Stick this here.
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 statues. It is a fair
and just sentence. It is a righteous sentence. Let me explain this to
you.
We are not afraid of 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 Trooper Santigo 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, 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.
It's pertinent.
, people who have mastered how to tell the public what has to be said. Bush didn't write the speech, hell, i DEFY you to find me one in the modern world that does.
I think it has to do with his slight dyslexia which means that he has to concentrate (and gets that odd look). IMO he's a much better speaker 'off the cuff' and its a pity that he wont do it more on TV.
