 David
Irving comments: A CORRESPONDENT
sends me this document, and writes: 
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. Liberal media
at work ignoring justice and truth again.
Everyone should hear what the judge had to
say.
"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.
For the completeness of the record, I
reproduce it here. |
Shoe
Bomber Sentence Ruling by Judge
William Young in the U.S. District Court January
30, 2003 in the case of The United States vs.
Richard C. 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
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
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 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 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 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. |
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