[1969L78Nova]

You will surely remember the Shoe Bomber: Richard Colvin Reid, London-born convert to Islam, self-admitted member of Al Qaeda, tried to blow up an American Airlines plane en route from Paris to Miami by lighting a fuse connected to plastic explosives in the hollowed-out soles of his high-top sneakers.

That was Dec. 22, 2001. Reid was over-powered by fellow passengers and crew members.

A few weeks ago, with little fanfare and surprisingly scant media coverage, an unrepentant Reid was sentenced to life in prison, by a U.S. Federal Court, though confrontational to the end, bellowing: “I am at war with your country. I further admit my allegiance to Sheik Osama bin Laden, to Islam and to the religion of Allah.” It’s not a version of Islam most of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims would recognize. That needs to be noted. But noted as well should be the words spoken by Judge William G. Young, as he passed sentence — 80 years and a $2 million fine, as determined by the relevant statutes, Reid pleading guilty to multiple counts of attempted murder.

I quote the balance of Young’s remarks here, with your indulgence, and add nothing further. Sometimes, there’s nothing more to say.

“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 to 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.”