the Shoe Bomber Sentencing

[Drywall]

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 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 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 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."