Senior Member 
Join Date: Jan 2003 Location:
Posts: 294
|  A Judge that gets it right
Thought everyone would want to read this. It's very enlightening.
>
> Subject: Some Judges Really Get It
>
>
> 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 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 for 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, 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
> 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 your self 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 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?
> Pass this around. Everyone should and needs to hear what this
fine
> judge had to say. Powerful words that strike home....
>
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