Rita L. Portela
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westernspinster.bsky.social
Rita L. Portela
@westernspinster.bsky.social
3.1K followers 1.4K following 1.6K posts
(Acjáchemem) CA Indigenous, free Palestine! Health justice, bikes, outdoors, bioscience, data, LOLOLOL, STEM, languages, arts, justice. Bay Area. Native American Linguistics.
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westernspinster.bsky.social
My employer sponsored health insurance has such a high deductible that very few people will even reach it. NO FSA this yr.

Instead they offer separate options to enroll in flat rate benefits for accident, hospital indemnity & critical illness.

So there's an insurance plan on top of the insurance.🤕
December 1, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
josepagliery.bsky.social
Here are US military lawyers stating clearly that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's "kill everybody" orders are either (1) war crimes or (2) murder.

Either way, expect prosecutions in the future.

www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/u...
November 30, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
divyampersaud.com
25 HOURS LEFT YALL

After surviving genocide, Ahmed is STILL reliant on strangers to survive, with zero rights in Egypt. But he has a chance: a Master’s scholarship in Europe. We only have a DAY to keep him housed while he waits for the latest on his visa tribulations.

46/450 tinyurl.com/HelpAhmedF
A banner that is light green. In the background is a green painted texture, with a black ink drawing of a finch or sparrow on a diagonal sill. The title is dark green and says, "Help art therapist Ahmed stay housed." In the bottom corner are some green paint strokes, over which the text reads, "Give: tinyurl.com/HelpAhmedF. Accountability: tiny.cc/HelpAhmed.”
November 30, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
khawlabadwan.bsky.social
Today marks the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a day to reaffirm commitment to justice, equality, and human rights.

Free Palestine Reading List for November 29 – December 5 (2025): publishersforpalestine.org/2025/11/29/f...
November 29, 2025 at 8:56 AM
westernspinster.bsky.social
#WhoAreYou?
We are the wet laundry hanging on the fences of shelter schools.

We are the black tiles of aid organizations.

Wording contd. in the image.

Abdullah is a writer. He's recovering from surgery and he's gotten almost no donatlons at all in the last 6 weeks.
gofund.me/9b40645f5
White text on a black background. It reads: #WhoAreYou? We are the wet laundry hanging on the fences of shelter schools. We are the black tiles of aid organizations. We are the layers of clothing helpless against a storm. We are the shivering of a swaddled baby. We are the windows shattered by the pressure of missiles. We are the sound of tent nylon when the wind hits it. We are the warm-hearted ones in cold world. Save what's left of us. - Abdullah Akkad Black and white photo image, or sepia tones, of a young man outdoors near a fence, with one hand up to his cheek or his ear. A sparse tree is in the background. He has a beard, neatly trimmed hair and a stocky build.
November 30, 2025 at 6:38 AM
westernspinster.bsky.social
AI generated photo-realistic image of a Trump-turkey creature. The neck, waddle and beak are a turkey. The eyes, complete with puffy eye bags, the eyebrows and hair is clearly Trump.
November 29, 2025 at 11:11 PM
westernspinster.bsky.social
I always go for quiet luxury.

I am the definition of understated elegance. Subtile. Grounded. Timeless. Stable. /s
Photo of a very large beaded necklace with hundreds of bright green beads. It takes up most of the upper chest and shoulders.
November 29, 2025 at 8:18 PM
westernspinster.bsky.social
Alt ending for Dracula, a Love Story.

youtube.com/shorts/Dq8nb...
Why Dracula hates Arabs
YouTube video by Rudy Ayoub
youtube.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:51 AM
westernspinster.bsky.social
I want people to know the real history of the occupation of Alcatraz.

Indigenous people had competing interests & different approaches to solving problems faced by Indigenous people.

The clear Alcatraz message exploited stereotypes for the White gaze & sacrificed CA tribes & traditions of respect.
westernspinster.bsky.social Rita L. Portela @westernspinster.bsky.social · 3d
IMPORTANT Alcatraz history

"Let it be known & let it be said: our work with mak-'amham is centered on specificity of our living East Bay Ohlone identity; we do not dabble in generalizations or stereotypes. We respect our elders' wishes, & for this reason, during a time of increased chatter of...
Old-fashioned typewriter text fills the page: TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are Ohlone Indians of California, also known as Costanoans. We Chlones are opposed to the occupation of Alcatraz. It is wrong. It is a retreat from reality. We cannot resign from the world, or drop out of life. Those on Alcatraz say they speak for all Indian people everywhere. They do not. They have no no authority whatsoever to speak even for a single tribe. They are misin.forming the public about Native American culture, history, and beliefs. They are destroying what we Indian people have been fighting and dying for these hundred years. We want education on the highest level. We want a better life for our people, right where they live, on the reservation, in the community, in the cities, the towns and villages of this country of ours. If those on Alcatraz want this too, they should go to their people and live with them, help them, learn from them. We agree that Indian culture centers are needed. But the people on Alcatraz should build culture centers where their people are, not on a barren rock, which does not belong to them in the first place. Indeed, if the people now on Alcatraz knew the history of the Native Americans, they would know they have no rights whatsoever to the land now known as Alcatraz. The Ohlone reople discovered, owned, and occupied the land from Pleasanton in the East Bay, to the Coast, and southerly to Monterey, including the islands along the Coast. Alcatraz and Yerba Buena among the others. If any Native Americans have a right to claim these lands, we Ohlones are the only ones. There is not one Ohlone Indian among those now on Alcatraz Island. Those who are squatting on this Rock are mainly from other states, other tribes and reserva- tions, other peoples and different ancestry. A few are from certain California tribes, who also have no rights to this land. One may not trespass upon or claim land owned by another tribe, according to the laws of the N…
November 28, 2025 at 7:58 PM
westernspinster.bsky.social
IMPORTANT Alcatraz history

"Let it be known & let it be said: our work with mak-'amham is centered on specificity of our living East Bay Ohlone identity; we do not dabble in generalizations or stereotypes. We respect our elders' wishes, & for this reason, during a time of increased chatter of...
Old-fashioned typewriter text fills the page: TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are Ohlone Indians of California, also known as Costanoans. We Chlones are opposed to the occupation of Alcatraz. It is wrong. It is a retreat from reality. We cannot resign from the world, or drop out of life. Those on Alcatraz say they speak for all Indian people everywhere. They do not. They have no no authority whatsoever to speak even for a single tribe. They are misin.forming the public about Native American culture, history, and beliefs. They are destroying what we Indian people have been fighting and dying for these hundred years. We want education on the highest level. We want a better life for our people, right where they live, on the reservation, in the community, in the cities, the towns and villages of this country of ours. If those on Alcatraz want this too, they should go to their people and live with them, help them, learn from them. We agree that Indian culture centers are needed. But the people on Alcatraz should build culture centers where their people are, not on a barren rock, which does not belong to them in the first place. Indeed, if the people now on Alcatraz knew the history of the Native Americans, they would know they have no rights whatsoever to the land now known as Alcatraz. The Ohlone reople discovered, owned, and occupied the land from Pleasanton in the East Bay, to the Coast, and southerly to Monterey, including the islands along the Coast. Alcatraz and Yerba Buena among the others. If any Native Americans have a right to claim these lands, we Ohlones are the only ones. There is not one Ohlone Indian among those now on Alcatraz Island. Those who are squatting on this Rock are mainly from other states, other tribes and reserva- tions, other peoples and different ancestry. A few are from certain California tribes, who also have no rights to this land. One may not trespass upon or claim land owned by another tribe, according to the laws of the N…
November 28, 2025 at 6:45 AM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
phillewis.bsky.social
Indigenous actress Elaine Miles of "Northern Exposure" was detained by ICE at a Redmond bus stop. When she showed them her Tribal ID, they told her it was fake
‘Northern Exposure’ actor gave ICE agents in Redmond her tribal ID. They called it ‘fake,’ she says
Indigenous actor Elaine Miles of "Northern Exposure" was detained by ICE at a Redmond bus stop. When she showed them her Tribal ID, they told her it was fake.
www.seattletimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
markjacob.bsky.social
Homeland Security doesn’t grasp the fact that the first Thanksgiving was about making “room at the table” for European “invaders.”
Homeland Security tweet says “there us no room at the table for invaders.”
November 27, 2025 at 11:57 PM
westernspinster.bsky.social
REMINDER: Stop giving money to the Sogorea Te Land Trust. It does not go to Ohlone People.

Here are a few of the many reasons: a long history of financial fraud, stealing land & resources from Native people, exploiting stereotypes, being jerks in general
nativehistoryproject.org/post/alameda...
Sogorea Te Land Trust is Not an Ohlone Organization – Alameda Native History Project 2025
When you read articles like, "Controversial Berkeley shellmound burial site to be returned to Ohlone" you are being misled. Here's a breakdown:
nativehistoryproject.org
November 27, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
pauleric70.bsky.social
🚨EXPOSED: 121 Former IDF SOLDIERS Now Working as ICE Agents in CHICAGO… America Is Officially OCCUPIED

Holy crap guys, we just uncovered that DHS is straight-up contracting former IDF soldiers as ICE agents and "bounty hunters" right here on US soil. Public records leaked show OVER 120 ex-IDF
November 26, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
summithusky.bsky.social
Land Back riot dog! This one is a coydog to represent indigenous survival.

Today is Thanksgiving in the US, and I think it’s important to acknowledge the genocidal history and colonial propaganda that continues to surround this holiday. Don’t ‘keep the peace’. Make the comfortable uncomfortable.
a coydog headshot with a red mask that says 'Land Back' in scrawling letters and blue head straps, there is a light blue and orange color palette and background for the design
November 27, 2025 at 5:11 PM
westernspinster.bsky.social
Room is completely engulfed in flames, you can only save ONE...
Grid of four photos. Three are politician men, the third is a fluffy white cat, looking up demurely. The men are Trump, Vance, and Musk. Wording at the top reads: Room is completely engulfed in flames, you can only save ONE...
November 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
westernspinster.bsky.social
Evening timeslots via zoom still available. DM me for details!
Text heavy image with a beautiful smiling young lady in an orange fur trimmed coat, blue eyeshadow and a broad smile. Text reads: Thanks-For-Nothing Packages Silver ($75 + a plate) I will be your +1 at your family's turkey dinner (2 hours) I will bring up colonization and the history of the Wampanoag tribe at the dinner table Gold ($150 + 3 Pacifico's, pie slice to-go) I will be your date (3.15 hours) I will give a Land Back lecture at the dinner table I will argue with your toxic homophobic tias Platinum ($250 + 1 Don Julio, 3 plates to-go) I will be your girlfriend (4 hours) I will say I am vegan I will fight your tio that voted for Trump in the backyard
November 27, 2025 at 5:23 PM
westernspinster.bsky.social
Photo of a pumpkin pie with pastry dough flowers embellishing the edges and the words "Fuck Colonization" across it in pastry letters.
November 27, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
anarcho.bsky.social
hyperallergic.com/you-cannot-g... a deliberate erasure of violence against Indigenous peoples
You Cannot Give Thanks for What Is Stolen
American artists were instrumental in propagating the false narrative of Thanksgiving, a deliberate erasure of violence against Indigenous peoples.
hyperallergic.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
jvp.bsky.social
On this day, Indigenous people and allies confront the settler-colonial narratives of “Thanksgiving,” observing it instead as a National Day of Mourning.
November 27, 2025 at 3:12 PM
westernspinster.bsky.social
My first holiday gift arrived: a four+ foot tall gigantic cat running wheel. Today's task is to move furniture, assemble it & see how my hyperactive kitty likes it!

My cat is a massive 19 pounds & the weight capacity is 25 pounds, so we'll see how this goes. Placing it far from my sleep space!
On a white background, a black cat running wheel with green leaf pattern on the running track. A leopard-looking cat is running on it.
November 27, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
keelin12ft.bsky.social
Happy Thanksgiving
A four-panel meme from the animated show King of the Hill. In the first panel, John Redcorn, an indigenous man, responds “Yes?” while looking at a blond boy Bobby Hill in a classroom. In the second panel, Bobby looks confused and asks, “Are you sure it’s the white man who did all that stuff?” The third panel shows Bobby gesturing toward himself and saying, “Because I come from white people,” and the fourth panel continues with him saying, “and this is the first I’m hearing of it.”
November 27, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
matthewcort.land
An annual reminder:

The cognitive & emotional toll of staying in contact with abusive family can be both significant & difficult to recognize.

There's a kind of social contract that abusive parents have violated. You owe them nothing. Nothing.

Thanksgiving doesn't change that.
November 27, 2025 at 3:07 AM
westernspinster.bsky.social
I'm making a pumpkin coconut cream pie. The challenge is that it will be two layer agar agar, with the sweet coconut cream on top. (Gluten free, dairy free)
November 27, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Rita L. Portela
handle.invalid
I don't know who needs to hear this, but please don't drink and drive
November 27, 2025 at 2:41 PM