#anita travels

[sepia-stained-sunset]

Shoutout to Tim Drake for teaming up with the only other teenagers with messier family dynamics than the Bats

#fucking hysterical how Anita is raising her parents Kon is a clone of Lex fucking Luthor and Superman #Cassie is literally a descendant of the Greek gods so that's a whole other thing #Bart is a time traveller so that's a whole thing and Greta was literally murdered by her brother as a sacrifice #Cissie's dynamic with her mom is fucked as well and Tim is a Bat so like. Dude. #young justice #tim drake

[nobeerreviews]

Spring will come, and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer.

-- Anita Krizzan

#spring #happiness #hold on #anita krizzan #travel photography #switzerland #evening #evening photography #quote #dusk #photography

[nightmanatee]

imagine taking everything from your canonically depressed character? there's no job nor career (it's arguable since she's been working in police but there was something to stick to). no family (since she's spent more than 4+ years without them (and god know how much more since we haven't seen her interacting with her family since... pre rotd?)), no friends (only a bunch of people who are twice her age and have their OWN lifes). no love (and the one she's had she wasn't even allowed to have a glimpse of), no even someone who could understand.

you take everything from her and even more from when she's started and then call it a good ending. oh and to give ultimate "was i not worth it?" question with no thanks for saving the day, no good ending not even a reason to move on. the message of not being worthy doctor's broken hearts.

#call it a reach or mental gymnastics but i'm furious #some people try to justify a lot of things from potd and i'm allowed to talk about what i say #saw* #yaz didn't give those 50p to anita AFTER travelling from the doctor only for the doctor to be taken from her #only moments after she's realized she loves her #'sooner or later it'll hurt' then LET IT HURT it's yaz we're talking about #potd #tpotd #yasmin khan #yaz khan #dw #doctor who #dw spoilers #i just hate the message of this whole yaz's arc #'here's a bunch of 50+ y.o. who's never moved on and they didn't even LOVE the doctor' #i need yasmin khan on my screen like right NOW or else i might be worried about her staying alive honestly #like what's her reason to live? honestly? bc i can't see any

[disastersteps]

ough.

the urge to bring back one of my old fhr AUs and it's happy sidestep days AU....

happy sidestep days AU in which in a universe where none of that happened to anita and anita had continue to be Sidestep, and being part of the Rangers, and it takes a few years for them to finally ask ortega out and also themmy is alive in that au sO YEAH-

#lori ramblings 2023 #theres also two new AUs that spur out of my brain- #one is tavern keeper au where anita runs a tavern and meet a hot warrior named julia- #(im blaming on travellers rest game ive been gaming lately) #AND the other is the botw au concepts DSMGMSDGMSMGSMGM #i can say that anita is a half sheikah ortega is a hylian ARGENT IS A ZORA herald is a rito- im not sure for chen >:///

[krispyweiss]

Quarter Notes: Blurbs & Briefs from Sound Bites

- In this edition: Anita Kerr, Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros, Townes Van Zandt, Blues Traveler

ANITA KERR DEAD AT 94: Vocalist, arranger and producer Anita Kerr, regarded as a principal shaper of the lush Nashville Sound, died Oct. 10, three days before her 95th birthday, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum said.

Kerr was the rare woman to work alongside Chet Atkins, producing tracks by Eddy Arnold, Skeeter Davis, Brenda Lee, Jim Reeves and others.

“Her voice and her creativity expanded the artistic and commercial possibilities for country music,” Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young said in a statement.

WEIR 75 AND STREAMING: Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros will livestream their Oct. 14-16 shows from San Francisco in celebration of Weir’s 75 birthday on the 16th. Ticketing info here.

TOWNES VAN ZANDT AT MY WINDOW AGAIN: Townes Van Zandt’s At My Window will get a 35th-anniversary remaster and pressing on sky-blue vinyl.

Limited to 6,000 copies, the LP will be available for Record Store Day’s Black Friday event, Nov. 25.

BLUES TRAVELER LIVE AND ACOUSTIC: FALL OF 1997 COMING IN 2023: Blues Traveler plans to release a double-vinyl LP, Live and Acoustic: Fall of 1997, in spring 2023.

The album culls “unheard and uncirculated material” from the unplugged mini-sets the band played during concerts subsequent to their 1997 appearance at Neil Young’s Bridge School benefit.

10/12/22

#quarter notes #anita kerr #country music hall of fame #chet atkins #eddy arnold #skeeter davis #brenda lee #jim reeves #bobby weir & wolf bros #bob weir and wolf bros #bob weir #grateful dead #townes van zandt #blues traveler #neil young #bridge school benefit #record store day

[xxlumos]

Thought it was very hot and girlboss of me to book a solo trip to Milano but now that the trip is TOMORROW I am getting the nervous shits

#the moment I step foot on italian ground is the moment I will feel ok I now this lol #its not my first rodeo but still #the last time I traveled solo was in 2019 #soooo its been a while #also its only for 4 days so should be easyyyy #anita rambles #solo travel

[hotelbooking]

Hotel Anita Nestled on the picturesque Corfu Island in Greece, Hotel Anita offers a serene and relaxing getaway for travelers seeking a tranquil escape. With its prime location just 10 minutes away from the airport and 6 kilometers from the bustling city center, this 1-star hotel provides the perfect balance between convenience and tranquility. Hotel Anita boasts 20 well-appointed rooms, each designed with comfort and relaxation in mind. Whether you're traveling alone, as a couple, or with your family, you'll find a cozy and inviting space to unwind after a day of exploring the island. The hotel was built in 1989 and underwent a renovation in 2017, ensuring that guests will enjoy modern amenities and a refreshed ambiance during their stay. Check-in at Hotel Anita begins at 02:00 PM, allowing you ample time to settle in and start your vacation. The friendly and attentive staff will be there to welcome you and assist with any requests or inquiries you may have. When it's time to bid...

#Hotel Anita #HotelKDM #hotel #travel

[oceanusborealis]

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road – TV Review

TL;DR – It hit the energy that you wanted for the first time a Doctor and their Companion met – chaos, fun, with a hint of sadness. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Post Credit Scene – Depending on which version you are watching, there is something before the credits proper start, but after the end of the episode. Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series. Doctor Who…

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#Angela Wynter #Anita Dobson #British Television #Davina McCall #Doctor Who #Michelle Greenidge #Millie Gibson #Ncuti Gatwa #Science Fiction #The Church on Ruby Road #Time Travel

[johnwhowell]

The Last Drive with Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes.

Jaye Marie and Anita invited me to their blog to help explain The Last Drive. I am thrilled to be with them, and you can visit their post HERE. Anita Jaye Marie                     I have been following Anita and Jaye Marie for several years and have always been very impressed with their ability to capture the emotions that come from great accomplishment and disappointment. Their writing comes…

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#Adventure Fiction #Angel and Spirit guides #Anita Dawes Author #author #books #Jaye Marie Author #Paranormal Fiction Books #Spiritual Fiction Books #The Last Drive #Thriller Mystery Books #Thriller Suspense #Time Travel Fiction

[llewelynpritch]

https://youtu.be/7LtTAao2tO0  https://anitasaffordablebookstore.blogspot.com/  Anitas Affordable Bookstore

Established not for profit but as online storage for Llewelyn Pritchard's Independent Research material - in order to keep an objective, impartial perspective after discovering two unexplained deaths in Port Hope Simpson, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada 3 February 1940 whilst teaching at The Anglican School 1969-70 under the auspices of Voluntary Service Overseas [VSO.] Consequently, the evidence-based publications represent my best endeavour to find out why a Welshman like myself lies buried with his infant daughter under an incongruous granite tombstone 'Off The Beaten Path' in Labrador. My subsequent travel and tourism publications continued the evidence-based theme about various places visited.

#ANITAS AFFORDABLE BOOKSTORE #books #ebooks #booksrfun #reading #photographs #learning to read English #storytelling #stories #all ages #travel #tourism #travel and tourism #Youtube

[sinofwriting]

Figlia Mia - Charles Leclerc (Part Two)

Words: 1,927 Summary: What do the 2024, 2025, and 2026 season look like with Enzo Ferrari’s granddaughter having taken over the Ferrari F1 team? Read part one here Note(s)/Warning(s): This is a very different fic to what I normally write. The story is mainly told with news headlines and only has 3 blurbs in it. But if you want me to expand on anything in the news headlines or want to see a part three told also with news headlines for the 2027, 2028, and 2029 season let me know! And thank you to @eleetalks for the Italian translation! Also, I shouldn’t have to say this but: How I write the drivers in these fics is not based on my feelings for them, it is just what I need them to be.

Taglist | Masterlist | Patreon

2024

January 2025

“I feel like I’m in trouble.” Daniel jokes, as he follows her through the hallways. “I think you just like being trouble.” He grins at her, winking. “Gotta keep you on your toes, huh.” She shakes her head, but grins. “Was the drive okay?” “Better than most. I’ve got a room at the hotel for the next few days as I house hunt.” “No flat?” He scoffs, “for three years? And with the amount of development we’re doing? Fuck that. I’ll go crazy.” She hums, sending a smile to Anita as they pass by her who tuts when seeing Daniel.

“What was that about?” “Anita likes her peace. It’s why she’s worked for us for so long.” “I can be peaceful!” He protests and then immediately makes a face. “Okay, I can try.” She snorts, shaking her head as they reach the dining room.

“Daniel!” Her grandfather greets, a wide smile on his face as he pats Charles hand before the younger moves to her side, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Signor Ferrari!” Daniel cheers, moving to the older man’s side and bending to press a kiss to his cheek. “You’re looking amazing. It’s the enchante merch, isn’t it?” He jokes, having sent some to both Ferrari’s right before the 2024 season ended. Enzo huffs out a laugh and she watches Daniel’s face as her grandfather sticks out his leg, sliding his slipper off and Daniel’s jaw drops as he sees the enchante sock on his foot. “Healing properties.” “Holy fuck.” Daniel breathes and they all can’t help but laugh. “I told you, nonno that you’d break him.” Enzo grins at Charles, putting his slipper back on. “I’ve got to keep you kids on your toes.” She rolls her eyes, squeezing Charles upper arm, before moving to properly greet her grandfather. Pressing a kiss to his weathered skin and holding his hand in hers for a few seconds.

“Now tell me as we eat how the car is.” He demands as soon as everyone is sitting and food has been served.

—

“He really overdid it.” Charles murmurs as they both work to get Daniel on the bed. She sighs. “He was talking about house hunting here before we joined. The split hit him a bit harder than I thought.” He frowns, eyes sad as he looks at the man that for a good few years was pretty much his second godfather. “Has he said why?” “Racing. This year was supposed to be his last, but 2024.” She shakes her head, a sad but fond smile on her face. “It really hit him how much he wasn’t ready to leave yet and F1 wasn’t ready for him to leave either. She didn’t want him to go this long, didn’t want to deal with the weird long distance and traveling.” She shrugs. “It sucks, but is fair.” “Is it rude to be grateful that we won’t have to deal with that?” He asks, wrapping an arm around her waist and tucking her body against his as they look at Daniel, who's starting to really drift off. “No, il mio destino. Only natural.” My destiny He hums, pressing a kiss to her neck before sighing and unwinding their bodies. “Let me take off his jeans so he’ll be more comfortable.” “I’ll get him a glass of water and make sure to put another pillow under his head, when you lay like that your neck always aches in the morning.” The last part is a murmur and he flushes at her remembering that. Such a small, simple thing.

When Daniel wakes up the next morning he groans at the dry throat he has and the gross feeling of not changing before falling asleep for the night. Turning to the left, his eyes close for a quick second as he murmurs a prayer of thanks before reaching for the glass of water on the nightstand and draining it.

It takes a few minutes for the water to settle in him and for him to realize that he doesn’t have jeans on. He blinks, but shrugs. It wouldn’t be the first time he stripped while asleep, but those were one of his tighter pairs of jeans.

“Daniel.” She greets when he stumbles out of the bathroom and finds himself in a small kitchen. “Morning Stella, Charles.” He rubs at his eyes, clearing the last of sleep away as he sits in the small breakfast nook.

Charles and her share an amused look when the smell of coffee makes Daniel perk up, his face instantly brightening.

“That smells amazing.” She passes a cup to him and Charles presses the small basket slash tray of sugar, creamer, and things closer to the Australian. “Thank you.” He murmurs to both of them before doctoring his cup, murmuring another thank you when a small bowl of fruit is placed in front of him, Charles doing the same.

“I had your luggage delivered to the house.” She states when Daniel is fully awake and halfway through his fruit bowl. His brows press together, hand stilling. “What?” Charles brings his cup to his mouth to hide his smile. “Your luggage, it was brought to the house. Nonno is the only person that lives here full time, Anita, Matteo, and Luca live here when we are not and sometimes when we are. And Charles and I have this whole wing to ourselves, this kitchen, a small living space, a few smaller rooms that were converted into offices, and four bedrooms. We’d like to have you live here as well. Or in the guest house.” Daniel blinks at her. He had forgotten how much she steamrolled and bulldozed through things, it made his lips twitch up into a smile before he turned his attention to Charles. “And you're alright with this?” “You’re family.” Charles states and Daniel can feel tears spring to his eyes at the easy way he says it. “We may have lost sight of that for a few years and only regained it recently, but you are family, Daniel.” He swallows thickly, “fuck.” He breathes, a few tears running down his face before he nods. “Alright, kids. I’ll move in.” And then in a move that shocks Charles, Daniel places a hand on the back of his neck and draws him close before he kisses his forehead and the gesture makes Charles well up. “Jules will kill me for letting you drown for so long.” Charles shakes his head and neither man notices that she has left the room, leaving them to a grief that they share. “No. He’ll be proud we became family again.”

May 2025

She smiles as she watches Ferrari get another 1-2 podium, the third of the season already and it was Charles winning his home race once again.

“You are glowing.” “Maman.” She says, turning slightly to look at Pascale. “I promise that we aren’t hiding anything. We just got married. It’s a newlywed glow.” Her mother in law huffs. “And when will I get my grandchildren?” She shakes her head. “You and my grandfather both. Eventually, I promise. Not right now though. Neither of us are ready for that.”

November 2025

“Daniel, do another lap.” “What?” The word comes out a bit loud and harsh but he listens to Stella, ignoring the checkered flag and starting another lap. “What’s going on, Stella?” It’s quiet for another moment but as he approaches the straight, she speaks. “Daniel, congratulations. You are the 2025 world champion!” “What?” He slows as he takes the turn, her words not registering even though it had been all anyone had been talking about since the weekend started. “You won, Daniel! You’re a world champion!” “Holy fuck.” He curses and as he gets on the straight he realizes why she had him continue and he stops the car in the middle of it, grandstands perfectly able to see it as he quickly unbuckles his harness and gets out to stand on the car, raising a fist in the air as he screams.

2026

@cixrosie @badbatch-simp24 @darleneslane @fanboyluvr @teti-menchon0604 @eugene-emt-roe @crystals-faith @gemofthenight @peachiicherries @lpab @copper-boom @topguncultleader @iloveyou3000morgan @boiohboii @benstormy @bibliosaurous @skepvids

#charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc imagine #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #formula 1 x reader #formula 1 imagine

[suzukiblu]

Cassie makes a claybaby please!

“Oh gods,” Cassie says just a little bit hysterically. Did she make an actual Wonder Baby? Please tell her she didn’t make an actual Wonder Baby. How is she supposed to raise a Wonder Baby?! She can’t put a Wonder Baby in daycare! She can’t even ask her mom to watch her! What if she can fly?! She might just take off into the sky and get lost somewhere! She might get kidnapped by a supervillain or crash into a plane or get eaten by a fucking grue! 

“Then genetically speaking, do I need to set up a cover for a biobaby or a foster one?” Tim asks, eyeing Mae assessingly. 

“I still don’t have answers for any of this, Tim!” Cassie hisses at him. “I was very clear about my lack of answers for any of this, Tim!” 

“DNA test it is,” he says, patting at his pockets like he’s looking for an evidence bag. Given it’s Tim, she wouldn’t be surprised if he had a few, but that really doesn’t feel like an immediate priority. This is a crisis and not every crisis can be solved with Bat-prep! “She looks too young for preschool, but I can update my list of local childcare and kids’ programs in Gateway City.” 

“You just said that like you have a list of local childcare and kids’ programs in Gateway City,” Anita says. 

“I do,” Tim says, giving her a puzzled look, like why wouldn't he have a list of local childcare and kids’ programs in Gateway City. 

“. . . why,” Cissie says. 

“De-aging incidents, time travel, unanticipated custody issues or accidental pregnancies, emergency foster situations–” Tim starts ticking off, and Cassie cuts him off while making a note to recommend more therapy to him. Like, just a little bit more. 

“Why do you have one of those for specifically my city?” she says. 

“I don’t,” Tim says. “I have one for all our cities and also San Francisco and Happy Harbor. I update them on a rolling six-month schedule.” 

“. . . Tim,” Cissie says, staring incredulously at him. “You have problems.” 

“Do you want to have a list of capable and not-supervillain-compromised pediatricians on hand the next time the Justice League gets turned into kids or not?” Tim asks, looking mildly annoyed. 

“Tim!”

#anonymous #wip: cassie makes a claybaby

[random-brushstrokes]

Anita Malfatti - A ventania (1916)

Anita Malfatti, was a contemporary of Tarsila do Amaral but is considerably less known outside of Brazil. In A Ventania (Gale), Malfatti wittily reverses the traditional journey made by traveler-artists such as Frederic Edwin Church in the nineteenth century, by traveling from her home in South America to paint the “exotic” wilderness of North America. Inspired by Malfatti’s stay on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine in the United States, A Ventania is a modernist rendition of the classic field-to-studio painting. Experiential rather than pictorial, Malfatti eschewed mimetic reproduction of the storm. Instead, her painting conveys the sensation of being caught in a gale, the buffeting winds and the swiftly darkening sky captured through swirling brush strokes and smudges of color. (source)

#women painters #anita malfatti #brazilian art #landscape #1910s

[nikrei]

For day two, Bart just won the Young Justice chess* tournament!! Traya came in second and Slobo came in third. Full tournament lineup and chess* headcanons under the cut

Welcome to my yj chess headcanons:

1) what YJ calls chess is actually 5 dimensional chess with multiverse time travel. They just call it chess. They have sort of forgot the regular version exists. (I am, however, a fake 5d chess fan: it languishes in my steam library, intimidating, unplayed)

2) tim discovered it and got them all into it. They like it varying amounts:

Bart: undisputed reigning champion of 5 dimensional chess with multiverse time travel. Loves this game.

Cassie: has the basics down and does fine vs other folks or the game ai. Hates the game. Must be tricked into being competitive about it to make her join in.

Tim: was excited about the game and got v into it v intensely as he does. Burnt himself out on it a bit. He's pretty good but doesn't know if he loves or hates the game. Will get hypercompetitive about it tho.

Kon: good at it pretty naturally because he's used to thinking in multiple dimensions (been flying since day 1) but he can psych himself out second guessing his moves. Likes playing the game, can get competitive.

Greta: good at the game because she has so. much. free time. Can get tunnel focused on it and doesn't mind losing as much as the others, so can play against bart for hours and hours. Always up for a game, enjoys it.

Cissie: good at it pretty naturally, but doesn't have strong feelings about it. Plays mostly with Traya because Cassie really doesn't want to.

Traya: v good at it, and really likes it. Plays with Cissie at school and also Red Tornado a lot. Prolly can beat Bart maybe 1 in 5 times?

Anita: wasn't sure about it but got hypercompetitive about it and is now pretty good. Likes it now that she's good at it.

Slobo: also v good at it! Its similar to some space games prolly, and like kon he's v used to thinking in multiple dimensions. Doesn't get as competitive as some of the others which really gets them steamy when he beats them.

Ray: Newbie player who got thrown in the deep end. One day YJ was like, let's have a chess tournament! And Ray was like, oh okay thats a wierd thing to do out of the blue but I can roll with that I know chess. He did not know chess. Still learning but getting the hang of it. Now has a fear response to it tho.

3) they play online w each other all the time but every now and then have tournaments when they are all hanging out. They used to just do a winner plays next round sort of thing but it always just ended up w everyone losing to bart all the time. Tournament winners get favors and tournament losers have to do dares.

4) bart plays with his civilian friends too!! They are varying levels of into it but I think Carol likes it a lot.

5) one time Ra's al Ghul challenged tim to a game of chess and when he got sat down at a regular chess board he was just like.......whet is this.... and completely blanked on the rules to regular chess

#I've been thinking about the chess thing for a while can u tell #anyway i was like in not gonna do three people again this week- and the next day i do three people again #playing with the watercolor brush this time #traya sutton #bart allen #slobo #bartallenweek #arting with nik

[partywithponies]

I watched @quinton-reviews 's new video and I wanted to do my set homework and come up with my own dream Nicktoons Unite team, except I never had any of the american channels growing up and I'm not familiar with a lot of these shows.

But nevermind, I came up with a compromise. Here's my concept for if they did a Nicktoon Unite style game but with CBBC and CBeebies characters:

1) Danger Mouse: reboot DM in particular is the obvious pick to replace Jimmy Neutron in this lineup. He's already dealt with cross-universe travel and portals in canon, and he has Professor Squawkencluck, who already just invents whatever device the plot requires. He's both practised enough at saving the world to be believable in these situations, while still being incompetent enough to need help from the others. Plus it'd be fun to see how his massive ego would react to these other guys.

2) Victor from The Secret Show: the most niche pick here, but come on. He's literally a secret agent. I'm not going to leave him out. (I dithered over whether to include Victor or Anita since I could only pick one. I chose Victor not because I'm sexist but because I just really want to hear Danger Mouse deliver the "Victor! Are you still alive?" line.)

3) Postman Pat: Now I know this looks like an insane choice. I know that making a postman fight baddies in life or death situations is ludicrous. But listen. Postman Pat: The Movie did it first. Blame them, not me.

4) Dennis The Menace: People who've never read The Beano might think that an un-superpowered 10 year old boy would be way out of his depth on a team with three adult men, two of whom literally fight evil for their job. But people who have read The Beano know that in canon Dennis has already thwarted alien invasions, travelled through time many times and dealth with the ramifications of changing the past AND avoided being beheaded, fought killer robots and man eating plants and sea monsters, toppled multiple dictatorships, got the British prime minister arrested, and fought climate change by going directly to the source and tearing down the factories. Whatever these games could possibly throw at him would be just another tuesday for Dennis.

5) Tiny Clanger: she's kind of the Spongebob of the group, both in the sense that high stakes situations and saving the world are really not what she usually does, but she would if she had to, and in the sense that she'd be the heart of the group. DM, Victor, and Dennis are all kind of self-centred assholes at heart who only save the world because no-one else will, and Pat is a middle aged British man (and therefore emotionally repressed), while Tiny Clanger is unfailingly loving, and kind, and friendly, and empathetic. Also her best friend in the world is a large metal bird, and I think Tiny suddenly riding around on the Iron Chicken would be a really cool power up for her.

#quinton reviews #cbbc #cbeebies

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Red-teaming the SCOTUS code of conduct

Tomorrow (November 18) at 1PM, I'll be in Concord, NH at Gibson's Books, presenting my new novel The Lost Cause, a preapocalyptic tale of hope in the climate emergency.

On Monday (November 20), I'm at the Simsbury, CT Public Library at 7PM

Last April, Propublica's Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski dropped a bombshell: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had been showered in high-ticket "gifts" by billionaire ideologue Harlan Crow, who subsequently benefited from Thomas's rulings in the court:

https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-travel-gifts-crow

This was just the beginning: in the coming days and weeks, more and more of Thomas's corruption came to light, everything from the fact that his mother's home had been bought by Crow, to the fact that Thomas's adoptive son went to a fancy private school on Crow's dime:

https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-private-school-tuition-scotus

The news was explosive and not merely because of the corruption it revealed in the country's highest court. The credibility of the court itself was at its lowest ebb in living memory, thanks to the two judges who occupied stolen seats – Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett. One of those judges – Kavanaugh – is a credibly accused rapist. Thomas is also a credibly accused sexual abuser:

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/10/01/30-years-after-her-testimony-anita-hill-still-wants-something-from-joe-biden-514884

Then, this illegitimate court went on to deliver a string of upsets to long-settled law, culminating in the Dobbs decision, which triggered state laws that force small children to bear their rapists' babies:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/health/abortion-bans-rape-incest.html

That was the context for the Thomas bribery scandal, which was swiftly joined by another bribery scandal, involving Samuel Alito's improper acceptance of valuable gifts from Paul Singer, another billionaire who brought business before the court:

https://www.propublica.org/article/samuel-alito-luxury-fishing-trip-paul-singer-scotus-supreme-court

This string of scandals and outrages naturally prompted public curiosity about the Supreme Court's ethical standards, and that triggered fresh waves of incredulous outrage when we all found out that the Supreme Court doesn't have any:

https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2023/why-doesnt-the-supreme-court-have-a-formal-code-of-ethics/

When Congress made tentative noises about providing minor checks and balances on the court, the justices erupted in outrage, telling Congress to go fuck itself:

https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/supreme-court-ethics-durbin/cf67ef8450ea024d/full.pdf

Chief Justice Roberts went on whatever the opposite of a charm-offensive is called (an "offense offensive?"), a media tour whose key message to the American people was "STFU, you're hurting our feelings":

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/roberts-defends-high-court-against-attacks-on-its-legitimacy

To the shock of no one except billionaires and Supreme Court justices inhabiting the splendid isolation from societal norms that is the privilege of life tenure, America didn't like this. The Supreme Court's credibility plummeted. A large supermajority of Americans – 79%! – now support age limits for Supreme Court justices:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/18/the-people-no/#tell-ya-what-i-want-what-i-really-really-want

Support for packing the Supreme Court is at an historic high and gaining ground, now sitting neck-and-neck with opposition at 46% in favor/51% opposed. Among under-30s, there's a healthy majority (58%) in favor of appointing more SCOTUS justices.

As Roberts' wounded bleats reveal, SCOTUS is very sensitive to its plummeting legitimacy. After all, the court doesn't have an army, nor does it have a police force. Supreme Court rulings only matter to the extent that the American people accept them as legitimate and obey them. Transformational presidents like Lincoln and FDR have waged successful wars against the Supreme Court, sidelining its authority and turning it into an unimportant rump institution for years afterward:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/26/mint-the-coin-etc-etc/#blitz-em

Now the Supremes are working their way through the (mythological but convenient) five stages of grief. Having passed through Denial and Anger, they've arrived at Bargaining, with the publication of the court's first "code" "of" "conduct":

https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/Code-of-Conduct-for-Justices_November_13_2023.pdf

It's…not good. As Max Moran writes for The American Prospect and The Revolving Door Project, the proposed code amounts to "security theater," a set of trivially bypassed strictures that would not have prevented any of the scandals to date and will permit far worse in the years to come:

https://prospect.org/justice/2023-11-17-supreme-court-objectivity-theater/

The security framing is a very useful tool for evaluating the Supremes' proposal. The purpose of a code of conduct isn't merely to prevent people from accidentally misstepping – it's to prevent malicious parties from corrupting the judicial process. To evaluate the code, we should red team it: imagine what harms a corrupt judge or a corrupting billionaire would be able to effect while staying within the bounds the code sets.

Seen in that light, the code is wildly defective and absolutely not fit for purpose. Its most glaring defect is found in the nature of its edicts – they are almost all optional. The word "should" appears 53 times in the document, while "must" appears just six times:

https://ballsandstrikes.org/ethics-accountability/supreme-court-code-of-conduct-hilariously-fake/

Of those six "musts," two are not pertinent to ethical questions (they pertain to the requirement for a justice to get prior approval before getting paid for teaching gigs).

When the code of conduct was rolled out, the court and its apologists pointed out that it was modeled on the ethical guidelines that bind lower courts. In the wake of the Thomas revelations, these guidelines were a useful benchmark to measure Thomas's conduct against. The fact that other federal judges would have been severely sanctioned or even fired if they had engaged in the same conduct as Thomas was a powerful argument that Thomas had overstepped the bounds of ethical conduct.

But as Bloomberg Law discovered when they compared the lower courts' codes to the Supremes' draft, the Supremes have gone through those lower court codes and systematically cut nearly every mention of "enforce" from their own draft. They also cut the requirement to "take appropriate action" if a violation is reported.

If you are a bad judge or a bad donor, all of this is good news. Nearly everything that it condemns is merely optional, which means that if a judge can be convinced to ignore a rule, they won't have violated the code. What's more, even widespread rulebreaking doesn't trigger an investigation. That's a very weak security measure indeed.

But it gets worse. The Supremes' code also omit key definitions found in the codes that bind the lower courts. The most important definition to be cut is for "political organization," which the lower courts define expansively as both parties and "entit[ies] whose principal purpose is to advocate for or against political candidates or parties." That definition captures "nonprofits, think tanks, lobbying firms, trade associations, grassroots groups" – the whole panoply of organizations whom federal judges must maintain an arm's length distance from in order to preserve their objectivity. Federal judges may not lead, speak at or donate to these organizations.

By omitting this definition, the Supremes open the door to involvement with precisely the kinds of PACs, thinktanks and other influence organizations funded by the billionaires who have benefited so handsomely from the judges' rulings.

What's more, the Supremes carve out an explicit exemption for speaking to "nonprofits, think tanks, lobbying firms, trade associations, grassroots groups," and to serving as a director, trustee or officer of "a nonprofit organization devoted to the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice and may assist such an organization in the management and investment of funds."

As Moran points out, this exemption would cover – among other institutions – the far-right Federalist Society, which satisfies all those criteria. That means a Supreme Court justice could sit on the board and raise funds for the FedSoc without raising any issues with this code – not even one of those squishy "shoulds." Nothing in this code would stop Clarence Thomas or Thomas Alito from accepting lavish gifts, private jet rides, or luxury tour buses from billionaires with business before the court:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/justice-thomas-267000-loan-rv-forgiven-senate-democrats-104303972

As Moran writes, these definitional vacuums are a well-understood class of weaknesses in ethics codes. Congress gets a lot of mileage out of this ruse – for example, by narrowly defining "lobbying" to exclude things that most people understand that term to mean, Congress engage in improperly close relations with lobbyists while still maintaining that they hardly ever talk to a lobbyist at all:

https://www.politico.eu/article/jeff-hauser-opinion-watergate-european-union-qatargate/

The same ruse goes for campaign contributions – if you want to accept a lot of campaign contributions that would fall afoul of ethics rules, just narrow the definition of "campaign contribution" until all the money you're receiving no longer qualifies.

Moran closes by calling on Congress to formulate a real, meaningful code of conduct for the Supremes, one that orders Supreme Court judges not to accept corrupting gifts and to maintain the arm's length neutrality that the rest of the federal judiciary is required to keep. Rather than this new code of conduct constituting proof that SCOTUS can be its own oversight, its gross deficiencies should put to rest any question about whether the Supremes can be trusted to regulate themselves.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/17/red-team-black-robes/#security-theater

Image: Senate Democrats (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_Supreme_Court_Building,_July_21,_2020.jpg

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#pluralistic #security theater #scotus #supreme court #clarence thomas #red teaming #loopholes #cheap tricks #diff