The Winds of Freedom

A more complete transcript of the sentencing of shoe-bomber Richard Reid, with much more eloquence from Judge Young:

"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 winds carry freedom. They carry 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."

Kinda makes you wish the Bush administration would trust to march every supposed terr into open court, doesn't it?

Comments

[Gary Gunnels]

Well the comments are bit of hyperbole. We tend to take our freedom for granted generally. Furthermore, there always limits on our freedom being imposed, or at least attempts to oppose them. That said, I'm glad Reid was convicted and sentenced in a court of law, and not one of military tribunals that Bush has proposed.

[Casey Tompkins]

Jesus, Jeff, when are you going to give this a rest? How many people does it take to explain to you that Yaser Esam Hamdi was very much an enemy combatant captured on the field of battle? And that the 4th circuit court decision was well within known law?

When you can present a case where the government is in the wrong, I'll be right behind you in causing a fuss. But this, sir, is not the case.

Respectfully submitted,
Casey

[James Merritt]

If Taylor or anyone else on the Reason staff is interested in the drug war, it might be instructive to compare and contrast Judge Young's words with those of Judge Breyer in the Ed Rosenthal med-pot case. If, as Judge Young said, "freedom is in the very wind" in this country, then I must conclude that the very wind was broken in Judge Breyer's courtroom late last week.

Will the wind of freedom ever blow away the federal smokescreen?

[Bush Daniel Harry]

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DATE: 01/20/2004 12:13:43
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