dbello's Blog

dbello's Blog has 3 entries and has been viewed 8,117 times.
Lottery Post members have made 20 comments in dbello's Blog.
dbello is a Standard member.

June 22, 2013
11:54 am

NEWSWORTHY: Shoebox Terrorist Sentencing

My kind of judge...an American first, who does get it, and a judge second to that. We need more like him. And we need to see and hear more stories like this in the news.

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 or 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 stating, '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:

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 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."

So, how much of this Judge's comments did we hear on our TV sets? We need more judges like Judge Young. Pass this around. Everyone should, and needs to, hear what this fine judge had to say. Powerful words that strike home.

Please SEND this----so that everyone has a chance to read it.

1 Comment

Entry #3

November 13, 2012
10:49 am

Red States

Sent to me by a friend, probably in reponse to signed petitions seeking permission for their states to peacefully secede from the United States. I find this amusing, not neceessarily my point of view!

Dear Red States:

We're ticked off at your Neanderthal attitudes and politics and we've decided we're leaving. That's right, leaving. We in New York and California intend to form our own country and take the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the rest of the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of our new country, The Enlightened States of America (E.S.A).

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stemcell research and the best beaches. We get Andrew Cuomo and Elizabeth Warren. You get Bobby Jindal and Todd Akin. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand. We get Intel* and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.

We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to force the Red States to pay their fair share. Good luck.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's freshfruit, *95% of America's quality wines* (you can serve French wines at state dinners), 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living redwoods,sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. We get Princeton, Penn, Haverford, Colgate, U of R. You get Ole' Miss.

As the Red States, you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite. Thank you.

38% of those in the Red States believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy <snip>s believe you are people with higher morals than we 'lefties'.

We're taking the good weed too. You can have that crap they grow in Mexico.

Sincerely,

Citizens of the Enlightened States of America

Comments

Entry #2

November 9, 2012
4:30 pm

Happy Veterans Day

Here is my Veteran's Day Message:
I have purposely been quiet leading up to the election and waited until the aftermath to finally speak on this matter. As Veteran's Day approaches and with ffamily who put their life on the line in defense of the nation, my heart is really sadden by the hateful vile from both sides and extreme racist rant that I have seen from postings on LP, Facebook and Twitter (If you like for me to share some examples, I will gladly repost the trash I have seen) simply because the election did not go the way they wanted. I also saw a picture of soldiers attacking the White House with the intention of overthrowing the government if the election did not go a certain way. This is borderline treason.

Military personnel took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the process worked Tuesday night, as set up by the document from our founding fathers. No where in that document does it say that we need to take up arms if the electoral process does not work out the way you wanted, nor draw up documentations to leave the union. This is the process that is outline in the Constitution, I suggest that we respect it.

To those that are on the Republican side, here is the question that needs to be asked - what is it about your brand that caused 94% of African American voters, 69% of Hispanic voters, 73% of Asian voters and 50% of the military voters in Norfolk, VA to go against you? Second question - if your party is what is best for the ENTIRE NATION, why did you lose the mid terms in 06, the White House in 08 and 12? You will need to do some deep soul searching to answer that question and stop throwing nasty vile out because you lost the election. Apparently, there is something wrong in your message.

To those that are on the Democratic side, here is the question that also needs to be asked- although the electoral college gave President Obama an overwhelming victory, do not misinterpret what happen Tuesday night. Half of the country did not vote for the President and the vast majority of these people are not racist, are good people and have legitimate concerns with our current financial situation. They also should have a say on what happens to this nation going forward. I would also say that there is something wrong with your message, because again, half the country did not vote your way.

I have always been able to think independent of party influence and vote the candidate of my choice. Bbecause in my limited time here that God has granted me, I have usually found that when you have two polar opposites with opposing viewpoints, somewhere in the MIDDLE is the truth. As a supporter of this President (Yes, I am supporting him and voted for him), not only do we all need the President to be successful for the benefit of the country. I also support him as our Commander in Chief (CNC). Happy Veterans Day to all who have served this great nation so we can have have this process and GOD BLESS THE ENTIRE PLANET that he has given us.

19 Comments (Locked)

Entry #1

Guest