Limited-Time
Vice Admiral
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2005
- Messages
- 5,820
Apologies if it's been posted before.....................still a great read.
Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into 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 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
> every-one 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.
>
>
> 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. Pass this around.
> 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 built into 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 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
> every-one 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.
>
>
> 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. Pass this around.
> Everyone should and needs to hear what this fine judge had to say.
> Powerful words that strike home. God bless America
