eSPO
1st June 2005, 05:18
The Shoe Bomber :
>
>Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb in his shoe and tried to
>light it?
>
>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/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 stated "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 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 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 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 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 by our statutes. It's a
>fair and just sentence. It's a righteous sentence. Let me explain why.
>
>
>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
>all 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 it is the officers of government who do it or your attorney who
>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 where 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 being 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
>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. 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. It always
>will.
>
> Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down.
>
>So, how much of this Judge's comments did we hear on our TV sets? We
>need more judges like Judge Young, but that's another subject.
>
>Please pass this on.......so that all Americans have a chance to read
>it. Everyone should and needs to hear what this fine judge had to say.
>
>Powerful words that strike home.
>
>God bless America.
>
>Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb in his shoe and tried to
>light it?
>
>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/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 stated "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 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 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 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 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 by our statutes. It's a
>fair and just sentence. It's a righteous sentence. Let me explain why.
>
>
>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
>all 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 it is the officers of government who do it or your attorney who
>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 where 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 being 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
>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. 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. It always
>will.
>
> Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down.
>
>So, how much of this Judge's comments did we hear on our TV sets? We
>need more judges like Judge Young, but that's another subject.
>
>Please pass this on.......so that all Americans have a chance to read
>it. Everyone should and needs to hear what this fine judge had to say.
>
>Powerful words that strike home.
>
>God bless America.