Iowa: Man Sentenced to 16-Years in Prison for Stealing, Burning LGBT Flag

[toobfreak]

You understood even before you posted this that your argument was going to be dishonest. He wouldn't have received any jail time if he had burned HIS flag .

Still 15 years seems a little excessive for a non-violent crime.

Obama emptied the jails of all the drug users, rapists and illegals to make room for all those terrible people now who actually believe in Christian morality as taught us for 2000 years and upon which our country was founded.

Just one more step to declaring being a Christian is a hate crime all in itself.

 

[Damaged Eagle]

The Confederate statues and other memorials demolished across the country weren't property that belonged to progressives (ANTIFA) to destroy.

Should we give those ANTIFA members all fifteen years in prison too?

*****SMILE*****

 

[satrebil]

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.

A jury convicted Martinez in November. He'd been arrested in June.

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 ...

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15 years of prison for burning an LGBTQ flag..... but I highly doubt anyone in Iowa has been charged or even sent to prison for 15 years for burning an American flag.....which our liberal court has determined it is now your 1st amendment right to do so......Yes folks, this country cannot last the way it was headed....We need a few more men like Trump to back him up in the White House until, at least 2050 to FIX what has gone wrong here since the mid 1960's....even some before that!

There is nothing wrong with putting a criminal in prison.

It's illegal to steal someone else's property then destroy it. They probably trespassed on private property to do it.

So the person is a thief and guilty of a hate crime.

I know you don't have those laws in russia where you live but here in the US it's illegal to do those things.

How is the weather in moscow today comrade?

You honestly think someone should get FIFTEEN YEARS in prison for burning a $10 flag?

Do the words "cruel and unusual" mean anything to you?

 

[BULLDOG]

There is nothing wrong with putting a criminal in prison.

It's illegal to steal someone else's property then destroy it. They probably trespassed on private property to do it.

So the person is a thief and guilty of a hate crime.

I know you don't have those laws in russia where you live but here in the US it's illegal to do those things.

How is the weather in moscow today comrade?

The actual crimes here were the theft and destruction of someone else's property, and the careless use of fire, creating a risk of harm to other people and property. Probably trespassing, as well.

For his actual crimes, Mr. Martinez was sentenced to a total of tirteen months in prison. Probably a fair sentence.

———

For the hate crime thoughtcrime of expressing antipathy toward a sick and immoral sexual perversion, he was sentenced to fifteen years—almost fifteen times the sentence for his genuine crimes.

To criminalize the expression of a belief or opinion in this manner is a blatant violation of the First Amendment. Government has absolutely no legitimate authority to dictate to any of us what opinions or beliefs we are allowed to hold or to express. This sort of abuse has no place at all in a civilized society. This is the kind of crap that happens in tyrannical European shitholes, not in a free country as we are supposed to be.

Furthermore, I say that even if it was legitimate to criminalize the expression of an unpopular opinion, fifteen years in prison would be an outrageously disproportionate punishment for that crime, and as such, a violation of our Eight Amendment as well.

I do hope that Mr. Martinez has a good lawyer, who will fight this absolutely unacceptable abuse of government power. Allowing government to get away with this sort of crap puts us all in danger, should someone decide that they don't like an opinion that we choose to express.

He wasn't found guilty for what he thought. He can still say anything he wants to say about gays, even in prison.

 

[Lysistrata]

If this guy had destroyed a flag that he owned, there would have been no crime committed.

However, he stole and destroyed property belonging to others.

While I think that 15 years is a bit harsh, he stole and vandalized and destroyed the property of a house of worship, something that is, sadly, becoming all too common. In doing so, he violated the church members' rights to free speech and religious liberty.

It is ironic that he seemingly indicated an allegiance to the Christian faith as a justification for his misdeeds, while attacking a church of that same faith. Sectarian strife among Christian groups apparently is not limited to Northern Ireland.

 

[Mac-7]

You understood even before you posted this that your argument was going to be dishonest. He wouldn't have received any jail time if he had burned HIS flag .

How much is the proper incarceration time for stealing and destroying a $20 flag worth?....Your liberal judges give out 5 year sentences AND LESS for MURDER!

Not much of a fan of honesty are you?

Reading the story it was obvious the flag did not belong to martinez

 

[Montrovant]

15 years for burning an LGBTQ flag and nothing for burning the American flag. Now that's effed up.

I'm pretty sure if you were to go to a church, tear down the US flag they had flying, set it on fire outside of a bar, then brag about doing it on tv, you'd be charged and convicted.

Of course, the sentence would be less unless it somehow also fell under the hate crime laws. I don't like that this apparently became a felony because of that classification, as I don't like hate crime legislation.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

He wasn't found guilty for what he thought. He can still say anything he wants to say about gays, even in prison.

For genuinely-criminal behavior, he was sentenced to a year and a month.

For the fact that his criminal behavior was an expression of a politically-incorrect opinion, he was convicted of a “hate crime”, and sentenced to fifteen years.

So, yes, 93¼% of his sentence is for what he thought, and what he dared to express; and only 6¾% for any actual crime.

 

[BULLDOG]

He wasn't found guilty for what he thought. He can still say anything he wants to say about gays, even in prison.

For genuinely-criminal behavior, he was sentenced to a year and a month.

For the fact that his criminal behavior was an expression of a politically-incorrect opinion, he was convicted of a “hate crime”, and sentenced to fifteen years.

So, yes, 93¼% of his sentence is for what he thought, and what he dared to express; and only 6¾% for any actual crime.

No. 100% of his sentence is for what he did. Obviously you don't agree with hate crime statutes. You'll just have to get over that.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

No. 100% of his sentence is for what he did. Obviously you don't agree with hate crime statutes. You'll just have to get over that.

Obviously, you don't agree with the First Amendment. You'll just have to get over that. As part of our Constitution, it is the highest law in the nation.

 

[Lysistrata]

No. 100% of his sentence is for what he did. Obviously you don't agree with hate crime statutes. You'll just have to get over that.

Obviously, you don't agree with the First Amendment. You'll just have to get over that. As part of our Constitution, it is the highest law in the nation.

This case has absolutely nothing to do with this guy's rights under the First Amendment. Moreover, it is clear from the facts that he has no respect for the rights of others under the First Amendment.

Hate crime laws only have an effect when a predicate crime has been committed. They do not punish a person for speech, no matter how disgusting this speech is, unless a crime has been committed as a result of the opinions expressed.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

15 years for burning an LGBTQ flag and nothing for burning the American flag. Now that's effed up.

I'm pretty sure if you were to go to a church, tear down the US flag they had flying, set it on fire outside of a bar, then brag about doing it on tv, you'd be charged and convicted.

Of course, the sentence would be less unless it somehow also fell under the hate crime laws. I don't like that this apparently became a felony because of that classification, as I don't like hate crime legislation.

Wouldn't burning the American flag be an act of hate just like burning the ****** flag was adjudicated as an act of hate?

 

[BULLDOG]

No. 100% of his sentence is for what he did. Obviously you don't agree with hate crime statutes. You'll just have to get over that.

Obviously, you don't agree with the First Amendment. You'll just have to get over that. As part of our Constitution, it is the highest law in the nation.

This case has absolutely nothing to do with this guy's rights under the First Amendment. Moreover, it is clear from the facts that he has no respect for the rights of others under the First Amendment.

Hate crime laws only have an effect when a predicate crime has been committed. They do not punish a person for speech, no matter how disgusting this speech is, unless a crime has been committed as a result of the opinions expressed.

Again, tell the judge. Whining about it here just makes you look silly.

 

[JimBowie1958]

Still 15 years seems a little excessive for a non-violent crime.

Well, if he had burned a USA flag, the libtards would have given him a medal.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

He stole the flag from a church.

Story County Attorney Jessica Reynolds said Martinez was the first person in the county's history to be convicted of a hate crime.

"The hard reality is there are people who target individuals and commit crimes against individuals because of their race, gender, sexual orientation," she told the Ames Tribune.

"And when that happens it's so important that as a society we stand up and people have severe consequences for those actions."

Fifteen years in Iowa jail for burning pride flag

He probably should be in an asylum but I dont think the US does mental health.

 

[AzogtheDefiler]

If it was an Israeli flag the man would have been given a medal. The hypocrisy is insane.

 

[Biff_Poindexter]

Adolfo Martinez???

Sounds illegal alien'y to me....

You know how those Hispanics are mostly rapists and murderers and stuff....maybe this guy had prior Hispanic stuff on his record....

 

[Biff_Poindexter]

If it was an Israeli flag the man would have been given a medal. The hypocrisy is insane.

Cool, find us an example of a guy getting a medal for burning an Israeli flag in the US?

 

[Hellokitty]

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.

A jury convicted Martinez in November. He'd been arrested in June.

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 ...

--------------

15 years of prison for burning an LGBTQ flag..... but I highly doubt anyone in Iowa has been charged or even sent to prison for 15 years for burning an American flag.....which our liberal court has determined it is now your 1st amendment right to do so......Yes folks, this country cannot last the way it was headed....We need a few more men like Trump to back him up in the White House until, at least 2050 to FIX what has gone wrong here since the mid 1960's....even some before that!

There is nothing wrong with putting a criminal in prison.

It's illegal to steal someone else's property then destroy it. They probably trespassed on private property to do it.

So the person is a thief and guilty of a hate crime.

I know you don't have those laws in russia where you live but here in the US it's illegal to do those things.

How is the weather in moscow today comrade?

Okay their have been incidents of lefties physically removing TRUMP hats from peoples heads and going on to burn the TRUMP hat. Do you think any of those criminals who engaged in stealing someone else's property involving physical violence received a 15 year or anything close to 15 years in prison?

 

[Billiejeens]

Wow, a right winger who is soft on property crimes?

The sentence isn't for a property crime
The sentence is for not promoting abhorrent behavior.