Judge William Young

[FishForLunch]

Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into his shoe and
tried to light it? His trial is over.

How much of this Judge's comments did you hear on TV?

Everyone should hear what the judge had to say.

Ruling by Judge William Young

U.S. District Court Judge William Young made the following statement in
sentencing "shoe bomber" Richard Reid to prison. It is noteworthy, and
deserves to be remembered far longer than he predicts. I commend it to you
and to anyone you might wish to forward it to.

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 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 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 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 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, 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.