I have always chafed at the concept of hate laws, which incur greater penalties because of perceived intent. (The article does not indicate if this was an LGBTQ+ strip club or an ordinary, run-of-the-mill heterosexual strip club.) And he used fire recklessly because he burned the flag, and didn’t have a burn barrel, fire extinguisher, and other safety equipment. The harassment charge was earned because he burned the flag outside a strip club. He was also found guilty of harassment and reckless use of fire. He was convicted of a Hate Crime, which earned him the 15 years. (Not even a fully inclusive LGBTQIAPK flag, which, G-d forbid might have earned him a life sentence.) His problem was that it was an LGBTQ flag. American flag burning is protected under free speech rules. A miscreant in Iowa burned a flag and was sentenced to 15 years in jail.
