Posted on 12/19/2019 7:51:53 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
NEVADA, Iowa -- A man has been imprisoned for burning an LGBTQ flag that was flying at a church in central Iowa.
Adolfo Martinez, 30, of Ames, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years for the hate crime of arson and given a year for reckless use of explosives or fire and 30 days for harassment. The sentences are to be served consecutively, Story County court records said.
He's said he tore down the flag that had been hanging from the United Church of Christ in Ames and burned it because he opposes homosexuality.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
From the articles I’ve read on the incident, he tore down the flag and then burned it in front of a bar, so I doubt the church was in danger of burning down. I am still trying to figure out how the DA came up with the explosives charge.....
WTF?
That’s judicial terrorism!
Go to SCOTUS and impeach the hateful judge
This is a Political Prosecution, nothing more, nothing less.
Welcome to the Banana Republic.
They include a Hate Crime Charge, blatantly Unconstitutional on its face. Hate is a Motive, it isn’t Crime.
Ther are two, possibly three charges here, all should be charged as Misdemeanors.
1. Trespassing.
2. Theft of an Item with a monetary valuation of less than $50.
3. Arson, which is this case caused no damage to anything but the stolen item. The Flag was burned, not a building or anything that would cause Physical Harm to another person.
You left out the part that he is a habitual offender and that he threatened to burn down a building full of people.
Well, then I stand corrected.
Making a Terrorist Threat gets you 15 Years? The Jails must be full of Liberals and Muslims.
He made the threat to burn down the building and then returned to the building and stared a fire.
threatening is not action.
I spoke about california and I can think of other examples. Not every apparent felony is adjudicated as such. I will agree that cal is not normal, maybe Iowa is, but California is not the only state soft on crimes. I cite Philadelphia as a very bad example.
Best wishes.
Okay, so the entire Thread regarding him being Jailed for burning a Rainblow (SIC) Flag should be revised.
You expect me to read the entire Article? That’s against the rules here isn’t it? LOL
As mayor Pete is about to discover.
It’s IOWA, Jake. Huge problems with Illegals there due to Big Ag turning a blind eye.
Hate crimes are such subjective BS. They should all be abolished.
Wouldn’t this be an appropriate time for groups of conservatives to band together and conduct mass alphabet flag burnings— in solidarity with this guy and pointing out the SCOTUS 1989 decision?
After all, those who burn the US flag want the US as a whole destroyed.
We, OTOH, are simply fed up with the LGBTs ruling over us & coming after our kids. We aren’t actively trying to wipe them out. But we shouldn’t have their flag flying over us.
I had to go back and read other other articles about the incident.
I don’t get the sense that the offender’s actions were based on his Christian pro family values. But rather, he was in a topless bar and at some point got the idea that the topless dancer was a lesbian, and it all went down hill from there.
But if you are a muzz and you murder a White woman you’ll get 12.5 years.
How come burning an American flag is “protected speech” but this is a “hate crime”? (I know why, and I doesn’t give me optimism for the future of the country.)
I can’t see how they get a felony out of stealing a flag.
There is NO crime in burning a faggot flag.
Outside of the petty theft of stealing the fag flag, felon or not, the charge is/was BS!
This needs to go to appeal.
Trump needs to step in an pardon him.
“ I can’t see how they get a felony out of stealing a flag.”
Perhaps it’s based on the value of the flag and the replacement costs of the flag?
“Trump needs to step in an pardon him.”
That would be a violation of States’ Rights.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.