Shoe Bomber!
 

MAKES YOU WANT TO WAVE A FLAG..........
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, 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 stated "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:
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 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, 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 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 know
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 where 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 and 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 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. 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, but that's another subject. Pass
this around. Everyone should and needs to hear what this fine judge
had to say.
Powerful words that strike home.
God bless America.

God bless America!

Thank you Irish for posting that. :)

There's two things to say here. First, it's great that the guy is out of circulation. He's no soldier, he's a terrorist. And I think that he might be one of the first terrorist even thinly related to 9/11 to finally be convicted and put in jail. The judge made a great statement.

Let's go back in the History Machine and look at Alternative History. Every since this guy tried to blow up his shoe anyone who travels has to take off their shoes. A couple of months ago I was asked to take off my shoes because they "met the profile." I asked the TSA person why I should take them off since I'd worn them through the hoop for months. After getting that reply I asked, politely, "What profile?" The TSA person and I looked at each other with a knowing look, becaues I had figured out the answer in my head already, and we both replied to each other at the same time, "They're shoes..." We both got a chuckle :)

OK, now let's look at the mechanism here. The guy tried to blow up his shoes. What if he had tried to blow up his underwear? What if it was a woman and she tried to blow up her bra? Whenever I see shoes coming off I wonder how different it might be if we all had to have our undies inspected. When I look around the lines I imagine the people standing in line, down to their undies. Most of the time that's a pleasant site to imagine.

Now, back to reality :0

Bravo Irish great post :thumb:

Hmmmmmmmm...I don't know what to make of this. It sounds a little contrived to me. Sorry Irish, but there have been many an "Urban Legend" story to come off the internet. A story that has had a basis for truth and then as it's passed along it is added to to make it more compelling.

I might be a bit jaded (ok...I am)...but I don't always believe everything I read!

It'd be nice if this judge did scold in the manner stated. Nice for us that is...cause I highly doubt it'd make a miniscule impression on the terrorist in question. His mind is made up and being told off by a judge probably wouldn't sway him one way or another. And, personally...even if it did...it'd be too little, too late anyway!!!!

(((Irish))) Hugs to you anyway...for trying to bring a satisfied feeling to us! I just ain't buying it till I see the actual court transcripts!

Lixy---It was sent to me,by my Retired Marine Officer Uncle,in Conn.I have
no idea,how true it is,but most of the things that he sends me are very patriotic.He knows that my feelings are mostly like his.We have had a mutual respect for each other for years.He married my fathers sister & is one of the few,in Conn,that I stay in touch with.One of his daughters,is my favorite
cousin.She is one of my daughters Godmothers,& altho we disagree politicaly,
we still are close because we know that the other is firm in their beliefs!
Irish

Lixy here's some of the information on the end of the trial
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2708205.stm

edited highlights include:-

Reid was unrepentant in a sentencing hearing that lasted just over 90 minutes.

"I pledge to Osama bin Laden. I'm an enemy of your country," the would-be bomber said, adding that he was a soldier.

Judge William Young rejected this claim.

"You are not a soldier - you are a terrorist," he told Reid.

Reid responded by yelling at the judge and had to be wrestled to the ground and removed from the courtroom.

"Your government has sponsored the torture of Muslims in Iraq and Turkey and Jordan and Syria with their money and weapons," he shouted.

There's even a nice picture of his shoe!
If you take a look on the FBI website and do a search for Richard Reid there's a few more things on it.

Lixy's got a point. If it's not true, it should be.

Well, the one fact that remains true is the fact that the son of a bitch was in the trial and was sentenced as fairly as possible. I beleive it was to light. I am a firm beleiver in an eye for an eye.

I think it was to light because now my tax dollars are going to be supporting him for the rest of his life. He get 3 meals a day, a roof over his head and a bed to sleep in. He doesn't even have to work for it.

While me being a single mom of two w/ no child support coming in have to work 40 plus hours a week to provide my children with the same things. 3 meals a day, a roof over there head and a bed to sleep in. Not to mention the other little things like clothes, medical and dental and school supplys and so on and so on.

But this is the price I pay for the choices I have made. I just think he got off too easy.

Just my $.02.

LixyChick,

I’m with you on the urban legends thing. This time it actually did happen.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/31/reid.transcript/

http://urbanlegends.about.com/libra...ichard_reid.htm

So glad that judge gave that bastard Reid the what for. Fuck him.

Everytime I have to take my shoes off at an airport security station, I think of this asshole and am glad he will rot in jail. I hope someone kills him in prison.

As for the crybabies who are whining about Gitmo, shut up. Let those terrorist bastards bake under that hot sun...they're getting off easy for trying to kill our troops, our people.

Make no mistake...we are at war. And war is hell.


I will NEVER forget 9/11.




(gets down from his soapbox now)

TY jseal! Didn't have time to check the sources myself...so TYVM for the links!

Irish? I wasn't doubting your sincerity...just that some emails come to us to try and MAKE us believe [whatever]...and I am not very trustful of email info anymore! I didn't doubt you...just the original source of the email!

And...I still say...whatever the judge said made it a feel good statement for us (those affected by the terrorist's actions)...and got a lot off the judges chest for all the time he had to endure the trial...but it DID NOT IMPACT REID IN ANY WAY! He believes what he believes and we can't change that which is imbedded in his beliefs since birth! Much like we can hardly change a racist's point of view...or a pure Republican or Democrat's point of view...and so on and so on...Reid has his beliefs and nary a thing can change them!

To keep him in our prison system will only qualify his beliefs and cost the taxpayer's a King's ransom for his lifetime. To try and "rehabilatate" him will be costly and not guaranteed (much like a child molester...it's deep in his soul). To kill him will give him martyrdom and make him someone to aspire to be like in the eyes of the followers behind him. We are doomed in whatever his sentence...

I hail his sentence...but it has it's faults abounding!

Lixy---I doubt if he will last long in jail.He will,probably,be found after commiting suicide,like John Sally(sp?),the abortion clinic killer.He hung himself
,in his cell,with his hands tied behind his back!That's not easy to do,but the
guards were (conveniently) looking the other way.I know a guy,that got
hooked on nose drops,that he bought from a guard,at the State Penitentiery.
The nose drops were to drink.If you're in the right circle,anything is possible
in prison. Irish