Richard C. Reid

I got this email today, you may have seen it, but I thought it deserved posting...

May those who fight or have fought for my freedom, know that there are many out there like this judge, and I am one. Fight on young men, fight on

Quote

Subject is newsworthy, but not really published anywhere . . . .

Very interesting news that we didn't hear about...

Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 3:33 PM
Subject: 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/Radio?

Didn't think so, media at work again. Everyone
should hear what the judge had to say......

The Ruling by Judge William Young U.S. 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 ought not
apologize for my actions," and told the court, "I am
at war with your country."

Judge Young then delivered the statement quoted
below, a stinging condemnation of Reid in particular
and terrorists in general.

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
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 that happens to be your view, you
are a terrorist. And we do not negotiate with
terrorists. We do not treat 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 know warriors. You are a terrorist.
A species of criminal 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're no big deal.

What your counsel, 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 of, 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 discreetly.
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, Mr. 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....