{"id":2478914,"date":"2025-08-26T08:53:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T12:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-burning-the-american-flag-is-free-speech-why-is-a-man-in-prison-for-burning-a-pride-flag\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T08:55:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T12:55:14","slug":"if-burning-the-american-flag-is-free-speech-why-is-a-man-in-prison-for-burning-a-pride-flag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-burning-the-american-flag-is-free-speech-why-is-a-man-in-prison-for-burning-a-pride-flag\/","title":{"rendered":"If Burning the American Flag Is Free Speech, Why Is a Man in Prison for Burning a Pride Flag?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fif-burning-the-american-flag-is-free-speech-why-is-a-man-in-prison-for-burning-a-pride-flag%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2478914&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the controversy surrounding flag burning, focusing on Adolfo Martinez, who was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison for burning an LGBT flag during Pride Month at a liberal church in Ames, Iowa.This act was prosecuted as a hate crime involving arson and harassment. the piece contrasts this with President Donald Trump&#8217;s 2025 executive order aimed at criminalizing the burning of the American flag when done to intimidate or threaten violence. trump&#8217;s order calls for jail time of up to one year for such acts, emphasizing the American flag as a sacred symbol.<\/p>\n<p>The article references the 1989 Supreme Court case Texas v. Johnson, which ruled flag burning as protected free speech under the First Amendment, though this decision was narrowly split. The White House fact sheet argues the new order targets only those flag burnings intended to incite lawless action or serve as &#8220;fighting words,&#8221; attempting to navigate around the precedent.<\/p>\n<p>It highlights the perceived inconsistency in legal treatment between Martinez&#8217;s severe punishment for burning the LGBT flag and the protections around burning the american flag. The article critiques both Martinez and Gregory Lee Johnson,the defendant in Texas v. Johnson, as controversial figures whose actions spark debate about free speech and hate crimes.It challenges the left to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kyle-rittenhouse-questions-why-identities-of-kansas-city-shooters-have-not-been-revealed\/\" title=\"Kyle Rittenhouse wonders why the Kansas City shooters&#039; identities remain undisclosed\">apply consistent standards<\/a>: either uphold freedom of expression for all flag burning or apply hate crime penalties uniformly.<\/p>\n<p>the article debates the intersection of free speech, symbolic acts of protest or hate, and legal protections, questioning selective enforcement and the limits of constitutional rights.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Let&rsquo;s start out with the basics: Adolfo Martinez is not a nice guy, from the sound of things.<\/p>\n<p>Most people who burn flags of any sort aren&rsquo;t. In Martinez&rsquo;s case, the prior offender was charged and convicted of tearing down an LGBT flag during &ldquo;pride&rdquo; month from a liberal church congregation in Ames, Iowa. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcci.com\/article\/man-charged-with-taking-burning-lgbtq-flag-found-guilty-of-multiple-crimes\/29714879\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KCCI<\/a>, back in 2019, he was found guilty of hate crime arson, third-degree harassment, and reckless use of fire, with an additional sentence added on for his status as a habitual offender &mdash; 16 years behind bars in total.<\/p>\n<p>If this is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/iowa-man-gets-16-years-burning-lgbt-flag\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hate crime not worthy of protection<\/a> under the First Amendment to the Constitution, then, why should burning the American flag be?<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s what President Donald Trump is asking. On Monday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-target-flag-burners-new-executive-order-uniquely-inherently-offensive\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he signed an order<\/a> using existing laws to prosecute those who burn Old Glory, saying that the act is &ldquo;calculated to intimidate and threaten violence&rdquo; against others.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The American flag is the most sacred and cherished symbol of the United States of America, and desecrating it is uniquely and inherently offensive and provocative,&rdquo; a White House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/fact-sheets\/2025\/08\/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-protects-the-american-flag-from-desecration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fact sheet<\/a> on the order read.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is a statement of contempt and hostility toward our Nation, and an act used by groups of foreign nationals calculated to intimidate and threaten violence against Americans.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For instance: &ldquo;Recent protests, including those in Los Angeles in June 2025, have <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >featured flag burning alongside violent acts<\/a> and other conduct threatening public safety.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The order allows the U.S. attorney general to &ldquo;vigorously prosecute&rdquo; those who burn or desecrate the American flag, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/trump-orders-crackdown-us-flag-burning-desecration-raising-free-speech-concern-2025-08-25\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reuters<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you burn a flag, you get one year in jail, no early exits, no nothing,&rdquo; Trump said during an Oval Office presser.<\/p>\n<p>In 1989, the Supreme Court held in Texas v. Johnson that burning or other desecration of the American flag &mdash; which was prosecutable in most states at the time &mdash; was free speech under the First Amendment, albeit by a slim 5-4 vote.<\/p>\n<p>The case stemmed from charges filed against Gregory Lee Johnson, a member of the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade, who burned a flag outside the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas, and was charged and convicted under the state&rsquo;s desecration statutes, sentenced to a year in prison and $2,000 in fines, according to constitutional law database <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/1988\/88-155\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oyez<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The decision noted both that the expressive conduct of flag-burning was protected under the First Amendment and that state officials did not have the authority to designate certain narrow symbols for protection, saying that &ldquo;[i]f there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, the White House&rsquo;s fact-sheet says that what the executive order aims to prosecute is flag-burning meant to intimidate others: &ldquo;The Supreme Court has never held that flag desecration conducted in a manner that is likely to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/drew-allen-the-j6-committee-promised-a-bombshell-but-delivered-a-dud\/\" title=\"Drew Allen: The J6 Committee Promised a Bombshell But Delivered a Dud\">incite imminent lawless action<\/a> or serve as a form of &lsquo;fighting words&rsquo; is constitutionally protected.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>If that sounds like trying to do an end-run around Texas v. Johnson, so is effectively protecting LGBT individuals by calling Martinez a hate criminal for burning the rainbow flag.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Martinez, like Mr. Johnson, is not a particularly likable individual. The man, 30 at the time of his conviction, tore down the rainbow flag outside the Ames United Church of Christ after getting kicked out of a strip club close to the church for harassing a transgender patron. He took the banner back to the club&rsquo;s parking lot and set it aflame with lighter fluid, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/nation\/2019\/12\/20\/he-burned-churchs-lgbtq-flag-got-years-they-responded-by-advocating-him\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Post<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>Nor was he contrite: &ldquo;He said he wants to &lsquo;cut us out of the land of the living,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Pastor Eileen Gebbie of the church. Nor was his behavior during his criminal proceedings particularly stellar, either. From the Post:<\/p>\n<p><em>  During the trial, Gebbie said Maritnez would reference her directly, sometimes describing her appearance, other times saying his actions weren&rsquo;t about her, yet affirming his belief that as a lesbian, she was a problem.<\/em><br \/> <em>&nbsp;<\/em><br \/> <em>As he was led away after sentencing, Martinez addressed her one last time.<\/em><br \/> <em>&nbsp;<\/em><br \/> <em>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll see you when I get out,&rdquo; he said.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s here worth pointing out two things.<\/p>\n<p>First, hate crime laws are unusually arbitrary things. Just as one person&rsquo;s freedom fighter is another&rsquo;s terrorist, so is one person&rsquo;s protected class another&rsquo;s target of free speech. The extent of the threat caused by burning a LGBT flag is the same as that when the action is done in a minatory fashion toward Americans &mdash; or a certain class of them, as recent flag-burnings have been.<\/p>\n<p>And if you think the real crime here is burning down someone else&rsquo;s property, consider that nobody bothered to prosecute anybody involved in this 2024 flag-burning that involved a taxpayer-owned flag outside of Washington, D.C.&rsquo;s Union Station:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">One of the American Flags which hung earlier in Front of Union Station, being covered in Lighter-Fluid then burned by Hamas Supporters and Communists. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nDWh5tWUwT\">pic.twitter.com\/nDWh5tWUwT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sentdefender\/status\/1816204762829971514?\">July 24, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Second, if you think Martinez is an obnoxious character, Gregory Lee Johnson was just as noxious. From a 2006 piece from Geov Parrish, another contemporary of Johnson&rsquo;s in the Texas-area activism scene, published in the <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20111216052147\/http:\/\/blogs.seattleweekly.com\/dailyweekly\/2006\/06\/me_and_joey.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Seattle Weekly<\/a>, the left-wing alternative newspaper in a city <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/fbi-gets-involved-antifa-agitators-attack-two-christian-events-seattle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">that, given its cultural cant, shouldn&rsquo;t even need one<\/a>: &ldquo;an obnoxious young transplanted New Yorker of about my age &hellip; who&rsquo;d show up at every local demonstration with a bloody, severed pig&rsquo;s head (tendrils still trailing along) that he&rsquo;d drag along on a leash and collar while shouting anti-imperialist slogans; the pig, of course, was the United States. History does not record how many onlookers were moved to revolutionary action as a result, but it didn&rsquo;t impress very many of his fellow activists. Acute embarrassment was more like it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As someone who feels that the enforced celebration of &ldquo;pride&rdquo; month is discriminatory against Christians who hold to biblical morality, I don&rsquo;t know if I could come up with better words for how I feel about what Mr. Martinez did than &ldquo;acute embarrassment.&rdquo; History does not record how many onlookers, such as they may be, were moved to genuinely repent as a result, although it&rsquo;s fairly easy to guess; for betting types, I&rsquo;d say the over-under is 0.5 and, if I were really allowed to wager on it, I&rsquo;d put my life savings on the under.<\/p>\n<p>But 16 years behind bars for it?<\/p>\n<p>Trump called for&nbsp;<em>one<\/em> year in the slammer for burning the American flag in a fashion that intimidates others &mdash; and suddenly, the left is losing it.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This guy really does hate the Constitution and Free Speech. So many unconstitutional orders <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2Ywh1OpMwJ\">https:\/\/t.co\/2Ywh1OpMwJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; KryTierEon (@KryTierEon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KryTierEon\/status\/1960000410401345928?\">August 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s one or the other, however. The LGBT flag &mdash; arguably a less-protected symbol, given that it has no national significance and is of recently invented provenance &mdash; should arguably carry&nbsp;<em>fewer<\/em> protections than the American flag, particularly given that what it espouses directly spits in the face of Judeo-Christians who follow any sort of small-O orthodox views on biblical sexuality.<\/p>\n<p>But that&rsquo;s getting ahead of ourselves. Point is: One or the other, leftists. Adolfo Martinez goes free or Gregory Lee Johnson and his ilk report to jail posthaste. If you want to take this one to the Supreme Court, we&rsquo;re more than happy to challenge Mr. Martinez&rsquo;s conviction not just on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/like-fonz-trump-gives-coolest-response-presidential-history-court-tosses-500-million-verdict\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Eighth Amendment grounds of excessive punishment<\/a>, but under the same free speech clause <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/native-american-tribesman-accused-starting-massive-wildfire-us-flag-burning-protest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">burning the flag<\/a> is purportedly protected under.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s a paraphrased version of the provided excerpt (limited to about 55 words):<\/p>\n<p>To begin, Adolfo Martinez appears to be a problematic individual, as is often true for those who burn flags. He was convicted for removing and burning an LGBT flag during Pride Month at a liberal church in Ames, Iowa. 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