re: Iowa man sentenced to 16 YEARS for burning a flag. A FLAG

This is a terribly sentence. Hate crime legislation is generally speaking awful law.

ETA: He definitely didn't help his case with his public remarks though.

quote:

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Police said Adolfo Martinez, 30, got into a dispute at the Dangerous Curves Gentlemen's Club at 111 Fifth Street, was kicked out of the bar, and then came back early Tuesday morning.

"He told the people in the bar that he was going to burn the place to the ground and at that point he made reference to burning 'their flag,'" Ames police Cmdr. Jason Tuttle said.

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quote:

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Tuttle said Martinez didn't make his motive clear to officers. But Martinez, now out of jail, did make his motive clear when KCCI went to his house to ask him about the charges Wednesday.

"It's my honor. It is written. It is a judgment and it's written to execute vengeance on the heathen and punishments on the people," Martinez said. "It's my honor to do so. It was an honor to do that. It's a blessing from the Lord."

"So this was about homosexuality?" KCCI reporter Chris Gothner asked.

"Yes, yes, yes. Exactly," Martinez replied. "I burned down their pride, plain and simple."

Martinez said he had no regrets whatsoever and has no plans to fight the charges.

"No, I'm guilty as charged," he said.

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LINK