Author | Lightnews

Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 2d

Very very cool! I'll be watching this soon!

Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 2d

@fairshare.help

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Reposted by Rita L. Portela

Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 2d

You can now watch Oscar Award winning documentary No Other Land in the United States of America.

Link below.

No Other Land Film - Support Masafer Yatta - Watch No Other Land

supportmasaferyatta.com

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 3d

"Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth."

- June Jordan

All proceeds will be split evenly between the three Palestinian writers featured in this event.

SLIDING SCALE - NOBODY TURNED AWAY

Black background with angular green trim and red lettering. Wording reads: "Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth."

- June Jordan

All proceeds will be split evenly between the three Palestinian writers featured in this event.

SLIDING SCALE - NOBODY TURNED AWAY

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 3d

Hala Al-Khatib is a 20-year-old writer and poet from Gaza. Since childhood, Hala dreamed of becoming a writer. She wanted to write about love, music, hope, and beauty. But being from Gaza made her words carry the weight of pain, loss, and destruction.

During the genocide, she... Contd. in caption

Head and shoulders vignette of a young woman in a black hijab and a black dress with colorful floral embroidery. Tha background behind the vignette is olive tree leaves. The wording reads: Hala Al-Khatib is a 20-year-old writer and poet from Gaza. Since childhood, Hala dreamed of becoming a writer. She wanted to write about love, music, hope, and beauty. But being from Gaza made her words carry the weight of pain, loss, and destruction.

During the genocide, she wrote about what those around her endure, "so the world can hear us and preserve our stories. Like everyone else, we are human - not numbers."

Hala is a member of We Are Not Numbers and the Gaza Poets Society. Her writings have appeared in Al Jazeera, Mondoweiss, and The Electronic Intifada.

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Reposted by Rita L. Portela

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 3d

I guess if I *had* to pick my favorite part of the video the president posted where he’s a big boy pilot and he pew pew pews his poop all over everyone, it would be the part where he shits on the American flag?

Trump’s fantasy of having one of his apparently uncontrollable liquid shits land on the American flag

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 3d

W/only a HMO for catastrophic coverage, let's hope I don't need any tests or have a terrible accident.

The specialist is $900 per apt & dermatologist is $400. That's still much cheaper than my policy will be in 2026.

Specialist is booked 6+ mo out. Dermatologist booked 4-5 mo out.

This is hell.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 3d

My ACA Blue Shield PPO health insurance is going from $704/mo to $1,348. Zero deductible to $5,200 deductible.

= I'll loose health coverage. Better to pay out of pocket at this point.

I'm looking into logistics of out of pocket + my employer's low coverage HMO

Going through this? Let's coordinate

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you for saying so. People still need reminders to mask up. It's not over. Your reminder helps.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you so much for consistently wearing N95 in indoor places. This helps and we appreciate it. Please keep in mind that it is very possible and probable to spread covid in outdoor spaces also.

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Reposted by Rita L. Portela

Charis Hill | they/them @beingcharis.bsky.social · 3d

We see your maskless selfies at those "protests."

We see you spreading COVID.

We see you making it unsafe for immunocompromised folks (& everyone else).

We see you supporting fascists who ban masks.

We see you fighting for so-called justice while ignoring disabled people.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 5d

Mariam Mohammed Al-Khatib is a Palestinian writer, poet, and dental student currently based in Egypt. A survivor of genocide and displacement, Mariam uses literature as a form of resistance and a vessel for memory. Her work has appeared in international platforms including... Contd. in caption

Vignette of a young woman smiling, against a background of olive tree leaves. She is wearing a beige hijab, a light blue top and embroidered black shawl. Her features are round and a very small area of dark blond hair is visible over her forehead. Wording reads: Mariam Mohammed Al-Khatib is a Palestinian writer, poet, and dental student currently based in Egypt. A survivor of genocide and displacement, Mariam uses literature as a form of resistance and a vessel for memory. Her work has appeared in international platforms including We Are Not Numbers, Avery Review, This Week in Palestine, and Palestine Deep Dive. Through a feminist and existential lens, her writings explore war, the female body, survival, and urban memory. Mariam is also a dedicated oud player, embracing music as another language of resilience and self-expression.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 6d

Yes WTF. The term "restorative justice discussion" has been appropriated by privileged people who want to pick fights w other political activists or random people on a purely interpersonal level. It's bully behavior.

Restorative justice for:
Someone left a mess in the bathroom.
Parking spot taken.

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Reposted by Rita L. Portela

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 7d

Seen in Chicago

Handmade label sticker on street pole

The scariest thing this Halloween is ice terrorizing our communities

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 7d

Today someone missed a deadline & I sent them a message about how clearer communication might have saved us some time.

Someone else stepped in & said there was a need for a "restorative justice discussion" & email was not appropriate.

???

Do they want to meet me behind the shed to "discuss" this?

Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 7d

Instead of uniting to fight a shared enemy, circular firing squad. Every time I hear "restorative justice discussion" it is people screaming at each other or having a fist fight

ALWAYS privileged people attacking the less privileged

What recent political writing popularized this INTERPERSONAL use?

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 7d

It's in political activist circles. Not re: historic injustice. Instead it's interpersonal.

& always means initiating a fight.

Example: the people who called me a wetback, felt that I had done some kind of injustice to them & they wanted me to apologize to them. For... living in the neighborhood?

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 7d

The term "restorative justice discussion" has been taken by privileged people. They say this when they want to yell at someone.

The group that called me a wetback twice & said "go back where you came from"

They kept messaging me, that I needed to initiate a "restorative justice discussion" w them.

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 7d

??

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 7d

Why do these political activist people always want to have "restorative justice discussions" with people they despise?

Real question.

They don't know what they are asking for! Are they trying to get me incarcerated?

Or waiting there with baseball bats and knives?

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Reposted by Rita L. Portela

TheColfaxxx 🐢 @thecolfax.bsky.social · 9d

The opposite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of poverty is justice. - Bryan Stevenson

Pic of the day

#photography

Loutro Beach on the island of Crete. A small boat with a man in it hovers on top of turquoise water. In the distance, brilliant white stores and homes line the cove. There are no roads to get here. Boat is everything.

#greece
#travel
#sea
#holiday
#crete

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Reposted by Rita L. Portela

John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 8d

To be clear:

LA County has declared a state of emergency BECAUSE OF the federal government.

The Feds, LA County is (correctly) saying, have CAUSED the emergency.

This is a striking political moment of internal collapse. Local govts feeling compelled to protect their ppl from … their own govt.

Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids

Los Angeles County officials voted on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency over ongoing federal immigration raids.

abcnews.go.com

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 8d

Me fitting in.

I'm doing my very very best to not let my OG side come out at the upcoming picnic.

Crazy horiffic slate black monster with an extremely elongated head, about ten times the length of a normal human head. No eyes or nose but only large sharp teeth. It is partially bug looking, partly machine, partly humanoid. It is wearing a pink ruffled and lace dress with bows and puffy sleeves and sitting at a tea table with fancy tea set. Wording reads: "Me fitting in"

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 8d

The doctor looked at me with tears in his eyes and said: "You are the healthiest president that I have examined."

Three photos side by side: Left - Obama shirtless on a standing paddle board, smiling broadly with the photo snapped mid action of paddling.; Middle - Trump plump, bulging, red and in wrinkled up golf clothing, looking blank faced into the distance.; Right - Biden, in action on a bike and wearing a helmet and aviator glasses, smiling broadly. Wording reads: The doctor looked at me with tears in his eyes and said: "You are the healthiest president that I have examined."

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Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 9d

Imagine being bitten by a snake and instead of healing from the poison, you chase the snake to understand why it bit you and prove that you didn't deserve it.

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