Shoe Bomber sentenced

[CAPT KUJO]

For those of you that didn't know, Richard Ried, the shoe bomber was sentanced in Federal Court. If you didn't hear what the sentencing judge had to say you might want to read this. Hat's off to him! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

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 if that happens to be your own view, you are, nevertheless, a terrorist, and we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not deal 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 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 discretely. It is for freedom's sake that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on your behalf, have filed appeals and will go on in their representation of you before other judges. We are 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 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 Officer. Stand him down."
[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[n.w.transplant]

Thanks Cpt. Kujo,

Someone needs to take that judge fishing and let him enjoy the "FREEDOM" of the Great Northwest!

[Born to be Wild]

Cool. But I think maybe this should have been posted on LIG.

Dan (Longview Dan)!

[kayakfisher]

A just and merciful sentence in my opinion.

A friend, a physician, was having dinner with one of his old residency friends in New York last week, and they were with a distributor of medical products who made the comment that islam is a terrorist religion, and that all islamists are terrorists.

The "old friend" actually, was from Pakistan, and is islamic...he commented that this is a very dark time for islam...and that it appears to him that islam is going through a dark ages regression...and that the true islamists need to take their religion back from the terrorists.

The judge's speech was very well said.

Mike

[Just_learning]

Kayak Fisher,
Islam was never owned by the terrorists, to say they have it, is just like saying the Klan has Christianity. Islam is a peaceful religion, I am a Muslim, and one of the things that I personnally get fired up about is when people refer to Islam as a terrorist religion. I am not calling out, but it is a dark time for people who are being singled out because they look "muslim" but not for Islamic beliefs. I havent had any troubles, my hardest trouble is straightening out people who think that have it right, and are convinced they know "all about it." WHich I find sad, but there isnt much you can do right? Just keep treating people as you would like to be treated. I am not going to change anyones life views in a single conversation though it would be nice, I dont have that power. Nobody does.

[OceanBlue]

Kujo - Let freedom ring!

Just Learning - I believe Pilar took you on a fishing trip this summer, yes? You're righteous, man. No need to prove it. Sorry for all those ignorant souls who want to put folks in a "box" because it makes them feel better.

The couple that serves my coffee every morning is from Afganistan. I love those people. I fear for them when they tell me they will go "home" to visit relatives. They assure me that it isn't just these times that their home country is in unrest. It has always been that way. They are "used to it." That makes me very sad to hear.

We enjoy wonderful freedoms in this country. Sure, we've faced strife. We complain about government and war and whatever, but until recently, we've not had any idea what real tragedy or terror is. And honestly, I don't think that is anything close to some other places in the world where citizens are faced with real terror every day of their lives. Imagine not knowing when your loved one leaves for work if they're going to make it home that night. Every day.

Count your blessings, my fellow Americans. Be proud. Be thankful of your freedom every waking moment of every day. And every other waking moment protect it. Separate the trivial from the real. Prioritize. What are you willing to give up to continue to leave the house every day without fear? (relatively speaking)

God Bless America!

[Albacore Tuna Captain]

That was a righteous post Kim.

Terrorism is for the gutless wannabe's who have no idea for why they hate.

Just Learning is right about his religion but he needs to understand that the radicals in the Islamic faith are destroying it by claiming to carry out these attacks in the name of Allah. All true Muslims need to stand up and take their religion back from the terrorists and they need to do it soon because the acts of the terrorists in the name of Allah are bringing the wrath of other religions down on them. THe radical clergic in the Muslim faith are creating a holy war against Christian and the Jewish faiths and they are doing it out of hate.

[Just_learning]

ATC,
Allah = God. there is only one good, muslims believe in the same god that you do. God IS rational he sent Moses to carry his word, Abraham to pick up where he left off, Jesus to do the same and Mohammed to follow. Alot of people dont know that mislims follow the old testament, and that 85% of the bible speaks nothing of Mohammed, but of Moses, Abraham, and Jesus(Little bit of information Jesus in Arabic is Al-Messikh which means "The Messiah"). People just choose which disciple is right for them and makes the most sense.
I am not trying to stir the pot here, but the suicide bombers ARE NOT carrying out acts of God, they are carrying out acts against US and Israeli Foreign policy(on a side note, how many Palestinean tanks and bulldozers have rolled through Jerusalem?), I better not say where I stand on this but you all can probably get the picture. War has been going on in that portion of the world for thousands of years, and will continue for quite sometime. There is no difference between me and a "Jew"(my best friend is Jewish) if you were to really go to Israel and see the "real" Jewish people(not the ones by faith, but by race which are all too often confused), they are virtually identical to the Palestinians and much of the Arab world citizens. The ones you are seeing and supporting look much like you(I am assuming you are a WASP) because too are from Europe and after they war when the UN gave them a "homeland" they migrated from Europe to the middleast.
IMHO, Richard Reid, was just some idiot who was just trying to make a name for himself and do something with his miserable life, and I think that it is all too apparent.
Again, not trying to stir the pot, just trying to inform.

Nibbs

[ 11-07-2003, 10:43 AM: Message edited by: Just_learning ]

[kayakfisher]

Just Learning...

Of course Islam is a peaceful religion...but unfortunately a disorted view of Islam is apparrently being taught to youngsters in certain places...one that preaches violence. At least one Islamist feels that his religion is going through bad times right now...and i assure you, Christianisty has also gone through bad times, far worse ones i hope than Islam is or will. Christianity was "highjacked" for a while, as you likely know well, because it has been used to spread fear and warfare, using the name of God and religion as a false premise to justify killing. There are some now who are trying to use a distorted view of Islam to do the same, at least according to the Islamist person to whom I referred...this is his expressed opinion. If Islamic people don't believe their religion can be used and abused by certain people to promote bad deeds they are not paying attention to world affairs.

Does this mean that I think Islam is the religion of terrorists..no. Does this mean that i think it can be disorted and used to promote death...yes, just as other reglions have been. Does this mean that I am in agreement with the foreign policy decisions of this and past adminitrations of the USA in regards to mideast affairs, including Israel and Palestine...no. Does this mean I am antisemetic, or antiislamic...no I am not.

I am also a realist...and if the reputation of Islam is to be protected the Islamic peoples of the world need to object to the distortion of Islam to promote harm to other human beings. If they do not they may be watching their religion be "highjacked"

m.