to them whether or not to pursue it. It’s no longer any of my business unless they tell me it is. If they do get an account, I will know that and pass that along. They are not in need of further advice, thanks.