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He wasn't a federal or state government official or military member, so one can't claim either of those as a reason for ordering flags flown at half-staff. Flags are also flown at half-staff to mark a national tragedy.

The only national tragedy I see here is that the per capita number of gun deaths in America is more than 10 TIMES that of comparable high-income countries. And that number is primarily driven by a gun homicide rate that is 25 TIMES that of comparable high-income countries.

THAT is the national tragedy.

Perhaps every governor who gives a shit about the intolerable number of PREVENTABLE gun deaths in America should order flags to be flown at half-staff until this nation passes meaningful gun control and puts big money into interventions and community-based programs that are PROVEN to reduce gun violence.

The gun death of a man who has dedicated himself to ensuring we DO NOTHING to reduce the number of gun deaths in this nation is absolutely NOT a national tragedy.

I am appalled that any governor who claims to stand strong for REAL American values -- values like human-rights, rule of law, religious freedom, and self-governance, and the thinking underlying those values, among them rationality, compassion as a moral imperative, and scientific inquiry -- would compromise our collective values to honor this man who was hellbent on destroying anything that was halfway decent about this country.

Sure, if you've ordered flags to be flown at half-staff every year on Sept 11 as remembrance, then certainly, do it again. But make the reason CRYSTAL CLEAR. For goodness sake, don't elevate this horrible man with ANY honors.