On May 18, 1917, six weeks after the United States declared war on Germany, Congress passed the Selective Service Act. It was the first national draft since the Civil War, and it changed the daily reality of nearly every young man in the country almost overnight. If you want to know whether you would have been called up, the honest answer depends on exactly how old you were, what you did for a living, and how the war’s demand for manpower shifted over its final 18 months. The First Registration: June 5, 1917 The government designated June 5, 1917 as…
Most people assume the World War II draft began the day after Pearl Harbor. It didn’t. The United States started conscripting men more than a year before it entered the war, and the rules that governed who got called up changed dramatically once it did. Whether you’d have gone depends heavily on which version of the draft you’re asking about. The First Peacetime Draft in American History On Sept. 16, 1940, with France already fallen and Britain under siege, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act, commonly called the Burke-Wadsworth Act. It required all men between 21…
One of the things that I believe should be uncontroversial is the idea of making schools terrible targets for would-be mass killers. Armed teachers, hardened schools, armed security- nothing should be off the table in making schools virtual fortresses that can be unwelcoming places for those who want to murder our children. And yeah, I guess that includes pepper spray-wielding drones, as Cam talked about a couple of months back. Then, the drones were set to be tested in a Georgia high school.Now, they’re being deployed elsewhere.How do we combat the scourge of school shootings?…
A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II crashed Friday morning at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, sending black smoke above the base and igniting a brush fire near the flight line. The pilot ejected before impact and reached a local hospital in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. The aircraft went down at approximately 10 a.m. south of Miramar Road near Mitscher Way, according to Times of San Diego. The Marine Corps classified the incident as a Class A mishap but has not announced a cause, identified the pilot or disclosed what the aircraft was doing before the crash…
The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, DEERS, is the database that quietly underpins nearly every benefit a military family uses day to day: Tricare coverage, commissary and exchange access, base facility access, and the ID card that gets checked at every gate. It’s also one of the easiest things to let lapse without noticing, because the consequences don’t usually show up until you’re standing at a pharmacy counter or a Tricare claim gets denied. What Actually Expires — And What Doesn’t Two different things can go out of date, and they’re not quite the same problem. The physical ID card…
The days of choosing substance over style are far behind us. Once upon a time, you could only get a pair of good hiking boots in brown or dark brown. The outdoor industry has expanded massively since those days, and now there are loads of fun (and beautiful) designs for gear that’s also functional and reliable. We’re highlighting several new collaborations this week that do exactly that, including gorgeous new binoculars inspired by bird species, backpacks with a Wes Anderson aesthetic, running and swim gear co-designed by Olympic athletes, and tons more. Find the latest and greatest of the outdoor…
In a 13-3 decision, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed an Everytown for Gun Safety-backed lawsuit that challenged the Texas law regulating carriage of firearms on private property open to the public. The statute allows private property owners to ban firearms from their premises if they choose, but the property owner is required to give “effective” notice that entry with a handgun is forbidden. That can be accomplished both in writing with language and posting requirements specified by the state, or through oral communication as well. The plaintiffs in this case were a Unitarian…
The Coast Guard recently rescued a 9-year-old child after dogs attacked him on a beach in the Bahamas. The Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a statement that authorities took the unnamed child to a local hospital after several dogs attacked him and left injuries across numerous parts of his body at around 10 a.m. July 28 while he was playing on the beach. The police said that the Coast Guard then transported the child to the U.S. in an emergency evacuation with his father, after medics in the Bahamas said his condition was potentially life-threatening. “This case reflects the…
The gun control lobby is hoping to derail a rule proposed by the ATF that would allow for non-over-the-counter sales of firearms, and they’re enlisting the help of anti-gun politicians. On Thursday we covered New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement that she’ll be introducing legislation requiring gun sales to be conducted in person, which would negate the ATF’s proposed rule, at least in the Empire State. Hochul’s not the only elected official taking aim at the rule, though. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have released a letter to ATF Director Robert Cekada calling on…
The best running vest is the one you completely forget you’re wearing. I’ve tested dozens of vests over the years, and they usually fall into two traps. They either hold plenty of gear but bounce erratically, or they fit beautifully but lack space for longer efforts. Nathan hits a sweet spot with the VaporAir 4.0 and women’s-specific VaporAiress 4.0 ($160). Instead of just adding pockets, these vests focus on a fit you can change on the go. You can tighten or loosen the rig as your bladder empties, you shed layers, or the terrain changes. I tested the women’s VaporAiress…
It’s been two weeks since the Third Circuit Court of Appeals struck down New Jersey’s ban on so-called assault weapons and large capacity magazines, but the appellate court has yet to issue its mandate that would allow for sales of those items to resume in the Garden State. New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport wants to keep that mandate on ice, and in a new court filing she’s asking the Third Circuit to allow the gun and magazine ban to remain in effect while the state appeals its loss to the Supreme Court. The State is…
Halo: Campaign Evolved players who meet the eligibility requirements have just a few days to claim a free cosmetic goodie for their collections. Credit: Image via Microsoft Originally published by Game Rant Some Halo: Campaign Evolved players have until August 16 to claim a free skin to add to their collections. However, the new skin for Halo: Campaign Evolved will not be available to every player, as some specific requirements must be met beforehand. In short, Halo: Campaign Evolved is a story-focused retelling of the 2001 Xbox launch title Halo: Combat Evolved. However, Campaign Evolved has support for local and online…
Tragic news has come from the 12th-highest mountain in the world. An avalanche swept down Pakistan’s Broad Peak just as a large climbing group was on its way to the summit. At least 10 people were hit by the avalanche, including Nirmal “Nims” Purja, a well-known mountaineer who was leading an Elite Exped team. At least two climbers died in the avalanche, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan. The rest remain unaccounted for. However, several news outlets, including the BBC, have reported that four climbers from the team were already confirmed dead. Details about the status of remaining climbers…
Mercedes-Benz is recalling 310,000 vehicles, including many of its most popular models. In an impressive cascade of failures, a problem with the door locks could lead to the vehicle rolling away. Yes, that seems like a stretch, but it can happen. A door that can’t tell if it’s open or closed can lead to some other problems, too, that are less about safety and more about convenience. Corrosion In A Switch Can Lead To Problems Credit: Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz says that in 2021 it started receiving reports of complaints that radios and lights would stay on after drivers got out of the…
When Montgomery County, Maryland recently amended its concealed carry laws to comply with a state Supreme Court decision, the county left in place some “sensitive areas” that are legally dubious, at least from a Second Amendment perspective. The county bans lawful carry within 100 yards of a “public assembly”, which includes parks, places of worship, schools, libraries, courthouses, legislative assemblies, recreational facilities, multipurpose exhibition facilities, and polling places. Though the state Supreme Court says that ban doesn’t conflict with Maryland’s constitution, a rabbi in Montgomery County has filed a lawsuit arguing the prohibition violates his right…
A hero’s return home to the United States on Thursday for a World War II prisoner of war who died in captivity more than eight decades ago. Private First Class Bernard Folteen Sweet’s remains were set to return to the U.S. on a flight at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. According to the Army, Sweet was a native of Bennington, Vermont, who served with the Army’s Headquarters Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group in the Philippines during WWII, 84 years ago. Newspaper clipping from 1942 details Army Ffc. Bernard Sweet’s death as a WWII POW in Japan. His remains were returned to…
Watch full video on YouTube
This article was originally published by Conner McEleney at The Mises Institute. Many progressives, such as Robert Reich and Kyle Kulinski, argue that the economy needs a universal basic income (UBI) to fix it. Their argument stems from the idea that UBI has no serious flaws, that many studies show success, and that it’s the moral thing to do. An example that these progressives would cite would be the Denver UBI experiment. The study had three groups of people. Group A had $1,000 per month, and Group B had $6,500 for the first month; the other months were $500. Group C had…
New Jersey got slapped down by the Third Circuit, and the majority opinion was written by a Biden-nominated judge. They can’t even blame Trump or the NRA for that one. The thing is, I think anti-gun lawmakers secretly enjoyed it. I think they liked being smacked down to some degree, like they’re really into humiliation or something.Why? Because they seemed to respond to it by dusting off a previous mandatory storage bill that would be smacked down just as hard.New Jersey lawmakers, having just lost badly at the United States Court of Appeals for the…
While you are on active duty, you and your family’s life insurance needs are met by Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI), one of your many veteran’s benefits. But once you separate or retire, you have the option to convert that policy to Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI). Learn how to manage this financial safety net while you serve, and whether you should convert SGLI to VGLI after you separate or retire from the military. Key Takeaways SGLI is automatic on active duty; after separation you have 485 days to convert to VGLI, with 120‑day free coverage. VGLI covers $10K–$500K but…
Watch full video on YouTube
