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Welcome to the fourth Friday of February!

It has been another stressful week at work, but after working 16 hours on a single day, I took the next morning off and am feeling less stressed. Also, we got snow. Twice this week. After a lot of flowers and other plants and started sprouting because of a couple of weeks of warm weather.

Anyway, it’s time for an actual Friday Five in which I bring you: two stories about dealing with a war monger, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about haters, and five stories about traitors, and five stories about the pandemic. Plus some things I posted and a notable obituary.

This Week in Dealing with Warmongers:

U.S. to send 7,000 troops already on alert to Germany -U.S. official

Opinion | The Isolationists Are Wrong: The Pax Americana Is Worth Defending

Stories of the Week:

DNA evidence clears 500-pound California bear Hank the Tank – Bear avoids death, relocation thanks to DNA evidence implicated two other bears

Ukraine and Russia War, Biden and Putin: Live Updates – The New York Times

Hamsters’ Testicles Shrink After Being Infected With COVID, Study Finds

Canadian Official Issues Epic Rant On ‘Liberty’ As Blockade Is Cleared

US women’s soccer team reach landmark $24m settlement in equal pay battle

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Virginia Senate Rejects Anti-LGBT “Religious Freedom” Bill

To All the Gay Men I’ve Loved Before – An Advocate writer pays homage to her platonic friendships with some of the brightest and funniest men she’s known

Two Students Sue School District for Banning LGBTQ+ Books

5 Texas DAs defy Gov. Greg Abbott, won’t treat gender affirming care for trans youth as ‘child abuse’

College students keep LGBTQ+ clubs afloat during the pandemic

This Week in Homophobes, Haters, and Discrimination:

Hate church called for death to gay people. Now they’re getting what they deserve – "I would love it if every fag would die right now!" Pastor Jonathan Shelley preached last year. Now he’s getting evicted

Texas Gov. Abbott orders gender-affirming care reported as child abuse

The GOP crusade against trans youth health care is built on lies, medical experts say

5 shot, 1 dead in Portland mass shooting; suspect Ben Smith was right-wing extremist furry

Kyle Rittenhouse plans to sue Whoopi Goldberg other ‘celebrities, politicians and athletes’

This Week in Seditious Treason and Other Major Crimes:

U.S. Supreme Court formally ends Trump’s fight over Capitol attack records

Cawthorn Concedes He Might Be Kept Off NC Ballot

3 More Trump Supporters Arrested For Voter Fraud In Florida

GOP candidate colluded with Russian spies to unseat gay Rep. David Cicilline. He still failed

Oh look, the New York Times has finally deigned to notice that the wife of a Supreme Court justice is deeply embedded in a lot of extremist conservative movements, including the fantasy that the election was stolen from Donald Trump

In Memoriam:

Remembering June Knightly

Things I Wrote:

Saturday Six (pepperidge farm remembers edition)

The official name of the holiday is NOT President’s Day…