[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 100 (Thursday, July 21, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H6315]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              RICHARD REID

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, as a former criminal court judge, I always 
thought it was necessary and important at sentencing to let the 
defendant know and the victim know what society thought of the criminal 
behavior. I know the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) who is here and 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter) also did the same thing when they 
sentenced individuals.
  Judge William Young of the United States District Court sentenced the 
so-called shoe bomber who took a shoe and made a bomb out of it and got 
on an airplane. He sentenced this terrorist and did a similar thing, 
letting the defendant know what society thought of his criminal 
behavior.
  Prior to sentencing, as all judges do, Judge Young asked Richard Reid 
if he had anything to say. First he admitted his guilt and then, for 
the record, he pledged his allegiance to Osama bin Laden, to Islam and 
to the religion of Allah, and defiantly stated in open court, ``I think 
I will not apologize for my actions,'' and told the Court, ``I am at 
war with this country.''
  Judge Young then delivered the following statement. ``Mr. Richard 
Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes on you. Court has 
found you guilty of all crimes committed and sentences you to first, 3 
life sentences, 4, 20 year sentences stacked, which means that is 80 
years, 1 30-year sentence and one $2 million.'' He also ordered 
restitution to the victim and to American Airlines.
  Then he told the defendant the following: The life sentences are real 
life sentences, so I need to go no further. These are fair and just 
sentences. It is a righteous sentence. Let me explain to you this, Mr. 
Reid. We are not afraid of you or any of your terrorist co-
conspirators. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before. 
Here in 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 just a terrorist. To give you that 
reference, to call you a soldier gives you far too much stature in this 
court. If you think you are a soldier, you are not. You are just 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.
  You are a big fellow now but you are not that big. You are no 
warrior. I have known warriors. You are just a terrorist, a species of 
criminal that is guilty of multiple murders or attempted murders. In a 
very real sense, State Trooper Santiago had it right when you were 
first taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the 
press was and where the TV cameras were and he said to you, you are no 
big deal.
  Well, sir, you are no big deal. I have listened respectfully to what 
you have had to say and I ask you to search in your heart and ask 
yourself what sort of hate led you to do what you are guilty of and 
that you admit to being guilty of doing. And I have an answer for you. 
It may not satisfy you, but as far as I am concerned, in 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 to me and 
to our country. You hate freedom. You hate our freedom, our individual 
freedom, our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come as we go, 
to believe or not to believe. And here in this society the very wind 
carries freedom. It carries it everywhere from sea to shining sea and 
even across the seas. 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 these appeals.
  We Americans are all about freedom. Because we all know that this is 
the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, it is the measure of our own liberties. 
Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we 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, 
not war, individual justice is in fact being done. The very President 
of the United States, through his officers will have to come into the 
courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged 
and juries of citizens will gather and judge all individuals.
  And finally, Mr. Reid, you see that flag? That is the flag of the 
United States of America. That flag will fly there long after this is 
all forgotten. That flag stands for freedom. It stands for justice. It 
always has, it always will.
  Mr. Officer, that has the defendant in custody, take him away.
  Judge Young, you are to be commended for such words.

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