#darrell banks

[beautouslysandy]

headcannons of the boys dating a soc!reader

by- sandy

the outsiders x gn!reader

warnings- a bit of language, lowercase intended, not proofread, and some fluff

word count-

request- Headcannons on dating each of the greaser boys, as a soc??

a/n 💌 - ahh finally finished! i apologize for the long wait, this longer than expected.

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darrel curtis-

-oh my my, darry usual is strong but he was weak knees for you my friend. he has known you since the diapers, growing up together, learning and exploring together has created such a strong bond between the two of you. nobody can take that from you two, nobody.

-you may have different lifestyles, bank numbers, and lived on opposite sides of the town but that has never stopped you two. high school sweethearts, the golden couple, then couple that was going to go places. unfortunately due to the death of mrs and mr. curtis, there was a halt in darry's plans. you were more than willing to help out and change your plans completely but darry insisted that you go to college. you gave in, unwillingly. you live at the curits estate and feel more comfortable there than you ever had in your own home.

-you guys love going on dates together but recently it’s been a while since you two have had a night to yourselves.

-he sometimes will randomly being home flowers for you (most likely roses). even through his busy schedule he still makes time for you because he doesn’t want to lose you because you mean so much to him. -your parents would have preferred you had ended up with a soc but they love darry and know he is gonna go places.

-overall your “social status’s” don’t change anything between you two

sodapop curtis-

-you and sodapop are one of the cutest couples out there, this boy worships the ground you walk on. you are everything he has ever dreamed off, the perfect s/o.

-at first you thought he was too cheery but you hav grown to love that side of him. your parents we’re not keen on him and still aren’t especially since he is a dropout.

-when he told you he was dropping out…you needed a second. it was only fair, i men’s he just threw it on you but you knew he was the one and didn’t let this stop you from being with the love of your life.

-you help with some schoolwork if he wants but you don’t force it on him because he left school for reasons that are valid. you always say you can help out with money but he always declines, he doesn’t like taking peoples charity. (a canon i have for him.)

-i do think at times he thinks about your future together at you which consists of two ending up married and having kids but he fears he won’t be able to provide for you and get everything you ever dreamt of. and though that may be true…all you have ever wanted is him. you have to remind him constantly.

-he does fear you might leave him for someone more intelligent and more wealthy but deep downs he knows that you would never think of that. you belong to him as much as he belongs to you…this definitely isn’t one-sided love

-overall i do think he worries he won’t ever been enough but you always change his mind.

ponyboy curtis-

-he knows he is too young to start thinking about your guys future but that doesn’t stop him. his feelings about the future are a mix of his older brothers…at times he worries he isn’t worthy of you but other times it never bothers him.

-your parents, though ponyboy is from the north side, have taken quite a liking to him. he is smart and is going places.

-he wants to take you to the city and help you reach your goals and dreams. he wants to achieve your guys dreams together and get outta town together. he wants his kids to already be at a place where they don’t have to leave to gain their dreams.

-he wants to be enough for you, he doesn’t want to lose but if it’s for the best for you…he will let you go. he wants you to do well in life and get everything you deserve…even if that means he isn’t right there by your side.

-he thinks your worthy of the entire world, he secretly thinks your the most amazing person to ever walk to planet. unlike sodapop, he keeps it to himself. -part of the reason he studies so hard is so that he can prove to everyone (including himself) that he is worthy of calling you his. -though bank numbers don’t mean anything to you and sometimes him. he wants to be able give you everything you look at and like. he wants to give you your dreams.

johnny cade-

-this poor boy is worried about everything, that your going to leave him, that he won’t ever be enough, that he might accidentally make you run away, that he will mess this up. he wish life was simpler. but it isn’t (sorry johnny)

-you always try your best to prove to him that your happy with him but it never works. he is nervous that your gonna leave. -he spends a lot of time at your house because it’s one of the only places he truly feels safe. your mom adores johnny and always checks up on him. she knows about his living situation. your dad on the other hand isn’t so fond of him but you seem quite happy and all he wants is for you to be happy, and i mean what harm could being with johnny do? -he can be quite a worry wart and nervous wreck, you really are the only person who can calm him down. you have to be super calm around him when he is anxious or scared and you can handle that. he loves you inside and out would never ever hurt you the way his dad does to him but gets scared he might get angry and accidentally hit you. you always say he can come live with you and your folks but he always declines. he doesn’t want to be a burden.

-i think one of his biggest fears (beside you leaving and him hurting you accidentally) is that he will pull you down, that you won’t be able to achieve things with him around. he doesn’t want to leave your side and won’t realize that he is pulling you down and that you won’t say anything because you don’t want to lose him either. that you will end up miserable and it was all his fault. -i think that he feels like you could do so much better then him partly because you have the choice of many options and opportunities. people at school i think make fun of you two being together and he lets it get to him…they make fun of the top of you because johnny is a poor kid with an unstable family while your a rich kid with a happy white picket fence family

dallas winston-

-at first he was totally against the idea of you two being together, i mean dallas is infamous for hating socs but slowly he began to fall for you and everything about you. at first you decided to keep your relationship a secret and oh was it the time of your life. sneaking around and giggling at night, looking at each other form across the room at bucks and him slipping dirty little notes in your backpack when your heading to your car after school (he picks up johnny- a canon i have). it was like a mission not to get caught.

-but then at some point you got tired of the fooling around, you wanted something serious and you wanted it with dallas. i am not going to lie, this scared the shit out of him. he has only ever fooled around, it’s all he knows. he probably ghosted you for a bit (i am sorryyy) and this shattered your heart. he saw your vibe had completely flopped ever since he ghosted you and this made him feel terrible. “you did this to them, you , you asshole.” was all he could tell himself when his eyes woudl laid on you.

-at some point he couldn’t handle it anymore and said that he was ready for a serious relationship, you guys most likely had an argument about how he completely ghosted you and then out of nowhere cam up to you and said he was ready. you guys sooner or later began dating, serious dating. -when he met your parents they completely disapproved of the tall brunette due to many thing one of the main things was of his criminal record. he probably tried his best at the dinner (look at my meet the parents post for a kind of play by play of what it might be like) to be a gentleman but then one of your family members got to him and his true colors showed. i think you guys probably had an argument.

-overall i think it would be to much pressure for our dallas, he would feel the need to be perfect 24/7 and that would get to him. it wasn’t the fact that you two were in a serious relationship it was that he could handle getting judged for every action he made that he had made before he met you and they weren’t judged. i don’t think the relationship would survive more than a year before dallas broke it off. but later down the road after dallas had matured and cleaned up his act, you had changed and grew as person, soon enough you two would find your way back to each other and this time your relationship would survive.

keith “two-bit” matthews-

-at first it was just fooling around, i mean you could never picture your future with him, but the farther down the road the more you could picture it. and soon enough you found your daydreams and dreams being about you and his life together with kids and the perfect house, the whole package.

-you never said anything about being a serious couple but he felt the same way which was odd for a character like him. he pictured him and his kids eating chocolate cake for breakfast every morning and you lecturing them how it’s not good for you as he took a sip of beer. he always smiles at the daydream.

-when you guys eventually got serious, you wanted him to meet your parents. he tried his best to clean up himself and his act when he met your parents. he made your dad laugh more then once, your mother thought he was childish but your dad loved him. which was a shocker to you and two-bit. you walked out of that house beaming like a million suns.

-overall i think you and two-bit would make it with your looks and his sense of humor…you two fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, at times he may doubt his worthiness of you but he doesn’t like to focus on the negative…he wants to put all his focus on you

steve randle-

-to be honest you guys probably met because you car needed to be fix and since he works at dx, one thing lead to another. he was the one to fall first by far, he was in awe of your presence. a lot like soda he probably worships the ground you walk on but not as much as soda would. no one can.

-i think that steve probably thought that he was to immature for you and undeserving. you are an angel and he doesn’t deserve you, is what he told himself. you refuse to let him think like that. to you his other dream guy.

-i think he would get along with your dad if he is in to cars but other than that probably not. he is a bit childish if i do say so myself so people don’t always love their child going out with someone like that, if they want to be together in the future. your mom most likely isn’t fond of him because unlike your dad who likes cars equaling he likes steve, she has nothing in common with him.

-i would like to think that steve spoils you a bit, he doesn’t want you thinking you deserve less just because your dating some guy on the north side. you deserve the world and he knows it.

-overall i think you and steve would make it because he had won over your dad. your mom grew to love him and you were the happiest person in town, beside steve of course. he still at times thinks you deserve the world and then goes but everything he can and gives you it. sometimes it can be really random stuff like a pan or a fish bowl which you don’t need either but you love it. you still have a drainer he got you once in your room. and you guys got a fish together so the fish bowl was put to use. you never don’t use the stuff he gets you because it means a lot that he buys it for you.

tim shepard-

-this guy could care less about statuses with you. he doesn't care if your the most hated person on the planet or the most beloved person...the richest or the poorest. to him your just you, a perfect human being that he has the gift of calling his. he is super protective of you, nobody can touch you but him.

-your parents hate that you are with him but know that they have no control. they think he is a bad influence.

-you most likely are a maternal figure in curly's life. he looks up to you and goes to you when somethings wrong, something that he thinks tim wouldn't understand. honestly you love being able to give curly that kind of support and care.

-i think tim would definitely try and get you to see that he is a bad guy and that you deserve someone better, someone that can give you everything you could ever dream of, someone who can provide. it didn't work, he was what you wanted not some egotistical ass from the south side. you wanted tim shepard.

-he would secretly worship you. he knows he has caught a good one and isn't gonna let you go. he doesn't want to seem lovesick, it ruins his street credit guys come on. deep down though he would do anything for you, if would make you happy and means he gets to see that life-changing smile of yours...then he is going to do it.

-overall, you and tim would be endgame. he just wants you to be his. he doesn't care about the bank numbers or what people think, and neither do you.

curly shepard-

-curly shepard was definelty intimadated when he first saw you, for sure. your beauty and riches made him feel like he had no chance with you. little did he know that you were pinning for him.

-i think the reason your parents don't approve of him is because of his record other than that they think he is sweet boy.

-i think he would feel like that he is never enough for you. that you need someone steady and mature. to him he is neither and he feels that is what you deserve. he would never dare to break it off because he wouldn't be able to handle the pain of losing you and he wouldn't be able to handle knowing he was causing you pain.

-curly unlike his brother does care about the numbers and statuses because it makes him see that he doesn't deserve for which some reason empowers him. he wants to be better for you meaning that he is trying his best not to get in trouble, to do well in school so that he can have those big numbers and statuses for you. a lot people think its stupid, his curly shepard. how is he gonna make it out of tusla with his record, but you believed in him and thats all that mattered.

-overall, curly is head over heels for you and you bring out the best in him. what's in it for you? well you get good cuddles and a sweet boyfriend who loves you for you nothing else.

#the outsiders #the outsiders x reader #the outsiders imagine #safe haven #dallas winston #darry curtis #johnny cade #sodapop curtis #tim shepard #curly shepard #keith two bit matthews #steve randle

[thewulf]

Works and Requests

Oh man I knew this day would come, I finally have to make seprate masterlists for some fandoms, this main post is too massive now! Masterlist's below the cut <3

If you'd like to be added to any or all works please fill out the form here: Taglist Sign Up

Fluff: ✿‎ ‎

Angst: ✦‎

Hurt/Comfort: ‎♡

Top Gun Masterlist

Criminal Minds Masterlist

The Lord of the Rings Masterlist

Harry Potter Masterlist

Outer Banks

JJ Maybank

Accidentally in Love ‎♡✿‎ ‎

Always & Forever Part 1 | Part 2 ♡✿‎ ‎

Here For You ‎♡✿‎

Tides of Comfort✿‎

Rafe Cameron

Who Did This To You? Part 1 | Part 2 ♡✿‎

The Last of Us

Joel Miller

Big Blue World✿✦‎

Terrible Liar✿✦‎

Whatever The Hell This Is✿✦‎

Interesting✿✦‎

The Outsiders

Darrel "Darry" Curtis

I Want To✿✦

By Your Side♡✿

Sunflowers and Second Chances♡✿

Dallas "Dally" Winston

Don't Cry✿✦

Troublemaker✿✦

A Safe Place♡✿

Steve Randle

Peachy Girl♡✿

Stranger Things

Steve Harrington

Adorably Clueless ✿‎

That Was the Moment ♡✿

Treat You Better✿✦

Twilight

Paul Lahote

Forever Yours♡✿‎

Call of Duty: MW2/3

Johnny "Soap" MacTavish

Lassie♡✿‎

Captain John Price

The Price of Protection♡✿‎

Avatar Way of Water

Neteyam Sully

Different | Part 1 | Part 2 ✿‎ ‎

Marvel

James "Bucky" Barnes

At Odds ✿✦‎

Celebrities

Miles Teller

Thank You Kind Stranger ✿‎

Works In Progress (WIP's)!

Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia x Reader - Request!

JJ Maybank x Sister Reader - Request!

Who I Write For:

Top Gun: Maverick & 1986

Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Bob Floyd

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell

Nick "Goose" Bradshaw

Tom "Iceman" Kazansky

Any other pilot upon request!

Harry Potter

The Marauders Era

Sirius Black

James Potter

Remus Lupin

Golden Trio Era

Harry Potter

Ron Weasley

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Twilight

Paul Lahote

Jacob Black

Sam Uley

Embry Call

Quill Ateara

Edward Cullen

Emmet Cullen

Carlisle Cullen

Jasper Hale

The Outsiders

Darrel “Darry” Curtis

Sodapop "Soda" Curtis

Ponyboy "Pony" Curtis

Dallas "Dally" Winston

Steve Randall

Keith “Two-Bit” Matthews

Criminal Minds

Aaron Hotchner

Derek Morgan

Spencer Reid

Outer Banks

JJ Myabank

John B Routledge

Pope Heyward

Topper Thorton

Rafe Cameron

Marvel

Peter Parker

Bucky Barnes

Steve Rogers

Tony Stark

Loki

Avatar

Neteyam Sully

Lo'ak Sully

Jake Sully

Ao'nung

The Last of Us

Joel Miller

Tommy Miller

Ellie Williams

The Lord of the Rings

Legolas

Aragorn

King Thranduil

Call of Duty: MW2/3

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Johnny "Soap" MacTavish

Captain Price

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Any other upon request!

#Top Gun #top gun fanfiction #hangman x you #hangman x y/n #jake seresin x y/n #jake seresin x you #jake seresin x reader #hangman x reader #rooster x y/n #rooster x you #rooster x reader #bradley brawshaw x female!reader #bradley brawshaw x you #bradley brawshaw x y/n #rooster #bradley bradshaw #jake seresin fanfic #jake seresin #rooster top gun #rooster x female!reader #harry potter #mauraders #golden trio #twilight #wolf pack #the outsiders #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds #outer banks #avatar wow

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

Day 5 - Held at Gunpoint/Hostage

I couldn't help myself at this point. Starting a new little thing for whumptober!! New little mini-series!

Ping list: @ailesswhumptober and @whumperofworlds

TWs: hostage situation, guns, robbery, kidnapping, threats of collars

Maybe his mom was right, Mariano thought. Maybe bad things did happen in threes. At this point, it was almost funny.

He felt the hard metal press to the side of his head and took a deep breath. If he walked out of this bank alive he'd have quite a story for his therapist. "All you have to do is relax and do what I say, and you'll be fine." The man said. "I don't wanna hurt you."

"I understand." Mariano said. His heart was racing as the man looped an arm around his neck. At least, Mariano thought, if the guy had a shaky trigger finger then it wouldn't be his problem for very long.

"I've got you big guy. Just don't do anything stupid." The robber said, calling back towards his partners. "Hurry the fuck up, Tommy, the police are probably just a minute or two away!"

"Jasper--you fucking took a hostage?"

"I need to make sure the guards don't do anything stupid!"

"Well now he's coming with us, since we're gonna get charged with kidnapping anyway!"

Mariano felt himself get tugged along. "Actually, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't get kidnapping if you just let me go now--" He tried before Jasper, the one with the arm around his neck, tightened his hold to cut him off.

"Shut up." He snarled into Mariano's ear. They hauled him to the back, through the emergency exit, and towards a little sedan with someone already sitting in the front seat. He was shoved inside and onto the floorboards, and Jasper climbed inside, one foot planted on his upper back and one on his thigh.

The driver sent the car screeching out onto the street and Mariano grimaced as they lurched and swung around. They didn't know how to handle a car with an engine like this one--it'd be a miracle if they didn't fishtail at least once. At least if they crashed, he wouldn't go through the windshield.

"What're we even gonna do with him?" The driver barked. "Kill him? Because I'm not about to do that."

"If anyone kills me you'll all be charged with murder." Mariano spoke up. "Even if you didn't kidnap me to kill me. You might get lucky and get second degree with a plea deal though."

"I'm not about to be charged with any degree of murder!" The driver squawked, throwing the car into a turn too quickly. Mariano felt the chassis roll and threaten to tip over. "You fucking idiots, why didn’t you just leave him?!"

"I tried!" Tommy shouted, his voice filling the small space. "Jasper fucked us!"

"Shut up!" Jasper shouted louder. He pressed down on Mariano's back with his foot, forcing a wheeze out of him. "It doesn't fucking matter anymore, we can't un-kidnap him. Do we still have that shit from your dog, Darrel?"

"Uh, I think so? Jasper--shit, you aren't gonna put--" Darrel, the driver said.

"If he behaves, it won't even hurt him, and it'll give us time to think." Jasper growled. "Now Darrel, slow the fuck down so we don't get pulled over before we swap cars. And you," He started unbuckling his belt. "Hands above your head, palms together. You are gonna be quiet and not try anything, 'cause I can hit a beer can from a hundred yards away with this gun."

Mariano took a breath and did as he was told. He felt leather wind around and around his hands. The pressure from the boots never let up. No sense in destroying goodwill on an escape attempt that might just get him shot or turned into a smear on the road anyway. He was going to just have to wait and see what he was working with.

#ailesswhumptober2023 #ailesswhumptoberday5 #day 5 #held at gunpoint #hostage #mage of violence #bank robbers arc #Modern au

[saywhat-politics]

Indicted freshman congressman and serial fabulist George Santos is the only member of Congress who has not yet filed his mandatory personal financial disclosure, a CREW analysis of filings provided by the Clerk of the House of Representatives has found. The document’s absence is especially notable a month after the final deadline blew by—and a week after the only other remaining House holdout filed—because many of Santos’s growing legal problems are centered on his self-mythologizing about his own finances. 

Santos’s failure to file not only demonstrates a lack of respect for rules that exist to provide the public with information that can be used to identify serious conflicts of interest, but it also further obscures Santos’s personal finances, which are at the center of a 13-count indictment from May, alleging that Santos cheated donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress on previous financial disclosures he filed as a candidate. This month Santos’s treasurer pleaded guilty to helping further his illegal schemes—including a $500,000 loan Santos himself claimed to have given to his campaign when he only had less than $8,000 in the bank—and Santos was hit this week with a 23-count superseding indictment which included accusations of pocketing campaign donors’ money. 

There are significant possible penalties for knowingly failing to file an annual financial disclosure. Aside from a $200 late fee, the instructions members are given to file their annual financial reports notes that “the Attorney General may pursue either civil or criminal penalties against an individual who knowingly and willfully falsifies…or fails to file” the financial filings that are required under the Ethics in Government Act. The maximum civil and criminal penalty in such cases is $71,316, according to the document.  

Santos himself has acknowledged that his report hasn’t been filed, telling the AP last month that he would “rather be late, accurate, and pay the fine than be on time, inaccurate, and suffer the consequences of a rushed job.” However, far from rushing at this point, the filings were originally due in May, and Santos never filed to request an extension. Meanwhile, his fellow House members, some of whom have vastly complicated personal finances and net worths climbing into the hundreds of millions of dollars, have all managed to file the form detailing their assets, liabilities and transactions on time. For example, Rep. Darrell Issa—who has a net worth of around $460 million—filed his financial disclosure in July. 

#new york #republican #congressman #george santos

[usafphantom2]

25 Years Ago Today: An U.S. F-117 Stealth Jet Is Shot Down Over Serbia 🇷🇸

March 27, 2024 Military Aviation

F-117 shot down

F-117 as seen through the NVGs (A1C Greg L. Davis, USAF, via National Archives)

OTD in 1999, “Vega 31” was shot down near Belgrade. Here’s how it went.

On Mar. 27, 1999, during the fourth night of Operation Allied Force (OAF) over Serbia, a U.S. Air Force F-117 Nighthawk (#82-0806), flown by Lt. Col. Darrell P. Zelko, was shot down while returning to Aviano airbase, after a strike mission against a target near Belgrade.

The F-117, callsign “Vega 31”, was hit by one of a series of missiles fired by a S-125 “Neva” missile system (NATO reporting name, SA-3 “Goa”) belonging to the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade of the Army of Yugoslavia, at a distance of about 8 miles.

According to Sergeant Dragan Matić, the soldier later identified as the operator who fired the missiles, the stealth plane was detected at a range of about 50 to 60 kilometres and the surface-to-air missile radar was switched on for no more than 17 seconds.

F-117 wreckage in Serbia.

The pilot successfully ejected and was rescued between 5 and 8 hours later (depending on the sources): AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command) dispatched MH-53M, MH-53J and MH-60 aircrew along with Special Tactics Airmen responded to the emergency and, coordinated by E-3 AWACS and supported by several specialized platforms, including an EC-130E ABCCC and A-10 in Sandy role, rescued the F-117 pilot.

While the shootdown of the F-117 #82-0806 marked the first ever and only downing of a stealth aircraft in combat, how the Serbians managed to achieve the then almost unbelievable kill is still open to debate.

On one side, the Serbs claimed they had found a way to detect stealth aircraft by using slightly modified radars: the modifications involved the use of long wavelengths to try to “paint” the target at short range, exploiting the moment when the low observability of the Nighthawk was degraded by the opening of the bomb bay door.

However, this was not true: according to some Serbian sources, the story of the modification was purposely told by the battalion commander and served as propaganda. In the end there was no modification of the P-18 or SNR-125 radar.

What is true is that the Serbians were extremely cautious in operating their SAM batteries, dispatching messages without using cell phones or radios, so as not to risk to be intercepted and geo-located, and relocating the batteries across the country.

F-117 taxies at Aviano AB during Operation Allied Force (USAF)

In the end, besides the successful tactics used by the Serbians, the shootdown of the F-117 was also the result of a series of other contributing factors:

the use of the same route for the third day in a row, making the flight path of the stealth aircraft predictable

the lack of dedicated SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) support

the fact that the F-117 approached the Belgrade area flying at low level, jinking and banking

the Serbs knew that the F-117s were coming, because, they monitored U.S. and allied radio comms on UHF and VHF frequencies, which, at the time, were mostly unencrypted; were also able to intercept NATO plane’s ATO (Air Tasking Orders) that enabled them to put anti-aircraft batteries at positions close to the ground targets; relied on a network of spies who operated outside the Italian airbases spotting aircraft taking off and others, near the Serbian borders, who provided details about the incoming raids.

Anyway, the achievement of Colonel Dani Zoltan, who commanded the SAM battery of the 3rd Battalion and used a SAM system introduced in 1961, is impressive especially considering that, after shooting down “Vega 31”, “Hammer 34”, an F-16C of the 31st Fighter Wing piloted by Lt. Col. Dave Goldfein (future Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force) was also shot down by the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade on May 2, 1999.

Moreover, it has also emerged that another F-117 was damaged by Serbian air defenses during Allied Force.

A Yugoslav propaganda poster, stating facetiously “Sorry we didn’t know it was invisible”.

The F-117 today

25 years after the famous and quite surprising, at that time, downing, the iconic F-117 continue to fly, despite being officially retired in 2008.

As we report quite frequently here at The Aviationist, F-117s are still flying not only for training purposes as adversary aircraft and cruise missile surrogate, but also for research, development, test and evaluation, possibly related to next generation programs.

In accordance with of the Nation Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2007 (PL 109- 364, Section 136), 52 F-117 aircraft were retired and relocated to the Tonopah Test Range (TTR). Under the requirements of the NDAA, the USAF preserved each F-117 aircraft in Type-l000 (T-1000) storage, which maintains the aircraft in a condition that allows recall for future service. On 30 November 2016, Section 133 of Subtitle D of the National Defense Authorization Act repealed the requirement to preserve the F-117 aircraft in a recallable condition and the USAF intended to declassify, demilitarize, and disposition four F-117 aircraft per year.

F-117 Fresno

An F-117 Nighthawk lands for the first time at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Sept 13, 2021, to conduct training missions with the local Air National Guard unit. Two F-117 Nighthawks are participating in dissimilar air combat training missions this week along with F-15 pilots from the 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno, Calif. (Air National Guard photo by Capt. Jason Sanchez)

The aircraft continued to be spotted, even more than it had happened until then, with the Nighthawks also deploying to several U.S. bases to carry out Dissimilar Air Combat Training with other U.S. types. Then, in 2021, the U.S. Air Force published the first official images of the type still involved in flight operations on the DVIDS (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service) network.

In September 2022 the Air Force Test Center published a Request For Information (RFI) about a possible 10-year contract, expected to start from January 1, 2024, for maintenance and logistics support services for the F-117A fleet at the TTR airfield, acknowledging that the U.S. Air Force is willing to keep the aircraft flying at least until 2034. Interestingly, the U.S. Air Force is about to complete the certification of the F-117s to refuel from the KC-46: a sign that the service plans to keep the Nighthawk flying for many more years.

F-117

One of the two F-117s flying low over the Sierra Mountains on Apr. 21, 2023. (Image credit: @stinkjet)

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

@theAviationist via X

#Youtube #f 117 #serbia #kosovo #balkans war #cold war

[damien-mlm]

A storm washes over Ambrose (Red - Part 3)

Warnings: more of Red's backstory, slasher-typical violence, gay stabby man misses bigger stabby man, Ellie and Skulk are mentioned, Percy worries for Darrell, Red gives Bo a literal run for his money

Darrell belongs to @bluecoolr

Skulk belongs to @probably-a-plant-thing

Ellie belongs to @rottent33th

Percy belongs to @the-pinstriped-hood

He was on his third beer when he started feeling the raindrops fall on him. The sky was dark with clouds and the moon was long hidden behind them, must have spaced out again.

He hopped off the trailer and onto the increasingly wet floor, scrambling to get the keys from under the doormat. Rain was on full blast once he got inside.

Red didn't turn any lights on, he just sat on Darrell's bed, drinking and staring into nothingness for what felt like hours. 

I miss him

Why? It's only been a day

He'll be back home soon

Why didn't I go again?

Red went through Darrell's drawers and took out a hoodie, it looked comically big on him, but he didn't care. The trailer was dark and cold, but the hoodie and the bedsheets smelled like Darrell. He dressed a pillow with one of Blue's shirts and clung onto it for dear life, he was almost angry at himself for being so sentimental.

Almost.

The harsh smacking of the raindrops on the metal surface of the trailer drowned out his silent cries, and soon lulled him into a deep, exhausted sleep. 

Ever since he could remember, the color red was there, haunting and taunting him.

Staining the tiled floors of the bathroom.

Searing hot with rage on his pupils.

Coating his hands in warm slick.

Burning away at the last remnants of his past.

All he could see was red. All of it. Everywhere.

That night, so long ago, when he had decided he'd escape, or die trying. Red.

He was eighteen, old enough to try and fend for himself, and he knew the world wasn't kind but his father was less than so.

Years he spent under his father's helicopter-like monitoring, he had learned to hide himself, who he really was and how he felt, in hopes of survival.

A hurricane was afoot, the power supply was cut to the entire city, so the electric locks on the doors were out of service.

He quietly stuffed a backpack with some clothes, and headed for the safe in his father's study, where he kept most of the money. His father never trusted banks, and he had hit the jackpot with his unconventional ways of psychotherapy. If you could even call them that.

He sat in front of the small safe under the desk, thinking of how the hell he could crack it open, he needed to leave soon. The storm would cover his tracks nicely.

Maybe a date?

A birthday?

His? His mom's?

The day they got married?

After trial and failure, a thought crossed his mind.

Red.

Maybe it's the day she… no… he wouldn't. Right?

He put the date in.

CLICK!

Red.

That sick bastard…

He stuffed all the cash in a trash bag, his hands shaking with anger and hurt. A lightning bolt illuminated the night sky, it almost seemed like it was the middle of the day. For a split second he saw something shine next to the last few wads of cash.

A revolver, next to an unopened box of rounds and a silver letter opener. The gun itself looked like it was never fired. 

He took them, of course.

Just then, he heard the old wooden floors creak, making him hunch and hide under the desk.

His father had entered the room, in search of a midnight drink at the liquor cabinet he kept by his books. The boy was so quiet, you couldn't even hear his breath. The storm was loud, but adrenaline had his senses heightened. The sounds of glass and liquid, his own heartbeat, blasting in his ears.

And red behind his eyes. Stinging tears building up, threatening to spill.

Red.

Blinding and all-consuming.

Another flash of light from the sky. He was standing behind his father, silent as a ghost, letter opener in hand. The blade sank onto his father's back the second that thunder erupted. Drowning his screams.

In and out.

Red.

Again and again.

Red.

Staining his hands and his soul.

The blade was dull, but the point was sharp enough. His arms were strong enough. He pierced through cloth, through skin and flesh, over and over again.

Panting, his eyes darted between the liquor bottles and the corpse at his feet. He smashed bottle after bottle, stopping himself at the last one, just to down its contents in one swing.

A lit match was all he needed.

The study was ablaze in a split second, flames devouring everything they touched.

It spread quickly, he soon had to exit the house.

And he stood under the rain.

Out in the storm, he gazed at what was his house, a raging inferno.

Red.

Blinding and all-consuming.

Thunderstruck forced him awake, back to where he was. Surrounded by all things Darrell, except the man himself. Back in the cold darkness of the trailer. Blue's trailer.

Blue…

I miss you…

He looked at his phone, 5 am. He scrolled through his old conversations with Darrell, looking for something. A map to Ambrose, Darrell's friend, Ellie, had sent him.

Fuck it.

Sorry, Skulk…*

Darrell and Percy had just come back after a long day of shopping, the days were shorter at this time of year, and the ongoing storm didn't help.

Red hadn't texted since the previous night, he was worried out of his mind.

"Are you alright, sweet boy?" she asked him, her words laced with concern.

"Yes, Momma. Just thinkin' bout Red, 's all…" his eyes looked out the window.

"Well, I'm sure he's okay. He'll answer you any minute now, I just know it!" she placed a hand on his back.

"Thank you, ma'am. 'Scuse me, please, I need a smoke." he was polite as usual, but a bit too cold to be him. Percy let him on his way.

He lit up his cigarette, standing under the porch awning to shield himself from the water pouring from the sky. He took a long drag before exhaling the smoke out in exasperation.

What if he got in another fight?

Skulk had told him he didn't see Red around all day.

Not in his trailer, nor the cabin. 

Not around the bar nor the diner either.

What if he got hurt?

What if he's in the hospital?

What if-

A distant flash caught his eye, not lightning, but a vehicle's headlight, far on the main road of the town. He squinted and catched the sight of a red quad bike, a figure all in black on top, inquiring Bo about something. 

Bo pointed towards the house's general direction and he could swear he heard the engine roaring back to life in a split second, the figure fast approaching him while Bo ran behind him, yelling at him to stop in a futile attempt.

Darrell was speechless, his smoke long lost and drowned in rainwater. In less than a minute, the quad bike was in front of him, its driver looking up at him, both chests rising and falling rapidly in heavy, ragged breaths.

He removed his helmet, letting red locks fall free, quickly drenching under the rain. A flushed, desperate look on the one brown eye.

"Hey, Blue… I-... I missed you too much"

*Sorry, Skulk... You'll have to deal with the hogs on your own.

Taglist: @slaasherslut @allthingsblood @ajarofpickledtears @texaschainsawslvt @angxlslasher @kalid-raven @mr-trick

#slasher fandom #slasher community #slasher oc #my oc and not my oc #house of wax #house of wax 2005 #bo sinclair #damon red herring #darrell todd #percy jones #skulk #ellie mason #damon x darrell #red x blue

[mstrickster]

Prompt for Banksway: while still figuring out their feelings for each other, Charlie and Adam play with the puppies at a pet store on a 'not a date' date.

I tried not to go overboard but it is still 1,200 words 😂

Anyways enjoy, nonnie! Now on Ao3

Charlie parked his car in front of the local pet store.

“Do you think they’ll have it here?” Adam asked from the passenger seat.

The duo had been sent out by Mrs. Banks to find a new fish for their aquarium. Adam had insisted that Charlie didn’t need to go with him for such a menial task. However, Charlie joined him anyway. Even offering to drive. Adam didn’t argue to that, he hated driving.

Charlie shrugged, “I thought your mom called ahead.”

“She did, but she made it seem hard to find,” Adam moved to unbuckle.

“Well if we don’t find it then we can just tell her,” Charlie suggested.

Adam frowned but nodded. Letting out a resigned sigh he opened the car door and climbed out. Charlie followed, locking the car once they were both out. Adam walked around and met Charlie at the back of the car.

They walked into the small pet shop shoulder to shoulder. A bell rang when they opened the door and the cashier greeted them warmly, her nametag read Tina.

“Can I help you find anything?” She asked.

“My mom sent us to find a specific fish,” Adam pulled a note out of his pocket and handed it to the cashier. She looked over it and appeared to think for a moment.

“Unfortunately, we sold the last one just a bit ago,” She said handing back the note, “However, if you got a minute I can check and see when we will be getting the next ones in.”

“We’ve got time,” Charlie chimed in, “We’ll just wander the store.”

“Great, I will come find you when I’m done,” Tina told them.

“Cool, come on Banksie let’s look at the animals,” Charlie said nodding to the back of the store. Adam sighed but nodded, following Charlie.

The store had a large selection of animals available. In the center of the store was an open-air cage that held three Guinea pigs. Just past that were glass cages that held an assortment of lizards and amphibians.

Adam paused at the turtles for a moment before rejoining Charlie. Past the lizards was a big cage full of birds. Adam didn’t want stay to observe them because the noise was too much. So he took Charlie’s sleeve and pulled him further into the store.

Charlie veered off to the side of the store slightly . Adam followed, still holding his sleeve. One wall was all fish tanks.

Suddenly Charlie stopped walking causing Adam to bump into him softly. Adam only wondered for a moment why he had stopped before he found the answer.

In front of the two boys was a large desk with another person behind it. However, behind that was a kennel full of dogs.

“They have puppies, Banksie,” Charlie said grinning brightly.

“Would you like to play with a few?” The man at the desk asked, “We have a few puppies who love being held.”

“Can we?” Charlie asked in awe.

“Sure, follow me,” The man said, “I’m Darrel, I run this area, we’re actually apart of the local animal shelter.”

Charlie hurried along after Darrel and Adam followed without a word.

“Every weekend we bring a few dogs here for potential adopters,” Darrel explained, unlocking the door leading into the large kennel, “Then whoever doesn’t get adopted is taken back to the shelter.”

“So, the dogs don’t live here?” Adam asked, relieved.

“Oh heavens no,” Darrel replied, “These crates aren’t big enough for them to live in full time.”

“That’s good to know,” Adam said. He followed Darrel and Charlie into a small room off to the side of the large kennel.

“If you want to take a seat I can bring some dogs into to you,” Darrel offered, motioning to a small couch in the room. Both boys nodded and took a seat. The couch was just big enough for them to sit comfortably. However, it didn’t keep their knees and elbows from touching.

Once they had settled themselves, Darrel headed back out and unlocked two crates. He pulled out a small mutt and a golden retriever puppy. Darrel carried the puppies back to the room.

“This is Peaches and her best friend Plum,” Darrel said introducing them, “They are pretty inseparable.” Darrel offered the two puppies to the boys. Charlie eagerly took Plum and held her close.

Adam was little more hesitate, but when he did reach out for Peaches, the mutt puppy sniffed his hand before licking it in greeting. Adam let out a small laugh and took the puppy cradling it in his arms.

“I will give you a few moments to get acquainted,” Darrel said, “I’m just outside if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” Charlie said. Darrel nodded and left the room. The boys sat in silence for a bit, just playing with the puppies.

“They’re cute,” Adam noted.

“Puppies usually are,” Charlie replied, teasingly.

“I don’t have much experience,” Adam confessed, “I’ve never had a pet besides the fish.”

“I don’t know if I would consider fish pets,” Charlie said with a grin.

“They’re in a pet store, they totally count,” Adam argued. Charlie just answered with a laugh.

“Well, you seem like a natural,” Charlie pointed out, referring to Peaches who was currently taking a nap in Adam’s arms.

“Yeah well this one isn’t as rambunctious as her friend,” Adam noted, nodding towards Plum who was currently chewing on Charlie’s sleeve.

Charlie laughed, “Every introvert needs an extrovert, that’s why you put up with me.”

“You make that sound like a chore,” Adam said, “I enjoy your company.”

Charlie smiled, “I enjoy yours too, Banksie.”

Adam blushed slightly at that statement, burying his face into Peaches’ fur to hide it from Charlie.

After that a comfortable silence fell over the pair. Adam didn’t notice, but every once in a while Charlie would look up and smile softly at him.

After 15 minutes Darrell came back to retrieve the puppies. Adam was kinda reluctant to give them up. However, he doubted his mother would be pleased if he returned home with a dog instead of her expensive beta fish.

Darrell asked if they wanted to see any of the other dogs, but Adam declined stating they needed to check with the cashier up front. Charlie frowned, but nodded in agreement.

“Thank you thought,” Charlie said, “This was fun.”

“Thank you,” Darrel replied, “I’m sure the dogs appreciated it.”

“So did we,” Adam agreed, “I hope they find a good home, together.”

“Oh I don’t think that will be an issue,” Darrel said with a smile.

The two boys said their goodbyes and made their way back upfront. Charlie made sure to avoid the birdcages this time. Adam smiled at him gratefully.

“Oh hey!, I was just finishing up,” Tina called out, “We are getting that fish in next Monday, want me to put your name down so we can save one for you.”

“Can you put my mom’s name down?” Adam asked as they paused in front of the cashier, “I have school.”

“Yeah, of course,” Tina replied, “Can I get her name and phone number?”

Adam nodded rattling off his mom’s name and number.

“Perfect, I will call her when they get in,” Tina promised.

“Thank you so much,” Adam replied, “I’ll let her know.”

Tina gave them one final nod before they headed back to the car. Adam wasn’t too worried about his mom not getting her fish now.

“That was fun,” Charlie said unlocking the car, “We should check out their shelter sometime.”

Adam nodded, “It’s a date.”

He chuckled softly because Charlie was the one to hide his blush this time.

#the mighty ducks #anon answered #anon asks #charlie conway #adam banks #banksway #The Mighty Ducks #mighty ducks asks

[thexfiles2021]

[conniejoworld]

This is the full list of all Republican House representatives who voted against the sick leave measure:

Robert Aderholt, Alabama 4th district

Rick Allen, Georgia 12th district

Mark Amodei, Nevada 2nd district

Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota

Jodey Arrington, Texas 19th district

Brian Babin, Texas 36th district

Jim Baird, Indiana 4th district

Troy Balderson, Ohio 12th district

Jim Banks, Indiana 3rd district

Andy Barr, Kentucky 6th district

Cliff Bentz, Oregon 2nd district

Jack Bergman, Michigan 1st district

Stephanie Bice (OK), Oklahoma 5th district

Andy Biggs, Arizona 5th district

Gus Bilirakis, Florida 12th district

Dan Bishop, North Carolina 9th district

Mike Bost, Illinois 12th district

Kevin Brady, Texas 8th district

Mo Brooks, Alabama 5th district

Vern Buchanan, Florida 16th district

Ken Buck, Colorado 4th district

Larry Bucshon, Indiana 8th district

Ted Budd, North Carolina 13th district

Tim Burchett, Tennessee 2nd district

Michael Burgess, Texas 26th district

Ken Calvert, California 42nd district

Kat Cammack, Florida 3rd district

Mike Carey, Ohio 15th district

Jerry Carl, Alabama 1st district

John Carter, Texas 31st district

Buddy Carter, Georgia 1st district

Madison Cawthorn, North Carolina 11th district

Steve Chabot, Ohio 1st district

Liz Cheney, Wyoming

Ben Cline, Virginia 6th district

Michael Cloud, Texas 27th district

Andrew Clyde, Georgia 9th district

Tom Cole, Oklahoma 4th district

James Comer, Kentucky 1st district

Connie Conway, California 22nd district

Rick Crawford, Arkansas 1st district

Dan Crenshaw, Texas 2nd district

John Curtis, Utah 3rd district

Warren Davidson, Ohio 8th district

Rodney Davis, Illinois 13th district

Scott DesJarlais, Tennessee 4th district

Mario Diaz-Balart, Florida 25th district

Byron Donalds, Florida 19th district

Jeff Duncan, South Carolina 3rd district

Neal Dunn, Florida 2nd district

Jake Ellzey, Texas 6th district

Tom Emmer, Minnesota 6th district

Ron Estes, Kansas 4th district

Pat Fallon, Texas 4th district

Randy Feenstra, Iowa 4th district

Drew Ferguson, Georgia 3rd district

Brad Finstad, Minnesota 1st district

Michelle Fischbach, Minnesota 7th district

Scott Fitzgerald, Wisconsin 5th district

Chuck Fleischmann, Tennessee 3rd district

Mike Flood, Nebraska 1st district

Mayra Flores, Texas 34th district

Virginia Foxx, North Carolina 5th district

Scott Franklin, Florida 15th district

Russ Fulcher, Idaho 1st district

Matt Gaetz, Florida 1st district

Mike Gallagher, Wisconsin 8th district

Andrew Garbarino, New York 2nd district

Mike Garcia, California 25th district

Bob Gibbs, Ohio 7th district

Carlos Gimenez, Florida 26th district

Louie Gohmert, Texas 1st district

Tony Gonzales, Texas 23rd district

Anthony Gonzalez, Ohio 16th district

Bob Good, Virginia 5th district

Lance Gooden, Texas 5th district

Paul Gosar, Arizona 4th district

Kay Granger, Texas 12th district

Garret Graves, Louisiana 6th district

Sam Graves, Missouri 6th district

Mark Green, Tennessee 7th district

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia 14th district

Morgan Griffith, Virginia 9th district

Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin 6th district

Michael Guest, Mississippi 3rd district

Brett Guthrie, Kentucky 2nd district

Andy Harris, Maryland 1st district

Diana Harshbarger, Tennessee 1st district

Vicky Hartzler, Missouri 4th district

Kevin Hern, Oklahoma 1st district

Yvette Herrell, New Mexico 2nd district

Jaime Herrera Beutler, Washington 3rd district

Jody Hice, Georgia 10th district

Clay Higgins, Louisiana 3rd district

French Hill, Arkansas 2nd district

Ashley Hinson, Iowa 1st district

Trey Hollingsworth, Indiana 9th district

Richard Hudson, North Carolina 8th district

Bill Huizenga, Michigan 2nd district

Darrell Issa, California 50th district

Ronny Jackson, Texas 13th district

Chris Jacobs, New York 27th district

Mike Johnson, Louisiana 4th district

Bill Johnson, Ohio 6th district

Dusty Johnson, South Dakota

Jim Jordan, Ohio 4th district

David Joyce, Ohio 14th district

John Joyce, Pennsylvania 13th district

Fred Keller, Pennsylvania 12th district

Trent Kelly, Mississippi 1st district

Mike Kelly, Pennsylvania 16th district

Young Kim, California 39th district

David Kustoff, Tennessee 8th district

Darin LaHood, Illinois 18th district

Doug LaMalfa, California 1st district

Doug Lamborn, Colorado 5th district

Bob Latta, Ohio 5th district

Jake LaTurner, Kansas 2nd district

Debbie Lesko, Arizona 8th district

Julia Letlow, Louisiana 5th district

Billy Long, Missouri 7th district

Barry Loudermilk, Georgia 11th district

Frank Lucas, Oklahoma 3rd district

Blaine Luetkemeyer, Missouri 3rd district

Nancy Mace, South Carolina 1st district

Nicole Malliotakis, New York 11th district

Tracey Mann, Kansas 1st district

Thomas Massie, Kentucky 4th district

Brian Mast, Florida 18th district

Kevin McCarthy, California 23rd district

Michael McCaul, Texas 10th district

Lisa McClain, Michigan 10th district

Tom McClintock, California 4th district

Patrick McHenry, North Carolina 10th district

Peter Meijer, Michigan 3rd district

Dan Meuser, Pennsylvania 9th district

Mary Miller, Illinois 15th district

Carol Miller, West Virginia 3rd district

Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Iowa 2nd district

John Moolenaar, Michigan 4th district

Alex Mooney, West Virginia 2nd district

Barry Moore, Alabama 2nd district

Blake Moore, Utah 1st district

Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma 2nd district

Greg Murphy, North Carolina 3rd district

Troy Nehls, Texas 22nd district

Dan Newhouse, Washington 4th district

Ralph Norman, South Carolina 5th district

Jay Obernolte, California 8th district

Burgess Owens, Utah 4th district

Steven Palazzo, Mississippi 4th district

Gary Palmer, Alabama 6th district

Greg Pence, Indiana 6th district

Scott Perry, Pennsylvania 10th district

August Pfluger, Texas 11th district

Bill Posey, Florida 8th district

Guy Reschenthaler, Pennsylvania 14th district

Tom Rice, South Carolina 7th district

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington 5th district

Mike Rogers, Alabama 3rd district

Hal Rogers, Kentucky 5th district

John Rose, Tennessee 6th district

Matt Rosendale, Montana

David Rouzer, North Carolina 7th district

Chip Roy, Texas 21st district

John Rutherford, Florida 4th district

Maria Elvira Salazar, Florida 27th district

Steve Scalise, Louisiana 1st district

David Schweikert, Arizona 6th district

Austin Scott, Georgia 8th district

Joe Sempolinski, New York 23rd district

[mariacallous]

State and local governments long have been considered “laboratories of democracy” that spawn valuable innovation. But recently states have taken this a step farther entering a risky new phase that pits blue states against red ones and blue cities against red states, and threatens democracy as a whole. As opposed to tolerating policy experimentation by different jurisdictions, some leaders are seeking to impose their own policy views on other places. Taken to an extreme, this behavior likely would intensify conflict and escalate policy nullification on a broad scale.

Take, for instance, the recent intensification of arguments over immigration. Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas have bussed unwanted arrivals from the southern border to New York City, Washington, DC, and Martha’s Vineyard as a way to express their discontent with national policy. These leaders are upset over so-called “sanctuary cities” that are pro-immigrant and seeking to attract media attention to their cause. While successful at generating press coverage, this confrontational stance puts innocent people in the middle of policy disputes and disrupts social service delivery in the targeted states.

Another area is abortion policy where the Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade turned that issue back to the states and transformed the politics of that subject. A number of states used that decision not only to outlaw abortion but to criminalize actions that provided help for those wanting abortions. The stark differences in how state legislatures have responded to the Roe aftermath suggests federalism is moving in a destructive direction and putting states on a collision path with one another.

Similar issues have popped in regard to marijuana legalization. For a number of years, that area has pitted states wanting to relax prohibitions and spawn new businesses against existing laws preventing interstate commerce involving illegal drugs or using the national banking system to transfer money. The resulting jurisdictional conflicts have strained federalism and made it difficult for businesses to know whose laws they should obey.

And in the gun area, California recently enacted a law allowing people to sue those who make or distribute assault weapons. Modeled after Texas legislation that enabled lawsuits against those who aid women seeking abortions, the legislation demonstrates how states are turning on one another and restricting personal activity on a much broader scale than before. It no longer is enough for states and localities to take decisive policy stances, but rather they are aiming their enforcement against people living elsewhere who have different points of view.

Even within individual states, there are risks for governance and democracy. Increasingly, there is preemption between red states and blue cities whereby Republican-controlled legislatures are putting major restrictions on the ability of Democratically-controlled cities to spend money, set policy, and address social issues. These within-state conflicts are eroding the capacity of cities to innovate and undertake useful policy experiments. By restricting local prerogatives, state legislatures are upsetting the balance of power within their boundaries and relegating cities to purely administrative functions.

From these and other actions, it appears federalism is entering an intolerant terrain that threatens democracy itself. There is a power reshuffling that likely will have profound ramifications for questions of who decides and what they decide on many topics. Large-scale political and institutional shifts on abortion policy, immigration enforcement, gun safety, and marijuana legalization are rippling through many jurisdictions and eroding the traditional prerogatives of state and local government.

In the past, trend-setting localities have piloted projects that experimented with new ideas and became models for the country as a whole. As part of our system of local rule, different jurisdictions had freedom to test policies such as welfare work requirements, school choice, and cannabis legalization, and that was considered a strength of American governance.

Yet in recent years, federalism has entered a new phase. In my Brookings Institution Press book, Power Politics: Trump and the Assault on American Democracy, I argue the extreme polarization and radicalization that afflicts contemporary politics has recast federalism in an entirely different light. States are innovating in more polarized and extreme directions, and criminalizing behavior that is perfectly lawful in other places.

These stakes are especially high given the fact that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear an elections case with the potential to alter how presidential elections operate. In a North Carolina lawsuit involving the primacy of state legislatures versus state courts in handling redistricting disputes, justices could make a decision that elevates the role of state legislatures in choosing Electoral College electors and scale back the ability of state courts to adjudicate future election disputes. The result could be legislatures certifying elector slates for a candidate who has not gained the popular vote majority in that state. Such a move would generate considerable chaos in federal elections and usher in undemocratic practices that would weaken the popular vote and limit the ability of voters to hold leaders accountable.

If these and other policy moves spread, what traditionally have been considered strengths of American democracy, i.e., the ability of states and localities to experiment, chart their own policy paths, and represent the views of people within their own jurisdictions, could shift in destructive directions. Rather than protecting democracy through tolerant and variated approaches, the differential responses of states and localities could intensify regional conflict and weaken the glue that holds the country together. Our current political system may not survive the high level of conflict which results when states nullify laws from other jurisdictions and criminalize behavior that is legal elsewhere.

[skateboardmarketing]

HEAVY METAL ICONS PANTERA ANNOUNCE 2023 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR LAMB OF GOD TO JOIN RUN AS SPECIAL GUESTS Tickets On Sale Starting Friday, Jan. 27 at 10 AM Local Time on LiveNation.com

WHO: Pantera with special guest Lamb of God

WHAT: 2023 PANTERA TOUR 

Pantera, one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal history, have announced their long awaited return to the stage. They will be touring North America this summer with Lamb of God as special guests.One of the most anticipated tours of 2023, this celebration tour includes original members Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown joined by Zakk Wylde (guitar) and Charlie Benante (drums). In December 2022, they kicked off the highly anticipated return in Mexico City to incredible reviews.Produced by Live Nation, the 20-city tour kicks off on Tuesday, July 28th in Burgettstown, PA at The Pavilion at Star Lake making stops in Milwaukee, Toronto, Austin, Denver, and more before wrapping up in Bristow, VA on September 15th at Jiffy Lube Live.Fans can also see Pantera at their recently announced support dates during Metallica’s North America Stadium tour dates in 2023 & 2024 and headlining major rock festivals in 2023 including Rockfest, Inkcarceration, and more.TICKETS: Tickets go on sale starting Friday, January 27th starting at 10 AM Local Time on LiveNation.com.PRESALE: Citi is the official card of the Pantera tour. 

Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, January 24th at 10 AM local time until Thursday, January 26 at 10 PM local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com.

TOUR DATES:*Festival Date | #Support Act TBD | ^Pantera Support for Metallica Dates|2023 Dates

Fri May 20 – Daytona, FL – Welcome to Rockville

Thu Jul 13 – Cadott, WI – Rockfest

Sat Jul 15 – Mansfield, OH – Inkcarceration 

Jul 28 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake 

Jul 29 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center 

Jul 31 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater 

Aug 02 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion

Fri Aug 04 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium

Aug 05 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark StadiumSun 

Aug 06 – Scranton, PA – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain 

Aug 08 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview

 Aug 09 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater

Aug 11 – Montreal, QC – Olympique Stadium 

Aug 12 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage 

Aug 15 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP

Aug 17 – Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Aug 18 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium 

Aug 20 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater

Aug 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena 

Aug 25 – Inglewood, CA – SoFi Stadium

Sat Aug 26 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

Aug 29 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre

Aug 31 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater

Sep 01 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium

Sep 03 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma

Sep 07 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater

Sep 08 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion

Sep 10 – Alton, VA – Blue Ridge Rock Festival

Sep 12 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre

Sep 14 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater

Sep 15 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live

Sep 23 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life

Oct 07 - Sacramento, CA - Aftershock

Nov 03 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center

Nov 10 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field^2024 Dates

Aug 02 – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium

Aug 09 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field

Aug 16 – Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium

Aug 23 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium

 Aug 30 – Seattle, WA – Lumen Field

MORE INFO:Pantera got its start in Arlington, TX with its best-known lineup, consisting of founding members drummer Vinnie Paul and guitarist Dimebag Darrell, along with bassist Rex Brown and vocalist Philip Anselmo. Pantera is credited with the development and popularization of the groove metal subgenre. To date, the group has sold 20 million records worldwide and has received four Grammy nominations. www.pantera.com

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