The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
When a postmark no longer tracks mailing
English Summary
A recent change to the USPS Domestic Mail Manual clarifies that postmarks no longer reliably indicate when mail was deposited, due to network consolidation under the Delivering for America plan. This shift, while intended to improve USPS financial stability and efficiency through regional processing centers and standardized transportation, disrupts legal and administrative systems that rely on postmarks for deadlines in areas like elections and tax filings. The report highlights disproportionate impacts on rural communities where mail travels longer distances to processing hubs, creating a disconnect between mailing date and postmark date.
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