Subject: NOT in the news
How many of us read this text, or saw it in the news?
Airplane Shoe Bomber Sentencing
Now here is a judge whom we can trust and of whom we can feel very proud.
The Ruling by Judge William Young U.S. District Court
It is noteworthy, and deserves to be remembered far longer than he predicts.
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 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 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 , 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 terrorists with respect.
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 Santigo 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 attornies 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 carefully 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 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 and have filed appeals, will go on in 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.
Custody Officer. Stand Mr. Reid down. "
How much of this Judge's comments did you hear on our TV sets? .
