The Shoe Bomber - The Judge's Words. Hat Tip Lawson Narse.

It's worth reading.
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 or Radio?
Didn't think so.!!!
Everyone should hear what the judge had to
say...
Ruling by Judge William Young, US 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 stating, 'I
think I will not apologize for my actions,' and
told the court 'I am at war with your
country.'
Judge Young then delivered the statement
quoted below:
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, 4and 7, the Court sentences you to 20
years in prison on each count, the sentence
on each count to run consecutively. (That's
80 years.)
On count 8 the Court sentences you to the
mandatory 30 years again, to be served
consecutively to the 80 years just imposed.
The Court imposes upon you for each of the
eight counts a fine of $250,000 that's an
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 an $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.
Now, 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
too much war talk here and I say that to
everyone with the utmost respect. Here in
this court, 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 the officers of
government do it or your attorney does it, or
if you think you are a soldier, you are
not----- you are a terrorist. And we do not
negotiate with terrorists. We do not meet
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've known warriors.
You are a terrorist. A species of criminal that
is 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 the TV crews were, and he
said: 'You're no big deal.'
You are no big deal.
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 to
us 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 wind carries freedom. It carries 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, will go on in their
representation of you before other judges.
We Americans are all 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. The 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. And it always will.
Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down.
So, how much of this Judge's comments did
we hear on our TV sets? We need more
judges like Judge Young. Pass this around.
Everyone should and needs to hear what this
fine judge had to say. Powerful words that
strike home.
Please share this----so that everyone has a
chance to read it.