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   Sentencing of Richard C. Reid

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 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.

So, how much of this Judge's comment did we hear on our TV sets? We need

more judges like Judge Young, but that's another subject. 

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