THE SHOE BOMBER

FROM THE IN-BOX:

THE SHOE BOMBER

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.

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 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 up on 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 ar e
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 know
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 ofunfathomable 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 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 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 evidences
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.