An overcast, rainy day; our high was 71˚F. There are actually people out there doing Xmas shit. On December 3rd, three weeks (to the day) before Xmas. How is the day special if you spend a whole month celebrating it? I've been on the warpath lately against Christianity, and against religion in general. In part, it's the rise of Christofascism, the persecution of LGBT people, the end of Roe vs. Wade. In part it's watching superstition and ignorance swamp a planet whose only chance at survival, between one thing and another, global warming and pandemics and overpopulation, whose only chance is in science. Religion is, at best, something we'd should have outgrown five hundred years ago. It is the stunted predecessor of science, a speed bump, a road block, a Petri disk for hatred and xenophobia, a lie we tell our children. See what I mean? Warpath. Today was better than yesterday sorta, in that I slept a little more and a worked a LOT less. On the other had, I worked a LOT less and my left shoulder hurts like a motherfucker because somehow I am in such bad shape that merely taking Stephen J. Gould's admittedly heavy The Structure of Evolutionary Theory wrecked my body. Yes, I am that out of shape. And here we are supposed to move in another few months. I was talking, on Facebook, about how drag queens and drag shows have become a particular target by the bigots. There's a lot that would seem unlikely here, except...several years ago, when I first heard about a "Drag Queen Story Hour" at a public library, I said, "Well, that's cool, I guess, but it is going to blow up in everyone's face." And now it has. We gave them the proof they thought they we seeking to draw a connection between "the perverts" and "the children," and they are doing tremendous damage with it. Never, ever get so complacent that you give your enemy ammunition. Which is what happened here. This was always going to happen, once someone thought they could make drag G-rated for a public library. In Texas, the anti-LGBT organization Texas Family Project, has launched something horrendous called Defend Our Kids , where people can report live drag queen performances. Never mind that 99.99% of all drag shows, everywhere, including in Texas, will never been seen by anyone underage, much less by children. This is happening anyway. And Fox News is fanning the flames. And men with rifles are showing up at drag shows.* Fuck us all. Please have a look at the Big Cartel shop . Thanks. Oh, I read Lovecraft's "The Whisperer in Darkness" today. I was going to explain what I mean, day before yesterday, by "realistic gun control," but I think that's all I can manage for now. Later Tater Beans, Aunt Beast 5:34 a.m. * Full Disclosure: I worked as a drag queen between 1991 and 1993, "Aliesha Palance," here in Birmingham, and I very much have a right to talk about this.