With the temperatures supposed to
be in the 90ss F here today here are some tips to remember about the extreme
heat, humidity and heat index for pets in cars, trucks, RVs, buses, etc. -
Never Leave A Pet In A Vehicle Unless You Are With Them And The Air
Conditioning Is On! Not only is it unsafe and deadly to leave a pet inside a
car, truck, RV, bus, etc. by themselves (on a cold or a hot day) in many places
it is also illegal and you can be fined and have your pet removed from your
custody.
From Military Wallet.com:
“2024 Memorial Day Military
Discounts”
Memorial Day serves as a reminder
of our service members who paid the ultimate price and gave their lives in
defense of our nation. Remembering their legacy and sacrifice is the best way
we can honor them. Many companies, restaurants and other organizations also use
Memorial Day to honor military members and veterans for their service. The
following is a list of some military discounts and activities that are
available to military members, veterans and in some cases, their families. We
are working on validating Memorial Day military discounts for 2024 below. Many
are similar to last year.
Military Discount Eligibility:
Please keep in mind the following list is based on our research, and
participation may vary. Most discounts are only valid with proper proof of
service, which may include a military ID card, veterans ID card or veteran
health care ID card, driver’s license or state ID with veterans designation, a
membership card for a veterans’ organization (Disabled American Veterans,
Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, etc.) or similar form of ID.
Academy Sports + Outdoors
honors active service members, veterans, and first responders with a special
discount as a token of appreciation for their service. From April 28 through
July 6, 2024, eligible customers can benefit from a 10% discount on all
purchases made either online or in-store.
Bass Pro Shops Memorial
Day Sale Veterans can enjoy an extra 5% off on all items at Bass Pro Shops this
month, including those on sale. Through May 31, the Go Outdoors event promises
big savings. Make the most of the Legendary Salute military discount for better
deals.
BigMouth Inc. Memorial Day
Deal BigMouth Inc.'s Memorial Day 2024 Sale features discounts of up to 70% on
a selection of outdoor products. Ideal for beachgoers, pool users, and those
who enjoy backyard fun, the sale offers substantial savings on essential summer
items.
Camp Chef Memorial Day
Sale Camp Chef, a Utah-based outdoor cooking equipment company, is offering up
to $200 off on selected Woodwind Grills this Memorial Day. Additionally, they
offer a special discount for both active and retired military personnel.
Veterans can call Camp Chef's customer service team at (800) 650-2433 to find
out their exact discount.
Casper Memorial Day Deal During
Casper's Memorial Day Sale, customers can enjoy a 30% discount on all
mattresses. As Casper's largest sale event of the year, this is an excellent
time to invest in a new bed and enjoy substantial savings.
Coleman Memorial Day Sale Veterans
can get a 30% discount at Coleman for their outdoor equipment needs. The offer
applies to items like tents, sleeping gear, grills, and outdoor furniture. The
deal is active during the Coleman Memorial Day Sale.
Columbia Sportswear
Memorial Day Deal For Memorial Day, Columbia Sportswear is providing a special
40% discount on all items, available until Monday, May 27th. Furthermore,
military personnel and first responders can always take advantage of an
additional 20% discount on top of the Memorial Day savings.
DreamCloud Memorial Day
Discount This Memorial Day, DreamCloud offers new customers a discount of up to
50% on their mattresses.
Home Depot Memorial Day
Discount The Home Depot is hosting a Memorial Day sale from May 16th to May
27th, 2024. In honor of the holiday, the store is offering discounts on a
variety of products suitable for homeowners, DIY enthusiasts, and anyone
starting spring projects.
Lowe's Memorial Day Sale Lowe's
offers a 10% military discount on most regular-priced items to veterans and
active members of the U.S. armed forces and their spouses.
Mattress Firm Memorial Day
Deal During Mattress Firm’s Memorial Day Sale, customers can enjoy savings of
up to 50% on select mattresses, adjustable bases, and bedding.
Silverwood Theme Park
Memorial Day Deal On May 25, 26, and 27, 2024, Silverwood Theme Park celebrates
military personnel, veterans, and first responders by offering them free
admission. Their immediate family members, including spouses and children, can
also enjoy discounted ticket prices at the park's front gate. For further
information, please call Silverwood Theme Park at (208) 683-3400.
Under Armour Memorial Day
Discount Under Armour, a sportswear company, offers up to 50% off on all outlet
and discounted items on Memorial Day weekend. They also provide an extra 30%
off with the code EXTRA30 at checkout. All active duty service members,
retirees, veterans, military spouses, and family members are eligible for a
proud 20% discount on all purchases, excluding combined promotions, promotional
codes and gift cards.
Walgreens Memorial Day
Deal Between May 24 and May 27, Walgreens and Duane Reade are offering a 20%
discount on eligible regular-price items for veterans, military members, and
their families. This discount requires a myWalgreens™ membership and proof of
service, and is available exclusively in-store. Additional restrictions apply.
Free Activities for Military
Members and Their Families
Blue Star Museums. More
than 2,000 museums in the U.S. offer free museum admission to active-duty
military members and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day. See a
full list of participating museums.
VetTix. VetTix offers free
event tickets to military members and veterans and their families. Availability
varies based on the event, location and other factors. The best way to keep up
to date is to sign up for an account and their mailing list. We have more information
in this article about VetTix.
Restaurants – Free Meals and
Discounts
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill.
Treat a hero to a free meal on Memorial Day. When you dine with a veteran,
active-duty service member or Gold Star family, their meal is free. (The value
of the free entree must be equal to or less than yours.)
Fogo de Chão. This
Memorial Day, any veteran or active-duty personnel who dines in at Fogo will
receive 50% off their meal, and up to three guests will receive 10% off their
meal. *Restrictions apply. Participating locations only.
Joe’s Crab Shack. Parties
of up to four people will receive a 15% discount. Valid for all active members
of the U.S. Military, National Guard and veterans, with ID. Dine-in only.
LaMar’s Donuts. Free
doughnuts and coffee for all active, retired and veteran service members.
McCormick & Schmick’s.
Parties of up to four people receive a 15% discount. Valid for all active
members of the U.S. Military, National Guard and veterans, with ID. Dine-in
only.
Miller’s Ale House.
Military members and veterans who provide proof of service receive 50% off
their entrée of choice on Memorial Day.
Mission BBQ. Military
members receive a free sandwich on May 21, as well as on a designated day for
each branch of service in May: Army, May 16; Marine Corps, May 17; Navy, May
18; Air Force and Space Force, May 19 and Coast Guard, May 20.
Memorial Day Military
Discounts at Retail Locations
Academy Sports + Outdoors.
First responders, veterans and active-duty military members receive 10% off
their entire purchase, both in-store and online, from May 2 through July 5.
Cellphone Discounts. Many
cellphone providers offer special deals and discounts for current and former
military. The specific details are too long to cover in this article, so please
check out our military cellphone discounts page for more information or the
following specific providers:
Helzberg Diamonds. A 10%
military appreciation discount is valid for purchases made in stores and
online. It is available to all active duty, military retirees, disabled
veterans and registered dependents of active duty/retirees.
Home Depot. All current
and former military can receive a 10% discount, up to $500, on Memorial Day
weekend. Home Depot offers military discounts to all veterans on Memorial Day,
July 4 and Veterans Day, as well as discounts year-round to current military,
retirees and disabled veterans (with ID).
Lowe’s. Lowe’s offers a
10% military discount to all current and former military members year-round on
eligible items. Lowe’s requires service members and veterans to sign up for the
MyLowe’s program and verify military affiliation via their system. Once verified,
you only need to give your email address or phone number to get the discount.
Some restrictions apply. Learn more at our Lowe’s Military Discount page.
Microsoft Home Use Program.
Active-duty military, Guard and reserve members can purchase the entire
Microsoft Office suite at 30% off through the Microsoft Home Use Program
Military Discount.
Oakley Standard Issue.
Oakley SI has a 45% sitewide Memorial Day sale, plus free shipping.
Rosetta Stone. Military,
veterans, reservists and National Guard can save 10% on Rosetta Stone’s lowest
pricing on award-winning language software.
Under Armour. Military
(current and former), first responders, nurses and teachers receive a 10%
military discount all year (and sometimes offers greater discounts around
military-related holidays).
Veterans Advantage.
Veterans Advantage is a discount club open to current and former military
members. There is a membership fee to join, but members are eligible for a
variety of discounts including travel, insurance and retail, which can easily
pay for the cost of membership many times over.
Military Travel Discounts
Memorial Day is a Many recognize
Memorial Day as the unofficial start of summer. School is out for many, and
many people take summer vacations. Here are some tips for finding military
travel discounts and some discounts you can use now or throughout the year.
Armed Forces Vacation Club
– Military Travel Discounts
Disney World Park Hopper
Pass Military Discount
^ It is good to donor Soldiers
and Veterans on Memorial Day Weekend. ^
Martin Niemöller, a German
Pastor, wrote this in 1946 (after the Holocaust.)
He was imprisoned by the Nazis in
the Sachsenhausen and Dachau Concentration Camps from 1938 to 1945.
Sadly, 78 years after he wrote
this Poem Jews across the United States and around the World (especially in:
the UK, Canada, Spain, Russia, Turkey, France, Germany, etc.) are being verbally
and physically attacked by College Students, Self-Proclaimed Religious Leaders,
many Arab and Muslim Governments and Ordinary People.
I am not Jewish, but I believe in
what Martin Niemöller wrote in 1946 about speaking out against any attacks on
any Group.
From the BBC:
“Metro disabled access 'shame'
for Paralympic Paris”
(Nicolas Caffin takes BBC
correspondent Nikki Fox to a Paris bus stop - since there is almost no
wheelchair access on the Metro)
It is "absolutely
scandalous" that more has not been done to improve accessibility on
Paris's underground trains network ahead of the Paralympics, a leading French
disability charity has said. APF France Handicap said the Metro was a "big
black spot" on the city's Paralympic legacy. The president of the
International Paralympic Committee said he understood the
"frustration", but pointed to "massive investment" in the
city's buses. French wheelchair users told the BBC the lack of accessibility on
the Metro was a source of "shame".
Before Paris was awarded the
Games in 2017, organisers had put accessibility at the centre of their bid,
promising "accessible infrastructure and attitudes befitting the most
visited country on Earth". Paris is expecting 350,000 disabled fans to
visit for the Games this summer. Shuttle buses and accessible taxis are being
provided to help disabled people travel around. But Nicolas Mérille, APF's
national advisor on universal accessibility, said the authorities had not made
lasting changes to improve it. "The legacy is very, very weak," he
said. "And obviously the big black spot is the Metro."
(Arthur Baucheron, a French
TikTok influencer, says it takes him twice as long to travel around Paris
compared to his non-disabled friends)
TikTok influencer Arthur
Baucheron is so popular in France that he has been selected to be a torchbearer
ahead of the Games. But Mr Baucheron, who counts French president Emmanuel
Macron among his Instagram followers, finds it nearly impossible to use the
Metro to get around his own capital city. He says it is his "dream to take
the Metro". Ahead of the Games, Braille markers have been added to
handrails and audio announcements have been brought in to make stations more
accessible for some disabled people. But only one of the 16 Metro lines is
fully wheelchair-accessible, with lifts, step-free access and no gaps between
the trains and platforms. Mr Baucheron told BBC News it was a "shame"
not to be able to access more stations, adding that he sometimes has to take
three buses to see his friends in the city. "It's really complicated to go
from point A to point B without using a taxi, for example, but that's more
expensive and we don't all have the money to take a taxi every time we need to
go somewhere," he said.
(Nicolas Caffin travels into
central Paris up to five time a week, and says public transport can be
time-consuming)
Out in the suburb of
Maisons-Laffitte, just over 11 miles from Paris city centre, Nicolas Caffin is
waiting for the 19:16 train into town. We meet him outside the station, where
two guards escort us through the ticket barriers and down to the platform,
before setting up the ramp to get on to the train. He later tells us he cannot
always depend on the same level of service he gets as when he is travelling
with a team from the BBC. Mr Caffin has previously lived in England, and says
he finds the tube in London more reliable, with more than a third of the
Underground's 272 stations accessible for wheelchairs. "When one line is
shut, they have a substitute plan for wheelchairs," he tells us as the
train heads towards Auber station, in central Paris. "But in France, if
one line is shut, you have to rely on buses. There's no choice." We are
heading to a bar on the River Seine to see some of Mr Caffin's friends. He goes
into town about five times a week, for appointments and to socialise. The bar
is one stop away on Metro Line 8, which would get us there within 15 minutes of
getting off the train at Auber. But because the line is not accessible, we have
to leave the station to find a bus stop, taking more than 30 minutes to reach
our final destination. We are with Mr Caffin during a national holiday in
France, so the streets are quiet, but it is still a bumpy walk between bus
stops, dodging the high kerbs that block access to some of the zebra crossings.
Parisian authorities have
invested €125m (£107m) in the city's buses in the run-up to the Games, which
are all now accessible and can accommodate two wheelchair users each. Andrew
Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee, told the BBC he
was disappointed there had not been more improvements to the Metro in the
lead-up to the Games. But he said it would have required a change in the law
and "monumental" investment to make a significant impact in the seven
years of preparation. "It made it virtually impossible," he said. Instead,
he pointed to the authorities' "massive investment" in the city's
buses. “We understand a degree of frustration not having the Metro, but we also
like to highlight a positive outcome and legacy from these Games, which is to
invest in the bus transport system, making it accessible," he said. A
spokesperson for the RATP Group, which operates public transport in Paris, said
the Metro network is "very old and one of the densest in the world",
making it difficult and costly to make widespread changes. Mr Caffin says he
has to "fight hard all the time" as a disabled person in Paris - but
adds that "there is always a solution". "It's not always easy to
go out. But when you know places and you know people, there's always a way to
get around it."
^ This is a disgrace to Paris, to
France and to the Paralympics. ^
From Reuters:
“Iranian President Ebrahim
Raisi, hardline ally of Supreme Leader, killed in helicopter crash”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi,
a hardliner seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, was killed after his helicopter crashed in poor weather in mountains
near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday. The
charred wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi,
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew was
found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions. Supreme
Leader Khamenei, who holds ultimate power with a final say on foreign policy
and Iran's nuclear programme, said First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, would
take over as interim president, the official IRNA news agency reported. "I
announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear
people of Iran," Khamenei said in a statement. Mokhber, like Raisi, is
seen as close to Khamenei.
Under the Islamic Republic's
constitution, a new presidential election must be held within 50 days. Any
candidate must first be vetted by the Guardian Council, a hardline watchdog
that has often disqualified even prominent conservative and moderate officials,
meaning the overall thrust of Iranian policy would be unlikely to change. Footage
from Iranian state television showed wreckage scattered on a foggy hillside,
while separate images from IRNA showed Red Crescent workers carrying a covered
body on a stretcher. All those aboard the helicopter were killed, a senior
Iranian official had earlier told Reuters. Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri
Kani was appointed as acting foreign minister following the death of
Amirabdollahian, IRNA said. The crash comes at a time of growing dissent within
Iran over an array of political, social and economic crises. Iran's clerical
rulers face international pressure over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme and
its deepening military ties with Russia during the war in Ukraine.
'SHADOW WAR' Since Iran's
ally Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, provoking Israel's assault on Gaza,
conflagrations involving Iran-aligned groups have erupted throughout the Middle
East. A long "shadow war" between Iran and Israel broke into
the open last month with tit-for-tat exchanges of drone and missile fire. An
Israeli official told Reuters it was not involved in the crash. "It wasn't
us," said the official, who requested anonymity. State media
reported that images from the site showed the U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter
slammed into a mountain peak, although there was no official word on the cause
of the crash. The dead also included the governor of East Azerbaijan Province
and a senior imam from Tabriz city.
Decades of sanctions have made it
hard for Iran to obtain parts or upgrade its aircraft. Russia offered to assist
Iran with investigating the crash. The helicopter went down in Varzeqan
region north of Tabriz, state news agency IRNA reported, as Raisi returned from
an official visit to the border with Azerbaijan in Iran's northwest. Raisi,
63, was elected president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a
tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government
protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.
Messages of condolences poured in
from Iran's regional neighbours and allies, including the leaders of Saudi
Arabia, Syria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Iraq and
Pakistan. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Raisi "a true
friend of Russia". The Kremlin said he had spoken to Mokhber by phone and
both stressed "mutual intention to further strengthen Russian-Iranian
interaction". Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was
"deeply shocked and saddened" There was less reaction from Western
capitals, though the European Union and Japan expressed condolences. Iran-backed
militant group Hamas, fighting Israeli forces in Gaza with Tehran's support,
issued a statement expressing sympathy to the Iranian people for "this
immense loss." Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group and the Houthi rebels
in Yemen also issued statements praising Raisi and mourning his death. Meanwhile,
the exiled opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran,
described his death in a statement as a "monumental and irreparable
strategic blow" to the Islamic Republic.
DIFFICULT TERRAIN Rescue
teams fought rain, blizzards and difficult terrain through the night to reach
the wreckage in the early hours of Monday. Earlier, the national
broadcaster had stopped all regular programming to show prayers being held for
Raisi across the country. Video showed a rescue team, wearing bright
jackets and head torches, huddled around a GPS device as they searched a
pitch-black mountainside on foot. In Iran's dual political system, split
between the clerical establishment and the government, it is Raisi's
85-year-old mentor Khamenei, supreme leader since 1989, who holds
decision-making power on all major policies. Raisi's victory in a
closely managed election in 2021 brought all branches of power under the
control of hardliners, after eight years when the presidency had been held by
pragmatist Hassan Rouhani and a nuclear deal negotiated with powers including
Washington. However, Raisi's standing may have been dented by widespread
protests against clerical rule following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman
Mahsa Amini in morality police custody, and a failure to turn around Iran's
economy, hamstrung by Western sanctions. Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani
border on Sunday to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi Dam, a joint project.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, who said he had bid a "friendly
farewell" to Raisi earlier in the day, had offered assistance in the rescue.
^ I, and the World. Should not
feel sorry or mourn his death. A Bad Man is now gone. ^
Today is Victoria Day in Canada.
From
1845-1952 it was a Holiday to remember the British Monarch over Canada.
Since
1952 it is a Holiday to remember the Canadian Monarch.
Queen
Elizabeth II became the 1st Canadian Monarch and the 1st Canadian Queen in
1952.
King
Charles III became the 2nd Canadian Monarch and the 1st Canadian King in 2022.
This
Victoria Day honors King Charles III.
Aujourd'hui,
c'est la fête de Victoria au Canada.
De
1845 à 1952, c'était une fête pour se souvenir du monarque britannique au
Canada.
Depuis
1952, c'est une fête pour se souvenir du monarque canadien.
La
reine Elizabeth II est devenue le 1er monarque canadien et la 1ère reine
canadienne en 1952.
Le
roi Charles III est devenu le 2e monarque canadien et le 1er roi canadien en
2022.
Cette
fête de Victoria honore le roi Charles III.
It's going to get very hot and
humid in most places across the US in the next few days.
Please don't forget to check on:
The Elderly, Children, the Disabled and Animals.
Please don't leave your Kids or
your Pets in a Locked Vehicle.
107 years ago today (May 18,
1917) the Selective Service System (SSS) was created.
The SSS, shortly after the United
States declared War on Germany during World War 1, was made to Register every
American Man and then Draft those aged 21 to 30.
2.8 Million of the 4.2 Million
American Men who served during World War 1 were Draftees.
The Selective Service System did
not create The Draft in 1917, but it did do away with the paying of Substitutions
(as had been allowed by the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War.)
History of The Draft:
In Colonial America
(1492-1776) the Thirteen Colonies used a Militia System for Defense which
required able-bodied White Males to
enroll in the Militia, to undergo a minimum of Military Training, and to serve
for limited periods of time in War or Emergency.
The same Militia System was used
after the United States became independent in 1776, but was done at the State
Level (not the Federal Level) until 1789.
During the American Revolutionary
War (1775-1783) the States sometimes Drafted Men for Militia Duty or to
fill State Continental Army Units. This First National Conscription was
irregularly applied and failed to fill the Continental Ranks.
Post Ratification of the
Constitution in 1789, Article I.8.15, allows for Congress to Conscript.
Giving it the power to provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the
Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; Section 8.16 of
the same article, allows Congress to provide for organizing, arming, and
disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be
employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States
respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training
the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.
Article II.2.1 makes the
President the Commander in Chief of the Militia.
Conscientious Objection was
allowed and you could pay a fine instead of serving.
The Second Militia Act of 1792
defined the First Group who could be called up as "each and every free
able-bodied White Male Citizen" between the ages of 18 and 45.
During the War of 1812
(1812-1815): President James Madison unsuccessfully attempted to Federally
Draft 40,000 Men.
During the American Civil War
(1861-1865) both the Union and the Confederacy used the Draft.
In The Confederacy South:
The First Conscription Act, passed April 16, 1862, made any White Male between
18 and 35 years old liable to three years of Military Service.
On September 27, 1862, the Second
Act extended the age limit to 45 years.
The Third Act, passed February
17, 1864, changed this to 17 to 50 years old, for service of an unlimited
period.
From 1862-1864 those Drafted
could hire a Substitute to fight for them.
There were exemptions to the
Draft (most notably the “Twenty Negro Law” where any White Man that owned 20 or
more Black Slaves couldn’t be Drafted.)
It lasted until the Confederacy
was defeated in 1865.
Conscientious Objection was
allowed and you could pay a fine ($500 or $9,141.41 in today’s money) instead
of serving.
In the Union North: The
Militia Act of 1862 authorized a Draft within a State when the State could not
meet its quota with Volunteers.
The Act, for the first time, also
allowed Blacks to serve in the Militias as Soldiers and War Laborers, but in
Segregated Units headed by White Officers.
Anyone Drafted could hire a
Substitute (someone not themselves eligible to be Drafted) to fight for them.
2% of the Union Soldiers who fought were Draftees and 6% of the Union Soldiers
who fought were Draftee Substitutes.
Conscientious Objection was
allowed and you could pay a fine ($300 or $5,484.85 in today’s money) instead
of serving.
The Enrollment Act of 1863 also
known as the Civil War Military Draft Act was the first genuine National
Conscription Law. The law required the enrollment of every Male Citizen and
those Immigrants who had filed for Citizenship, between 20 and 45 years of age,
unless exempted by the Act.
The Act replaced the Militia Act
of 1862. It set up under the Union Army an elaborate machine for enrolling and
Drafting Men for Conscription. Quotas were assigned in each State, and each
Congressional District, with deficiencies in Volunteers being met by
Conscription.
The hiring of Substitutes was
still allowed. Draft Boards were local.
Once the Civil War ended in
1865 the Draft also ended and until 1917 the US Military had only
Volunteers (including during the Mexican-American War 1846-1848, the Second
Opium War 1856-1859, the Various Indian Wars 1860s -1920s the Spanish-American
War 1898, the Philippine-American War 1899-1902, the Boxer Rebellion 1899-1901
and the Mexican Border War 1910-1919.)
The Selective Service Act of
1917 allowed for the Draft during World War 1. All Males aged 21 to 30 were
required to register to potentially be selected for Military Service.
At the request of the War
Department, Congress amended the Law in August 1918 to expand the age range to
include all men 18 to 45, and to bar further Volunteering.
Unlike during the Civil War no
Draft Substitutes could fight for you.
The US Military was still
Segregated. Draft Boards were local.
Conscientious Objection was
allowed, but you had to serve in Non-Combat Military Roles.
By the end of World War I, some 2
Million Men Volunteered for various branches of the Armed Services, and some
2.8 Million had been Drafted.
The Draft ended when World War 1
ended on November 11, 1918.
From 1918-1940 the US Military
only had Volunteers.
The Selective Training and
Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke–Wadsworth Act, was the first
Peacetime Conscription in United States History.
This Selective Service Act
required that Men who had reached their 21st Birthday but had not yet reached
their 36th Birthday register with local Draft Boards.
From 1940-1942 there was a
National Draft Lottery.
When the U.S. entered World War
II in 1941, all Men from their 18th Birthday until the day before their 45th
Birthday were made subject to Military Service, and all Men from their 18th
birthday until the day before their 65th Birthday were required to register and
those Drafted served for the “duration of the War plus 6 months.”
From 1942-1945 the National Draft
Lottery was replaced with the Local Draft Boards.
Conscientious Objection was
allowed, but you had to join the Civilian Public Service (working in Soil
Conservation, Forestry, Firefighting, Agriculture, Social Services and Mental
Health Services.)
12,000 Americans served in the
CPS.
By 1945, 50 Million American Men
had registered for the Draft and 10 Million were Drafted.
From 1946-1948 the US Military
had all Volunteers.
The Selective Service Act of
1948, also known as the Elston Act, was a major revision of the Articles of
War of the United States enacted on June 24, 1948 that established the current
implementation of the Selective Service System.
The new Law required all Men of
age 18 to 26 to register. The US Military also
became Integrated in 1948.
During the Korean War
1950-1953 The Selective Service System used Local Draft Boards to Draft 1.5
Million Men.
In 1953 President Eisenhower
ended the Paternity Deferment for Married Men.
In 1962 President Kennedy ordered
that Men with Children be placed at the bottom of the Draft List and Married
Men without Children be placed right above those with Men with Children.
President Johnson ended both of
these policies in 1965.
During the Vietnam War
1964-1973 8,744,000 Americans served in the US Military of whom 3,403,000
were deployed to Southeast Asia with 2,215,000 of them Draftees.
Of the nearly 16 Million Men not
engaged in active military service, 96% were Exempted (typically because of
jobs including other Military Service), Deferred (usually for Educational
Reasons), or Disqualified (usually for Physical and Mental Deficiencies but
also for Criminal Records including Draft Violations).
On December 1, 1969, a National
Draft Lottery was held to establish a Draft priority for all those born between
1944 and 1950.
This was done by President Nixon
because the Local Draft Boards were seen as favoring the White and Rich. A
National Draft Lottery was also held in 1970, 1971 and 1972.
Conscientious Objection was
allowed, but you had to serve in a Non-Combat Military Role or go to Prison.
On January 27, 1973 the US
officially ended the Military Draft (after the Paris Peace Accord between the
US and North Vietnam – also signed on January 27, 1973.)
From 1973-1980 not only was the
US Military All-Volunteer, but Men no longer had to register for the Draft with
the Selective Service System.
In 1980, after the Soviets
invaded Afghanistan, President Carter started requiring all Men to register for
the Selective Service System from the time they were 18 until they were 25.
This requirement remains in place
today with many Federal and State Penalties for not registering (ie. a Federal
Felony punishable by up to 5 years Imprisonment or a $250,000 Fine.)
Today, the Selective Service
System continues to update its policies with Congress in case the Draft is ever
brought back.
If the Draft was returned there
would be a National Draft Lottery to ensure equality (although Women still
won’t be Drafted even though they have been allowed in Combat Roles since
2016.)
College Deferments would only
last until the end of that Semester and not when you graduated.
Current Change to any National
Draft Lottery: The Men called first would be those who are or will turn 20
years old in the calendar year or those whose Deferments will end in the
calendar year.
Each year after, the Man will be
placed on a lower priority status until his liability ends.
For 51 years the US Military
has been an All-Volunteer Force.
They have fought in: the last
days of the Cold War 1973-1991, Lebanon 1982-1984, Grenada 1983, Libya 1986,
Panama 1989-1990, the Gulf War 1990-1991, Iraqi No-Fly Zone 1991-2003, Somalia
1992-1995, the Former Yugoslavia 1992-1996, Haiti 1994-1995, Kosovo 1998-1999,
Afghanistan 2001-2021, Yemen 2002-Present, Iraq 2003-2021, Pakistan 2004-2018,
Somalia 2007-Present, Indian Ocean Pirates 2009-2016, Libya 2011, Uganda
2011-2017, Syria 2014-Present and Libya 2015-2019.
A Poll conducted in 1973 (when
the Draft ended) found that 84% of every American either served or knew a Loved
One that served in the US Military.
A Poll conducted in 2019 found
that 0.01% of every American either served or knew a Loved One that served in
the US Military.
From the BBC:
“Georgia president vetoes
'foreign agent' law”
(Georgia's President Salome
Zourabichvili taking part in a pro-EU rally surrounded by dozens of people)
Georgia's president has vetoed a
divisive "foreign agent" law that has sparked weeks of mass street
protests.
On Tuesday MPs passed the
controversial law which requires NGOs and independent media that receive more
than 20% of their funding from foreign donors to register as organisations
"bearing the interests of a foreign power". Salome Zourabichvili said
the law "in its essence and spirit, is fundamentally Russian" and an
obstacle to Georgia's path to EU membership. However, her veto is only symbolic
as the prime minister's Georgian Dream party has enough members in parliament
to override it by holding another vote. In a televised address broadcast on
Saturday, the president said her veto was "legally justified". "This
law cannot be a subject to any change, improvement and embellishment, and thus
it’s a very simple veto. This law must be withdrawn, " she said. Ms
Zourabichvili - an opponent of prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze - was widely
expected to veto the law.
Meanwhile, Mr Kobakhidze has
called on youth protesters to select at least 10 representatives to join a
public discussion with him on the controversial law. According to The
Interpressnews agency reported on Friday, he said: "I am ready to not only
listen to their critical remarks, but in specific cases, share them. I expect
the same attitude from youths."
Critics say the law is inspired
by authoritarian legislation neighbouring Russia uses to crush dissent.
Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023, and some are concerned that the law will derail the country's path to EU membership. Conditions for membership involve candidate countries implementing anti-corruption reforms, increasing government transparency, and promoting civil society.
Massive rallies against the bill
have gripped the Caucasus country for nearly a month. Photos and footage posted
online in recent days appeared to show violent altercations between protesters
and police.
^ Georgia should not follow Russia’s
path and should not pass this “Foreign Agents Law.” ^
From the AP:
“Justice Alito’s home flew a
US flag upside down after Trump’s ‘Stop the Steal’ claims, a report says”
.webp)
An upside-down American flag, a
symbol associated with former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election
fraud, was displayed outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in
January 2021, The New York Times reported.
A photo obtained and published by
the newspaper on Thursday shows the flag flying on Jan. 17, 2021, days after
the Republican’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to try to
prevent certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election victory.
Dozens of the pro-Trump rioters were carrying similarly inverted flags and
chanting slogans like “Stop the Steal.”
The report could raise concerns
about Alito’s impartiality as the court considers two major cases related to
the Capitol attack, including charges faced by the rioters and whether Trump
has immunity from prosecution on election interference charges. The justice
said the flag was placed there by his wife amid a dispute with neighbors.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of
Illinois, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on Alito to recuse
himself Friday from cases related to the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 Capitol
insurrection. “Flying an upside-down American flag — a symbol of the so-called
‘Stop the Steal’ movement — clearly creates the appearance of bias,” Durbin
said in a statement. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, meanwhile, called
the report an attempt to “intimidate justices,” in a social-media post. It
comes as another conservative justice, Clarence Thomas, has ignored calls to
recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election over his wife, Ginni
Thomas’, support for Trump and as public trust in the Supreme Court is at its
lowest point in at least 50 years. Judicial experts said the flag clearly
violates ethics rules set to avoid even the appearance of bias.
At the time the flag was flying,
the court was still considering whether to take up cases over the 2020
election. It ultimately rejected them over dissent from three conservative
justices, including Alito, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, a
Republican. He wrote that the court’s consideration of the cases would have no
impact on the 2020 election but “would provide invaluable guidance for future
elections.” Alito acknowledged the presence of the flag at his home in
Alexandria, Virginia, but said he had “no involvement whatsoever in the flying
of the flag.” “It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s
use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs,” Alito
said in an emailed statement to the newspaper. Martha-Ann Alito had been in a
dispute with another family in the neighborhood over an anti-Trump sign on
their lawn, and neighbors also interpreted the flag as a political statement,
the Times reported. It’s unclear how long the flag was flying.
Judicial ethics codes focus on
the need for judges to be independent, avoiding political statements or
opinions on matters they could be called on to decide. The Supreme Court had
long gone without its own code of ethics, but it adopted one in November 2023
in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from
wealthy benefactors to some justices. The code lacks a means of enforcement,
however.
Amanda Frost, a law professor at
the University of Virginia, told the newspaper that flying the flag upside down
is “the equivalent of putting a ‘Stop the Steal’ sign in your yard, which is a
problem if you’re deciding election-related cases.” Even if it was placed by
his spouse or someone else living in the home, “he shouldn’t have it in his
yard as his message to the world,” she said.
The Supreme Court has warned its
employees about public displays indicating partisan leanings, the newspaper
reported. The court did not respond to questions about whether those rules
apply to justices.
The U.S. Flag Code states that
the American flag is not to be flown upside down “except as a signal of dire
distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property.” It has been used
as a protest symbol on both the left and the right on a range of issues over
the decades. It took off as a symbol of Trump’s “Stop the Steal” campaign as he
spread false claims that the election he lost to Biden had been stolen.
^ This is just plain disgusting.
To have any American fly the American Flag upside down is wrong, but to have a
Member of the US Supreme Court fly the American Flag upside down is sickening.
Alito’s excuse (his Wife and a
disagreement with a Neighbor) only shows how impartial Alito can’t be in any
Court Cases regarding Trump or January 6th. ^
US Armed Forces
Today is Armed Forces Day in the
United States.
The US Armed Forces consists of
six Service Branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and
Coast Guard.
The US Military was formed 248
years ago (July 14, 1775.)
There are 1,747,970 Active-Duty
Servicemen/women and 402,515 Reserve Servicemen/Women in the US Military.
The US Military has been
All-Volunteer since The Draft ended 50 years ago (in 1973.)
US Army:
487,083 Active Duty Personnel
352,358 Army National Guard
Personnel
191,752 Army Reserve Personnel
1,007,193 Total Uniformed
Personnel
US Marine Corps:
180,958 Active Personnel
32,400 Reserve Personnel
213,358 Total Uniformed Personnel
US Navy:
349,593 Active Duty Personnel
101,583 Reserve Personnel
451,176 Total Uniformed Personnel
US Air Force:
328,820 Active Duty Personnel
69,056 Reserve Personnel
397,876 Total Uniformed Personnel
US Space Force:
8,600 Active Duty Personnel
US Coast Guard:
40,558 Active Duty Personnel
7,724 Reserve Personnel
48,282 Total Uniformed Personnel
The US Military has 314
Military Bases across 50 US States, DC and 5 US Territories.
The US Military has 184
Military Bases across the World: Australia (4), Aruba (1), Bahrain (2), the
Bahamas (1), Belgium (4), the British Indian Ocean Territory (1), Bulgaria (4),
Cameroon (1), Curacao (1), Cuba (1), Djibouti (1), Estonia (1), Germany (40), Greece (1), Greenland (2),
Honduras (1), Iceland (1), Iraq (12),
Israel (1), Italy (8), Japan (24), Kenya
(1), Kosovo (1), Kuwait (8), Lithuania (2), the Netherlands (2), New Zealand
(1), Niger (3), Peru (1), Poland (3), Portugal (1), Qatar (1), Romania (3),
Saudi Arabia (5), Singapore (2), South Korea (15), Spain (2), Syria (12).
Turkey (2), the United Arab Emirates (1) and the United Kingdom (6).
80 years ago today (May 18, 1944) Stalin sent 32,000 NKVD Secret Police to round -up every Crimean Tartar Man, Woman and Child in Crimea.
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(Picture: A Crimean Tatar boy
deported from Crimea for "betrayal of the Soviet Union" – in a
“Special Settlement” - 1944,
Krasnovishersk, Molotov Region, Russia, USSR.)
That included: Soldiers in the
Soviet Red Army, the Elderly, the Disabled, New born Babies and Pregnant Women.
Three days later - May 20, 1944 - the Soviets had rounded-up and
deported 109, 956 Crimeans from Crimea to the Uzbekistan Soviet Socialist
Republic several Thousand Miles away.
8,000 Crimean Tartars died while
being deported.
Between May 1944 – January 1,
1945 13,592 Crimean Tartars died from harsh conditions (including Forced Labor,
Beatings, etc.) imposed on them by the Soviet Government in their “Special
Settlements” in Exile.
Between January 1, 1945 – January
1, 1946 13,183 Crimean Tartars died from the harsh conditions (including Forced
Labor, Beatings, etc.) imposed on them by the Soviet Government in their
“Special Settlements” in Exile.
46% of the Crimean Tartars died
in Exile from 1944-1991.
The Crimean Tartar Deportation
resulted in the abandonment of 80,000 households and 360,000 acres of land.
An intense campaign of
Detatarization followed to try to erase the remaining traces of Crimean Tatar
existence (with the Soviets erasing Crimean Tartar Culture, History and
Language along with its’ People.)
In 1956, the new Soviet leader
Nikita Khrushchev condemned Stalin's policies, including the Deportation of
various Ethnic Groups like the Crimean Tartars, but did not lift the directive
forbidding the return of the Crimean Tatars despite allowing most other
deported peoples to return.
The Crimean Tatars remained in
Central Asia for several more Decades until the Perestroika Era in the late
1980s, when 260,000 Crimean Tatars returned to Crimea.
Those that returned found that
Ethnic Russians had been legally given their property and homes and they
received no compensation.
Their exile had lasted 45 years.
The ban on their return was officially declared null and void when the Supreme
Council of Crimea declared on November 14, 1989 that the Deportations had been
a crime.
Crimea became a part of an
independent Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
In March 2014 Putin’s Russia
invaded, occupied and illegally annexed Crimea, Ukraine into the Russian
Federation.
Since 2014 Putin has waged both
Cultural and Human Genocide against the Ethnic Tartars and the Ethnic
Ukrainians in Crimea.
The Russians have banned the use
of the Tartar Language, the Ukrainian Language, have shut-down all Tartar and
Ukrainian Cultural Sites and have deported many Tartars and Ukrainians from
Crimea to the Russian Federation to “beat the Tartar and the Ukrainian out of
them.”
Between 2015 and 2019, the 1944
Crimean Tartar Deportation was formally recognized as Genocide by Ukraine,
Lithuania, Latvia and Canada.
Today (May 18, 2024) is Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
Global
Accessibility Awareness Day, also known as GAAD, works to promote digital
accessibility, access, and inclusion worldwide. GAAD defines digital
accessibility as the need for top-quality digital experiences for all internet
users, regardless of an individual’s disabilities. GAAD on digital
accessibility.
Global
Accessibility Awareness Day launched in May 2012. It was inspired by a blog
post from November 2011 by Los Angeles-based web developer Joe Devon. Devon
worked with Jennison Asuncion, an accessibility professional from Toronto, to
co-found GAAD.
1
Billion People Worldwide have a Disability or Impairment.
What
is Digital Accessibility? Every user deserves a first-rate digital
experience on the web. Someone with a disability must be able to experience
web-based services, content and other digital products with the same successful
outcome as those without disabilities. This awareness and commitment to
inclusion is the goal of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), a global
event that shines a light on digital access and inclusion for people with
disabilities.
Common
Disabilities/Impairments:
Visual:
People who are blind need alternative text descriptions for meaningful images
and use the keyboard and not a mouse to interact with interactive elements.
Hearing:
People who are deaf or hard of hearing will need captioning for video
presentations and visual indicators in place of audio cues.
Motor:
People with motor impairments may need alternative keyboards, eye control or
some other adaptive hardware to help them type and navigate on their devices.
Cognitive:
An uncluttered screen, consistent navigation and the use of plain language
would be useful for people with different learning disabilities/impairments.
Dublin and Monaghan Bombings
The Dublin and Monaghan bombings
of 17 May 1974 were a series of co-ordinated bombings in counties Dublin and
Monaghan, Ireland, carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force. Three bombs
exploded in Dublin during the evening rush hour and a fourth exploded in
Monaghan almost ninety minutes later. They killed 34 civilians and injured
almost 300. The bombings were the deadliest attack of the conflict known as the
Troubles, and the deadliest attack in the Republic's history. Most of the victims were young women,
although the ages of the dead ranged from 19 up to 80 years.
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF),
a loyalist paramilitary group from Northern Ireland, claimed responsibility for
the bombings in 1993. It had launched a number of attacks in the Republic since
1969. The month before the bombings, the British government had lifted the
UVF's status as a proscribed organisation.
The bombings happened during the
Ulster Workers' Council strike. This was a general strike called by hardline
loyalists and unionists in Northern Ireland who opposed the Sunningdale
Agreement. Specifically, they opposed the sharing of political power with Irish
nationalists, and the proposed role of the Republic in the governance of
Northern Ireland. The Republic's government had helped bring about the
Agreement. The strike brought down the Agreement and the Northern Ireland
Assembly on 28 May.
No one has ever been charged with
the bombings. A campaign by the victims' families led to an Irish government
inquiry under Mr. Justice Henry Barron. His 2003 report criticised the Garda
Síochána's investigation and said the investigators stopped their work
prematurely. It also criticised the Fine Gael/Labour government of the time for
its inaction and lack of interest in the bombings. The report said it was
likely that British security force personnel or MI5 intelligence was involved
but had insufficient evidence of higher-level involvement. However, the inquiry
was hindered by the British government's refusal to release key documents. The
victims' families and others are continuing to campaign to this day for the
British government to release these documents.
1974 Dublin and Monaghan Bombings
(Some of the damage caused by the
second car bomb on Talbot Street, Dublin)
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(A 2017 view of Talbot Street
where a further 14 people died)
(Memorial on Parnell Street)
(Memorial to the bomb victims in
Dublin's Talbot Street)
From Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Facebook:
Видимо чи невидимо, вона завжди
під пікселем захисника й під формою рятувальника, під халатом медика, курткою
енергетика, вона на волонтері, на вчителеві, на всіх, хто тримає оборону.
Наші діти знають її змалечку.
Вона – символ єднання всіх поколінь українців крізь століття.
Її візерунок такий неповторний,
бо вишивається нашими власними справами на полотні, витканому нашими
цінностями.
За роки спротиву агресії вона
стала неформальним одностроєм усіх, хто відстоює людяність, свободу та право на
ідентичність.
З Днем вишиванки, Україно,
українці та друзі України!
____
Visible or invisible, it is
always under a defender's pixel, a rescuer's uniform, a medic's coat, a power
engineer's jacket, a volunteer, a teacher, or anyone who holds the defense.
Our children have known it since
infancy. It represents the unity of all generations of Ukrainians over the
centuries. Its pattern is unique because it is embroidered by our own actions
on a canvas of our values.
Over the years of our resistance
to aggression, it has become an informal uniform for all those who defend
humanity, freedom, and the right to self-identity.
Happy Vyshyvanka Day to Ukraine,
all Ukrainians, and Ukraine’s friends!
223 days
132 hostages
24 nationalities
4 religions
1 demand-
Bring them all back home, now!
The new Bachelor on
"Kholostyak" — Ukraine's Version of America’s "The
Bachelor" — will be the real Ukrainian Hero, Oleksandr "Teren"
Budko
Volunteering since the outset of
the large-scale Invasion by Russia in February 2022, Budko was a member of the Carpathian
Sich 49th Infantry Battalion.
During combat in the Izium
district of Kharkiv Oblast, Budko suffered severe injuries in May 2022 that led
to the amputation of both his legs. He underwent his recovery in the United
States and adapted to using prosthetic legs.
Since then, Budko wrote a book,
launched a YouTube Project, participated in the Invictus Games, and performed a
Ballet.
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