The Judge And The Shoe Bomber

This will be a little different post as the material was sent to me anonymously, so I am not sure who to thank for the information, perhaps they just copied it from the court records, but its message is one which should be read and remembered from time to time. They mentioned that they read my posts and have found me changing from a supporter of the troops to a bring them home advocate. My views are changing as I have come to believe that the Iraqi government does not care enough about its' own survival to stay in Baghdad and do the hard job of governing, and instead chose to take an August holiday, and it angers me that our troops are fighting and dying for them to do so!

However, the words that Judge Young spoke to Mr. Reid, the notorious "shoe bomber" struck a chord and I wanted to share them with you to contemplate!
The Judge And The Shoe Bomber

Shoe Bomber

Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into his shoe and tried to

light it?
janet
Did you know his trial is over?


Did you know he was sentenced?


Did you see/hear any of the judge's comments on TV or Radio?


Didn't think so.


Everyone should hear what the judge had to say.



Ruling by Judge William Young, US District Court.



Prior to sentencing, the Judge asked the defendant if he



had anything to say. His response: After admitting his guilt to the court for

the record, Reid also admitted his "allegiance to Osama bin Laden, to Islam, and

to the religion of Allah," defiantly stating, "I think I will not apologize for

my actions," and told the court "I am at war with your country."



Judge Young then delivered the statement quoted below:



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 1, 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 consecutively. (That's 80 years.)



On count 8 the Court sentences you to the mandatory 30 years again, to be served

consecutively to the 80 years just imposed. The Court imposes upon you for each

of the eight counts a fine of $250,000 that's an 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 an $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.



Now, let me explain this to you. We are not afraid of you or any of your

terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through

the fire before. There is too much war talk here and I say that to everyone

with the utmost respect. Here in this court, 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 the officers of government do

it or your attorney does it, or if you think you are a soldier. You are

not----- you are a terrorist. And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do

not meet 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've known warriors. You are a terrorist A

species of criminal that is guilty of multiple attempted murders. In a very

real sense, State Trooper Santiago had it right when you first were taken off

that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and the TV crews

were, and he said: "You're no big deal."



You are no big deal.



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 to us 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 wind carries freedom. It carries it

everywhere from sea to shining 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, have filed appeals, will go on in their

representation of you before other judges.



We Americans are all about freedom. 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 bare 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. The 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. And it always will.


Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down.