An Iowa man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after setting a local church’s LGBTQ flag on fire this past June.
30-year-old Adolfo Martinez, according to the Des Moines Register, was arrested after stealing a pride banner and later burning it outside a strip club.
Martinez was found “guilty of third-degree arson in violation of individual rights — hate crime, third-degree harassment, and reckless use of fire as a habitual offender.”
The County Attorney added the hate crimes charge because of what the rainbow-colored flag “represents as far as sexual orientation.”
The hate crime and arson charges combined could have resulted in a maximum of just over 6 years, but the habitual offender issue allowed for a longer sentence to be doled out.
RELATED: Liberals are Hypocrites for Attacking Trump’s Flag Burning Ban
This is the USA.
– A church was displaying the pride flag.
– A man from Iowa took it down and set it on fire.
– The man was sentenced to 16 years prison.
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— PeterSweden (@PeterSweden7) December 19, 2019
Still Okay To Burn The American Flag
Regardless of the chosen sentence, 6 years, 15 years, or anything in between seems a bit much for burning a flag. Especially when you consider burning an American flag is not considered a hate crime.
Flag burning is legal in the United States based on Supreme Court rulings that it is constitutionally protected speech under the First Amendment.
Doing so to a pride flag apparently can’t be considered free speech in the eyes of this Iowa court.
Antifa thugs and extremist liberals burn the Stars and Stripes quite often as a means of protest.
RELATED: 10 All-American Things Liberals Love to Hate
Iowa man sentenced to 16 years for setting LGBTQ flag on fire https://t.co/OR9f2HkNuU
— Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) December 19, 2019
Trump Wants American Flag Burners Punished
Master Sergeant Raul Perez “Roy” Benavidez once relayed a story about the American flag and asked liberals an important question about those who put their lives on the line to protect their freedoms.
“How does it feel to enjoy freedom at the expense of my buddy’s life?” he asked.
Most won’t answer, too busy plotting their next protest as a means to burn the flag because they’re so angry over ‘oppression.’
The American flag is a far more powerful symbol than any activist flag.
As President-elect, Donald Trump made it clear he believes the act of burning Old Glory should be a crime, punishable by jail time or a loss of citizenship.
Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016
The left went apoplectic over his comments. They did so despite the fact that Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, co-sponsored a law in 2005 that would have prohibited burning or otherwise destroying and damaging the U.S. flag.
Now the American left is outraged at such an attack on the First Amendment, while simultaneously cheering for a man to be jailed 16 years for similar action against a pride flag.
