Austin American Statesman - (click link to see photo of Diane on the streets of Washington doing her community service work)

Baker, a mother of four and grandmother of two, suffers from myoclonic epilepsy, a degenerative muscle condition that causes her voice to quiver and hands to shake. As she signed in to begin her community service, she struggled to write her name.

With little effort, I can think 3 ways to better utilize Diane's skills when assigning her community service:
 

• Counseling homeless and troubled.



• Visiting the thousands of wounded soldiers in hospitals



• Serving soup in a soup kitchen

Diane's real punishment was missing this opportunity as described by my friend and Diane's fellow protestor, Leslie:

The peace delegation from Texas all went together that morning for a "visit" with Senator Cornyn, where we expressed our collective opinion that we should have a comprehensive withdrawal from Iraq (not just no more troops ~ no contractors, no permanent bases ~ nada), complete reparations for the Iraqi people, and funding for comprehensive VA benefits (health ~ including screening for PTSD, DU, etc., etc ~ education, housing for the homeless vets, etc.).  Afterwards, we all posed for a photo with the senator.  Conspicuously missing from the photo was the Reverend Diane Baker, this year's Dallas Peace Center "Peacemaker of the Year," because she was out picking up garbage on the streets of Washington DC as punishment for sitting on the steps of a congressional office building.

As Baker slowly dragged her trashcan down the streets of downtown Washington, she acknowledged that she had learned a lesson, albeit one on the "stupidity" of the justice system in "a country built on freedom of speech."

"They like to use this as a system of shame," she said, crouching down to pick up a cigarette butt lodged in a crack in the sidewalk. "But I'm not ashamed to be an American."

Also on Texas Kaos
UPDATE I just spoke with Diane's husband. It was the U.S. Attorney General's office in D.C. that decided the sentence not the judge. He said that judge was very kind. The Attorney General's office would no negotiate or consider letting Diane do counseling at a hospice or returning veterans or anything. They said it was picking up trash or trial. She did not actually cross a police line. She saw some people sitting down and went to sit with them. Her husband assured me that this is not the point because she would have crossed the police line given the opportunity. When I called, Diane was napping before she left for Dallas to protest in from of Kay Bailey Hutchinson's office as she does "every Friday at 4:00 pm rain, shine or snow." I should hope to some day have as much courage as this woman.