Something every American should read

[mattfivefour]

I received the following info in an email today. I have checked it out online, including at Snopes. It is accurate and true.

It concerns the shoe bomber, Richard Reid, who pleaded guilty to trying to blow up American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami back in 2001 by attempting to ignite plastic explosives hidden in the sole of his high-top suede sport shoe.

At his hearing on 30 January 2003, Reid was sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge William Young. 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 following statement.

The person who sent it to me said that very few people have ever heard it and suggested every American—indeed every freedom loving individual—should read his words.

Therefore I am posting them here:
______________________


Ruling by Judge William Young, US District Court.

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, 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.

[LivnForChrist]

Right Judge!!! You told him. He's nothing but an insignificant terrorist.
Thanks for posting this Adrian.

[mikalikat]

Gloriously said! Thanks so much, Adrian, for sharing that. I will be posting this on facebook.

[HisForever]

This is something that every freedom loving American should read.

That cop was right: he is insignificant.

If anything he and every terrorist out there are nothing more than cockroaches that deserve and need squashing.

[micah719]

They are also human beings deluded and blinded by the devil and our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth died for them too, so the most important thing missing from the judges' speech was the fact that the USA owes its fast-disappearing freedom and strength to the Lord it has forsaken. In the Old Testament, people like Mr Reid were executed the same day as the trial, which is a great time for them to think about repentance seeing as how they're about to face THE Judge. As it is, these days they spend years in prison with guaranteed meals and shelter, and get to socialise with other criminals and talk about how hard done by they are....

[HisForever]

You're right, they are human beings for whom our Lord Jesus died for also (I John 2:2-3.)

I spoke out of carnality and apologize to the forum.

Thank you for the reminder.

[MikeD]

WOW! What a statement. So sad this is not being seen in the major news networks. But, then again, it doesn't surprise me.

[Dove]

Awesome post!! Thank-you...