“A homophobe who wanted to ‘punish’ gays has been jailed for 16 years for burning a LGBT pride flag - a tougher sentence than for rape. In addition to spending a decade and a half in prison for burning the LGBT flag, the 30-year-old Martinez also will be serving an additional year for his use of fire and 30 days for harassment.”įor its part, the UK tabloid newspaper the Sun compared Martinez’ punishment to what it claimed was the average sentence in rape convictions in the United States: Adolfo Martinez of Ames was sentenced Wednesday to a whopping 15 years in prison for the hate crime of arson, according to The Associated Press. flags across the nation, an Iowa man is paying a heavy price for burning a rainbow LGBT pride flag. It was the threats, theft, trespass, arson etc.In December 2019, we received multiple inquiries from readers about news reports that claimed an Iowa man, 30-year-old Adolfo Martinez, had been given a 16-year prison sentence for burning an LGBT rainbow flag.įor example, the right-leaning Western Journal website reported that: His crime wasnt burning the flag in some protest. He was not some Joe citizen simply protesting.Īctually, you are missing the point. The problem with that assertion is all the other facts and circumstances. I know you're trying to say he got nails for 17 years because it was a gay pride flag and wouldn't have if it was a US flag. The bottom line is nothing he did is comparable to burning a US flag in protest, which is what the click bait headlines are attempting to insinuate.
It was also all the other elements of the event he was charged with, just like getting charged with trespass and theft if you steal someone's American flag off their flag pole on their property. It was the reckless use of fire meaning he could have endangered others. He wasnt charged for burning a flag at all. That's what people are getting completely wrong. This guys huge sentence was not for simply burning a gay pride flag. People have been fined or convicted of such crimes in connection to the circumstances around their protest. You may also be charged with theft trespass or other crimes depending on the circumstances around the us flag burning protest.
While your freedom of speech and expression protects you from retaliation by a government when you burn the us flag, you have no such protection if you target specific people or groups. TARGETING them because they are gay there would be no hate crime and he would probably not went to jail at all because the crimes and their sentences would not have been enhanced. If he wasnt a 3rd strike felon and he didnt run his mouth about Infact if he wasnt a 3rd strike felon under the exact same set of circumstances he would have gotten a max of 5 years, probably 2 or 3 even with the hate crime conviction. It was the threats, theft, trespass, arson etc. I will hand it to him though, his hypocrisy knows no bounds and he owns it.Ĭlick to expand.Actually, you are missing the point. It makes him the most irrelevant of all phucktards. Personally, I could care less about the opinion of a guy who frequents a strip club then has the balls to run on about Christian values as cover for his BS that includes judging others. A much saner 3 strike law than some places where he would goto prison for life for any one of the crimes. Being his 3rd strike his crimes were enhanced a level and sentence tripled. Without running his mouth he would have probably still went to jail but for about 5 years, max. Here, however, the ammendment he should have paid attention to was the 5th and kept his mouth shut. You do not have the right to target others and commit crimes using your first ammendment rights as a cover for your actions. You have the absolute right to think and say anything you want. Hate crimes are hard to charge and prove because proving someone's intent is difficult, we see it all the time in cases people think are obvious but dont get charged. It clearly covers his opinion on homosexuality all day long. Tell me how the first ammendment covers you for trespass, threats of arson, theft, then actually burning something the same place you threatened to burn down?