Subject: Remember the Almost Shoe Bomber???
Subject: The Almost Shoe Bomber Terrorist gets his day in court
Remember Richard Reid, the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into
his shoe and tried to light it? His trial is over.
How much of the judge's comments did you hear on TV? Everyone should
hear
what the judge had to say. Judge William Young (U.S. District Court) made
the following statement in sentencing "shoe bomber" Richard Reid to
prison.
It is noteworthy, and deserves to be remembered far longer than he
predicts.
I commend it to you and to anyone you might wish to forward it to.
This is verbatim.
January 30, 2003 United States vs. Reid.
Judge Young: Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court
imposes upon you. On counts , 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in
prison in the custody of the United States Attorney General. On counts 2,
3,
4 and 7, the Court sentences you to 20 years in prison on each count, the
sentence on each count to run consecutive with the other. That's 80 years.
On count 8 the Court sentences you to the mandatory 30 years consecutive
to
the 80 years just imposed. The Court imposes upon you each of the eight
counts a fine of $250,000 for the aggregate fine of $2 million.
The Court accepts the government's recommendation with respect to
restitution and orders restitution in the amount of $298.17 to Andre
Bousquet and $5,784 to American Airlines. The Court imposes upon you the
$800 special assessment. The Court imposes upon you five years supervised
release simply because the law requires it. But the life sentences are
real
life sentences so I need go no further. This is the sentence that is
provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and just sentence. It is a
righteous sentence. Let me explain this to you.
We are not afraid of any of your terrorist coconspirators, Mr. Reid. We
are Americans. We have been through the fire before. There is all too much
war talk here. And I say that to everyone with the utmost respect. Here in
this court, where we deal with individuals as individuals, and care for
individuals as individuals, as human beings we reach out for justice, you
are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in
any war. You are a terrorist. To give you that reference, to call you a
soldier gives you far too much stature. Whether it is the officers of
government who do it or your attorney who does it, or that happens to be
your view, you are a terrorist. And we do not negotiate with terrorists.
We
do not treat with terrorists. We do not sign documents with terrorists. We
hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice. So war talk is way
out
of line in this court. You are a big fellow. But you are not that big.
You're no warrior. I know warriors. You are a terrorist. A species of
criminal guilty of multiple attempted murders. In a very real sense
Trooper
Santiago had it right when you first were taken off that plane and into
custody and you wondered where the press and where the TV crews were and
he
said you're no big deal. You're no big deal..
What your counsel, what your able counsel and what the equally able United
States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know
how tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was
it
that led you here to this courtroom today? I have listened respectfully to
what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself
what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit
you are guilty of doing. And I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy
you. But as I search this entire record it comes as close to understanding
as I know..
It seems to me you hate the one thing that is most precious. You hate our
freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom -- to live as we
choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we
individually choose.
Here, in this society, the very winds carry freedom. They carry it
everywhere from sea to ****ning sea. It is because we prize individual
freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom. So that
everyone can see, truly see that justice is administered fairly,
individually, and discretely.
It is for freedom's sake that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on
your behalf and have filed appeals, will go on in their, their
representation of you before other judges. We are about it. Because we all
know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own
liberties. Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bear any
burden, pay any price, to preserve our freedoms. Look around this
courtroom.
Mark it well. The world is not going to long remember what you or I say
here. Day after tomorrow it will be forgotten. But this, however, will
long
endure. Here in this courtroom and courtrooms all across America, the
American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice,
justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done.
The very President of the United States through his officers will have to
come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be
judged, and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence
democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.
See that flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America.
That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag
stands
for freedom. You know it always will.
Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down.
How much of this Judge's comments did you hear on our TV sets? Please pass
this around. Everyone needs to hear what the judge had to say.
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