đŸ‡ș🇾 Just Why?

Plus, why teens are suddenly obsessed with chess...

April 24, 2023

The Flag

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Good morning, and happy Monday! Here are the incredible pictures that won the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards.

Plus, why teens are suddenly obsessed with chess...

Also, buy dog food made for dogs, not wolves. Let your evolved dog eat what they really crave.

FLAG POLLS

📉 Friday, April 21, President Biden Job Approval: Approve 48, Disapprove 50 (Rasmussen Reports)

🐎 Monday, April 17, Arizona: Trump vs. Biden: Biden 45, Trump 44 (POS)

🐘 Monday, April 17, Arizona: DeSantis vs. Biden: DeSantis 48, Biden 42 (POS)

TRENDING

Right: Hunter Biden Whistleblower Could Make Big Waves Byron York, DC Examiner

Right: More Than Teen Spirit John Hirschauer, American Conservative

Left: How I Flipped My Seat Blue Rep. Nikki Budzinski, Newsweek

Left: Held Down by Our Bootstraps Candaele & Quart, American Prospect

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QUICK CLICKS

Lizzo's Lambast, Ethiopian Peace Talks, BBBYe Bye

US: Lizzo brings drag queens on stage, protesting Tennessee law restricting performances in public (NBC)

Business: NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell to Depart After Company Probe Into Inappropriate Conduct (Wall Street Journal)

World: Ethiopia PM says negotiations with OLA set to begin this week (Al Jazeera)

Business: LeBron James appears to keep Twitter verification; Elon Musk admits he’s ‘paying for a few personally’ (Fox News)

Business: Bed Bath & Beyond Files for Bankruptcy (New York Times)

World: Trove of 1,000-year-old Viking coins unearthed by young girl in Denmark (Global News)

US: Dragon bursts into flames during popular Disneyland show (AP)

CRIME

Just Why?

In four recent and separate incidents, innocent victims were shot in cases of "wrong place, wrong time." This included a young woman who was fatally shot after her friends turned into the wrong driveway, a teen who went to the wrong door looking for his siblings, and two cheerleaders who entered a car they thought was theirs.

From The Flag: While these incidents appear random and may not evoke the same emotional response as a mass shooting, they underscore the willingness with which Americans use guns. The cause is typically attributed to different factors depending on political perspective, ranging from rising crime rates to paranoia and prejudice. Here's more from both sides.

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Where We Go Wrong With Guns: A Loss of Trust, and a Lack of Knowledge

  • Americans are generally becoming less trustful of others, and that's a problem because it results in a less safe and more dangerous society.

  • The problem with this nation's gun ownership is that people aren't properly trained in safety, gun laws, and de-escalation tactics.

  • The Ralph Yarl case kicked off a feeding frenzy in politics and the media, because the white supremacy narrative must be maintained.

America’s deadly disease of distrust ‍Timothy P. Carney, Washington Examiner: "A man in Elgin, Texas, shot into a car full of cheerleaders because one of them had earlier mistaken his car for hers. A man in Kansas City shot a boy who rang his doorbell. A man in upstate New York shot and killed a woman who had mistakenly pulled into his driveway. There’s a gun conversation and maybe a race conversation to have here, but those are both secondary. The primary problem is that we are becoming a low-trust society, which is a much bigger problem than you might think. Low-trust societies are not merely meaner societies — they are poorer and less safe. ... A functioning society — on the familial, local, or national level, or anything in between — is one in which people generally respect others, tell the truth, and don’t try to harm people. When this good behavior is expected, life is easier and happier."

The problem with constitutional carry David Thornton, Racket News: "As to what constitutes a reasonable fear, Missouri criminal defense attorney Kevin Jamison, who teaches a course on gun laws and safety, told the Kansas City Star, 'I call it the JAM elements.' ... Jeopardy - a threat of harm. Ability - Can the person carry out the threat? Means - Does the person have the resources to carry out the threat? This could be a weapon or it could be the physical ability to inflict injury. And that brings us to the biggest problem with constitutional carry, which is the fact that many people who carry, probably the majority, have no training in how to do so safely and legally. ... When people are armed and get 'scared to death,' it ends with people getting shot unnecessarily. It also ends with people like Andrew Lester going to jail when they didn’t have to."

One more opinion piece from the Right: Ralph Yarl Case Highlights the Left’s Favorite Lie ‍Ben Shapiro, Daily Signal

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

America Stands Its Ground, Strapped and Fearful

  • The "law-abiding" gun owner is the latest threat to US residents, as fear and guns have mixed to make shootings more likely.

  • America has a troubling "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality, and innocent people are being hurt as a result.

  • Studies have shown "stand your ground" laws lead to more shootings, and these cases highlight those concerns.

Our new terror: The ‘law-abiding’ gun owner who is ready to kill ‍Paul Waldman, Washington Post Opinion: "(There is) something at the heart of gun culture that receives little attention: fear. ... (pulsing) in the hearts of so many supposedly 'law-abiding' gun owners. ... I’m afraid of mass shootings. I’m afraid of getting caught in the crossfire of some stupid beef. I’m afraid of gun-wielding, right-wing extremists. But increasingly, I’m also afraid of the people who believe themselves to be 'good guys' with guns, gripped with terror of the world around them and ready to kill. ... That so many gun owners are consumed with fear is not an accident. It is a central part of the ideology propagated by conservative media outlets and gun advocacy groups such as the NRA. ... Criminals, gangs, home invaders, terrorists, antifa — they’re all coming for you. So if your doorbell rings, you’d better have a gun in your hand when you answer."

Ralph Yarl is yet another Black victim of America’s ‘shoot first’ mentality Jarvis DeBerry, MSNBC Opinion: "American racism in its most common expression dictates who gets the benefit of the doubt. ... in Kansas City, Missouri, Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black boy, mistakenly rang a doorbell on Northeast 115th Street, rather than his intended destination of Northeast 115th Terrace. The resident, whom police have identified as 84-year-old Andrew Lester, a white man, apparently didn’t consider that Yarl may have made a wrong turn or even be a stranger in need of assistance. (He) assumed the teenager was attempting to break in and he fired twice through a glass storm door and struck Yarl in the head and the arm. ... Lester blamed his fright on the teenager’s size, he told police. ... but being big doesn’t make an innocent person less so. And whatever size a Black boy, a Black teen or a Black man is, he often looms larger in the white imagination."

One more opinion piece from the Left: The case against “stand your ground” laws ‍Li Zhou, Vox

FLAG THIS

Parents' Top Concern? Gun Violence

Polling data shows parents of school age children are increasingly concerned about the threat of gun violence, with 77% of moms and dads "at least somewhat concerned" about the issue, up from 72% last year.

6 in 10 parents report their kids say they're worried about gun violence either a lot or some of the time. The same percentage report being "frustrated" as a result of the political debate over guns.

When ranking the top issues they face, gun violence checks in at number four for most kids, with 61% saying its a concern.

Bullying was number one at 77%, followed by social pressures at 70%, and academic performance at 67% (CBS News/YouGov).

Do you routinely worry about gun violence while out shopping, dining, or in any public setting?

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FLAG FINDS

Veggie Dogs, Creative Classes, One-Stop Shop For Streaming

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WATERCOOLER

Easter Rebellion, Magicians Tricking Magicians, Costco Hotdogs

The shell of the G.P.O. on Sackville Street (later O'Connell Street), Dublin in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising

On April 24, 1916, on Easter Monday in Dublin, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret organization of Irish nationalists led by Patrick Pearse, launches the so-called Easter Rebellion, an armed uprising against British rule. 

Today I Learned that the $1.50 hot dog combo from Costco is NOT a loss leader. Costco was able to lower costs by manufacturing its own hot dogs and cutting condiment options. The CEO claims that Costco does not engage in loss leaders.

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