makes you want to wave a flag

[phatchopper]

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.



Please forward this---------so that every American has a chance to read it.

[bad14u]

Here is part of the transcript between Reid and the Judge.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/31/reid.transcript/

[THE BOUNCER]

Hot damn and holy shit. Where are the media pigs now? Why dont we see this on our TV's 24/7. They would rather talk about things that make us look bad. They would rather talk about a blond haired girl that went missing in Aruba 2 months ago. Keep in mind that people go missing every single day. We dont here about them. They would rather talk about steroid use. These pukes make me sick.

I give that judge all the respect in the world. We need more of that.

[bad14u]

Originally Posted by THE BOUNCER

Hot damn and holy shit. Where are the media pigs now? Why dont we see this on our TV's 24/7. They would rather talk about things that make us look bad. They would rather talk about a blond haired girl that went missing in Aruba 2 months ago. Keep in mind that people go missing every single day. We dont here about them. They would rather talk about steroid use. These pukes make me sick.

I give that judge all the respect in the world. We need more of that.

I guess considering that the ruling was over two years ago you won't hear about it now. I can't say I recall hearing about it then either though.

As for the girl missing in Aruba, I can understand why they are showing it so much...the girl is still missing and no body is found. I guess if it was my child I would want the world to know what is going on over there too.

As for steroid use....I believe it won't be long now before we start seeing more pro-steroid stories. After HBO doing a story on the benefits of educated steroid use and Armhan Katein admitting he was misled and has misinformed people himself the truth should come out soon!

[Severedties]

That is a damn heartfelt speech. Gave me goosebumps to read it. I agree that it should be distributed for all to read. It shows what we should stand for, and what the best of us do stand for.

Thanks for sharing it.

[Mr incredible]

Now thats a speach

[beefcake]

I think it's good that the media didn't cover it. Seems like that's what that bastard wanted. One of the first things out of his mouth when they arrested him was, where's all the camera's. So i'm glad the bitch didn't get the exposure he wanted. Hope someone in prison throws pigs blood on the fucker.

[redsquirrel]

Originally Posted by beefcake

I think it's good that the media didn't cover it. Seems like that's what that bastard wanted. One of the first things out of his mouth when they arrested him was, where's all the camera's. So i'm glad the bitch didn't get the exposure he wanted. Hope someone in prison throws pigs blood on the fucker.

EXACTLY the point I was going to make.

When this pussy was first arrested, the state trooper said he was "no big deal".

I think it's excellent the media and politicians didn't succumb to what this psycho really wanted...exposure.

As for pig blood in prison, he's not going to last 12 months.

[JUICE]

Originally Posted by redsquirrel

As for pig blood in prison, he's not going to last 12 months.

i hope he f'n gets killed in there