Sisters Ordered to do Community Service
Posted on December 8, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized |
Last Friday, Catholic Sisters Barbara Huber and Mary Ann Cunningham, along with Mennonite Esther Kisamore, were sentenced to community service by Judge Robert Warren of the Colorado Springs Municipal Court for attempting to deliver a letter to Gen. Kahler on their religious views about war. They also received a “Ban and Bar” letter from Peterson Air Force Base.
The women attempted to peacefully walk onto the base as part of Aug. 8’s Sisters Witness Against War, when they were arrested. Two days before the trial, Judge Warren ruled that the defendants could not present the defense they had planned. They subsequently changed their plea to “no contest,” figuratively turning their backs on the court’s unruly treatment of their explanation of innocence.
The end result was a deferred sentence and a day and a half of community service for Cunningham and a week for Huber and Kisamore. Afterwards, 40 persons who came to hear their very moving statements to the judge, a military veteran, gathered outside the courtroom in solidarity with these heroes for peace.
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2 Responses to “Sisters Ordered to do Community Service”
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I cannot believe the idiocy in the courts. What does the judge think nuns do?
I think a better question is ‘what do we think judges do?’ Don’t get me wrong, I think the nuns’ intent was awesome and I hope it made a point. But let’s remember that judges uphold the law. The law as it now stands, not as we want it to stand someday. And we should know that as we voice our views. If anything, it sounds to me like the judge used discretion in the sentence, but had to hand down something…so community service it was.
I don’t know too much about the legalities of the case. I’m just saying that judges have a job to do, which we are aware of as we make our voice heard.
But again, I think the nuns did a great thing in making their point.