@donray@mastodon.online
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donray

@donray@mastodon.online

Spanish learner and teacher (97.3% retired). Gardener. Don of all trades. I live in SW Iowa, USA, with my wife and our cat. #Iowa #Guitar #Garden #Spanish #Español #Prairie #OriginalMusic #SongWriter #Spain #Valencia #España

Profile Pic. A gray-haired man with glasses wearing a red hooded sweatshirt.

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mekkaokereke, (edited ) to random
@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io avatar

Nimarata is a beautiful name. It's also Nikki Haley's first name.

Every time racist and xenophobic people in her base see that her name is Nimarata, she loses voters. The name has no impact on non-racist/non-xenophobes.

Her performing anti-Blackness and transphobia to try to win the presidential seat, or help Trump get elected and win the Vice Presidential seat, is bad.

Not bringing up the name Nimarata, helps her maintain the white supremacists in her coalition. That is what I don't want.

donray,
@donray@mastodon.online avatar

@tayledras @mekkaokereke

I was born in New Hampshire and raised in Iowa, and I disagree somewhat that northerners don’t believe the Great Lie.

For a lot of people in north, their knowledge of history is minimal, and their knowledge of the South has been greatly influenced by the Dukes of Hazzard, Sweet Home Alabama, and right-wing pundits defending the flying of the Confederate Flag as simply a part of America’s heritage. Slavery has been white-washed away.

heidilifeldman, to random
@heidilifeldman@mastodon.social avatar

Despite the unanimity of the justices, I disagree with the Supreme Court’s judgment that states may not enforce section 3 of the 14th A. That judgment is the bottom line. But far more dangerous is the majority opinion, which includes discussion that goes beyond this bottom line. Five justices have tried to prospectively prescribe two requirements irrelevant to the Colorado case. First, they claim that only Congress, not the judiciary or executive branch may enforce section 3. 1/

donray,
@donray@mastodon.online avatar

@heidilifeldman

Suddenly thinking of corrupt courts. The Taney court, for example, that denied citizenship for Blacks (Dred Scott).

“The Taney court was dominated by pro-slavery judges from the South. Of the nine, seven judges had been appointed by pro-slavery Presidents — five, in fact, came from slave-holding families. The decision was viewed by many as a victory for the Southern “Slavocracy,” and a symbol of the power the South had over the highest court.”

https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/human-factor-history-dred-scott-and-roger-b-taney

donray, to random
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Unfortunately, it’s not surprising that the Girl Scout organization freaked out when some scouts tried to help kids in Gaza. The anti-Palestinian sentiment is pervasive in the USA.

The leader of those scouts: “What do you think a group of 10-year-old girls would want to do if they felt helpless? They would want to help. How do they want to help? They want to make bracelets. They’re 10 years old. That’s what they felt like they could do.”
https://apnews.com/article/girl-scouts-gaza-bracelets-ae0d36cf651a0e995243a85084fbd016

heidilifeldman, to random
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Having a hard time reconciling that tomorrow is both MLK Day and the day Iowa Republicans are going to make Trump their pick for President. Gross.

donray,
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@heidilifeldman

I have a hard time reconciling the of my youth with the Iowa of today, For example, in the 1970s Republican Gov. Robert Ray (no relation) led the nation in welcoming refugees from the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Today, Republican Gov. Reynolds sends the Iowa National Guard to Texas to help Gov. Abbott prevent asylum seekers from entering the country.

One governor learned something from MLK; the other one didn't.

donray, to Cats
@donray@mastodon.online avatar

Plenty of room at the top of the post.

The cat is comfortably seated on the top of the post.

donray, to animals
@donray@mastodon.online avatar

The Golden Hour;
The Orange Loaf.

Nonilex, to Law
@Nonilex@masto.ai avatar

🧵 Tues 21 May 2024

Testimony may conclude today in Trump’s NY trial, after 5 weeks & 22 witnesses.

Yesterday the jury was introduced to , a associate & who acted as a “back-channel” for to in the summer of 2018.

Yesterday, Costello behaved so atrociously on the witness stand that Juan Merchan cleared the courtroom to admonish him & the defense attorneys. Costello is due back on the stand

donray,
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@Nonilex

Good ol’ — who wore a medal from Hungarian Nazi collaborators to tRump’s inaugural ball.

donray, to iowa
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Lavender Snow (not to be confused with Purple Rain) — a couple of minutes before sunset.

donray, to random
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@ClareXanthos
Hola. If you are looking for people to follow who post things about race and racism, here are a few that I follow. It’s a mix of reading recommendations, activism, analysis, comments on current events, plus some random everyday happenings. (I probably forgot some folks…😀)

@KimCrayton1
@doctorjaymarie
@Deglassco

@KFuentesGeorge

@popcornreel

donray, to animals
@donray@mastodon.online avatar

Mulch pile!

donray, to iowa
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Cosmic sign —
Cat and moon align

donray, to Cats
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These neck and cheek scratchers also serve as cages for tomato plants.

donray, to Cartoons
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donray, to KindActions
@donray@mastodon.online avatar

I just made a small donation to help the people in Gaza. I hope many more people will do the same.

This message comes with the receipt:

"Your kindness and support make a tangible difference in the lives of those affected, offering hope and assistance where it's needed most. To learn about our latest projects, please visit our website at unrwausa.org. Again, thank you for your support."

https://www.unrwausa.org/donate

donray, to iowa
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Here in Southern Iowa, wetland areas are limited to rivers or human-made lakes and ponds.

West Fork Grand River (during drought). March 2, 2024.

donray, to spain
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#ThrowbackThursday #Spain #España #currency #money

“Everything at 100 pesetas”
(Everything at a low price)

A throwback sign on a side street in Petrer, Alicante, Spain.

The peseta was Spain’s monetary unit from 1868 until 2002 when it was replaced by the euro. The original exchange rate was approximately: 166 pesetas = 1 euro.

donray, to iowa
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#FrogFriday #frog #frogs #iowa

Gray tree frog on the front porch steps a couple of days ago.

An eye-level close-up of the frog — eyes open, smiling slightly.

aral, to Israel
@aral@mastodon.ar.al avatar

‘Like a war zone’: Emory University grapples with fallout from police response to protest

https://www.inkl.com/a/GWbLWRCokGo

donray,
@donray@mastodon.online avatar

@aral

It was a professor from Guatemala who said: “I felt like I was in a war zone.”

And he has a basis for comparison.

From the article;
From Guatemala, Keme came to the US as a teenager, escaping “a civil war against my people … involving the Guatemalan army, who received training from Israelis”.

He said: “Police immediately began to force people to move. I felt like I was in a war zone, with all the police and their weapons, the rubber bullets.”

donray, to Bloomscrolling
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#Bloomscrolling #Flowers #pollinators #bees #iowa #insects

Oriental poppy with an honest to goodness honey bee at work.

In recent years, honey bees are few and far between around here. I’m sure that most of the pollinating on my fruit trees is done by smaller, native bees.

donray, to Birds
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#Birds #Birding #Iowa #Aves

Happy #Wrensday! The House Wrens have been busy in the sycamore tree where their nesting box is located. One wren seems to be checking sky conditions…

A side view of a rusty brown bird. The head is lighter in color, but the eye is very dark. The bird has a narrow, sharp beak. The bird shares a branchlet with tiny new sycamore leaves.

donray, to iowa
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#frogFriday #frog #frogs #iowa #rana

Another gray treefrog. This one was on the wooden side porch stoop.

donray, to iowa
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#Toad #sapo #iowa #frogs #wildlife

Happy #FrogFriday! Not technically a frog (but similar)…

An American Toad under the streetlight last night.

donray, to Bloomscrolling
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#Bloomscrolling #NativePlants #trees #dogwood #shrubs #Iowa

Mystery Dogwood. A shrub I collected locally, it's either Gray Dogwood or Roughleaf Dogwood (or a natural hybrid). It's been hard to positively identify this shrub!

It's filling a gap in the row of non-native lilacs.

Close-up of a flower cluster. Small, whitish, four-petaled flowers with thick white stamens.

donray, to Birds
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For , I'm submitting a partial house wren, and hoping for partial credit.

donray, to Israel
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Headline:
Two more US officials resign over Biden administration’s position on Gaza war.

Alexander Smith: “I cannot do my job in an environment in which specific people cannot be acknowledged as fully human, or where gender and human rights principles apply to some, but not to others, depending on their race.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/30/two-more-us-officials-resign-over-biden-administrations-position-on-gaza-war

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