blasphemous spectrum
horror's egg shines from the well
--don't drink the water

Just came across this in my file collection.  Once again, it seems to be appropriate for our times.  I don't know the exact year but this one is undoubtedly early World War II era, or perhaps pre-war.

I have a couple of news searches set up for things related to H.P. Lovecraft.  Sometimes references to him and his creations turns up in the most (seemingly) unlikely places.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had an online conference this past Thursday, and this report is all over the place lately:

But the majority of questions -- from Russians -- had a less weighty feel to them.

At No. 1 was a question about "Medved," a voyeuristic bear that has appeared in a sexually explicit drawing popular in Russian Internet circles. Twenty-nine thousand Internet users wanted to know Putin's opinion of Medved.

Narrowly trailing Medved, at 26,000, was a question about giant humanoid robots and whether the country plans to use any to defend itself. In third place, 18,527 wanted to know why Putin kissed a little boy's stomach Wednesday while taking a stroll through the Kremlin grounds.

And in fourth, at 16,682, was a pointed inquiry about Cthulhu, the octopus-like creature that sleeps at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Cthulhu was hatched by the American writer H.P. Lovecraft. "What is your opinion about waking up Cthulhu?" Viktor, 29, of Moscow, wrote in to the president.

No report on what his answer was, but it was probably along the lines of "What?  Who?"

Or possibly about embalming him and preserving him under glass for all to see.

From the Journal and Courier (Indiana):

"We approached summer camp differently this year," said Erin Steill, camp director for the Girl Scouts of Sycamore Council. "Instead of doing the same swimming, hiking and badge work we do every year, we've tailor-made five different weeklong camps that teach more advanced skills."

The outdoors camp is the second in the series.

"Our theme is to explore -- we want girls to try things they've never done before to build their courage, confidence and character," said Steill.

This week, the girls are learning archery, hands-on firearm safety, outdoor survival, aquatic safety, fishing and boating skills.

"Activities not traditionally associated with girls," Steill said.

The Girl Scouts is presenting the camp in partnership with the Tippecanoe County Parks and Recreation Department and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Despite some initial anxiety and trepidation, all of the girls, the majority of whom had never touched a firearm before, not only overcame their fears, but enjoyed shooting the shotguns, rifles and pistols.

"It's addictive," said Monique Parent, 13, of West Lafayette.

I'm surprised at this, because a few years ago I ran into a high school classmate of mine who is now a firearms instructor and has a kid or two in the Girl Scouts.  He was giving firearms instruction to his daughter's troup, but he said that such a thing was against Girl Scout rules so they always had to be sure and do it out of uniform.  Some people in the Girl Scout heirarchy must have changed their minds.

Found on NewsReleaseWire, this press release is dated June 6.

Gun law expert John Snyder, Founder/Chairman of the St. Gabriel Possenti Society, Inc., today issued the following statement in response to the National Catholic Register attempt to censor statements made in other media:

I reject your demand, per your publisher Father Owen Kearns, L.C., that I retract the statement made as part of criticism of Vatican UN Permanent Observer Archbishop Celestino Migliore’s support for international gun control policies of a United Nations Conference.

Contrary to your July 5, 2006 email, the statement did not appear on our website. It appeared elsewhere in an electronically distributed news release, which stated, “We understand this initiative not as an attack on the Church, but rather as a protest of a terribly misguided secular political initiative undertaken by a Vatican agency and at the very least implicitly supported by equally misguided American bishops.” Just for the record, I stand by this statement.

It is most ironic that Father Owen Kearns, a priest of the Legionaries of Christ, is attempting to intimidate me into accepting his “dictat.” This is the same Legionaries of Christ whose founder, Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, according to Catholic World News (CWNews.com) June 23, 2006, “was recently removed from public ministry after a Vatican investigation of sex-abuse accusations against him.” According to a New York Times report datelined Rome of May 19, 2006, the Vatican by this action against Maciel “cautiously acknowledged today long-standing allegations of sexual abuse by the founder of a prominent Catholic order, asking him to give up his public ministry in favor of a ‘quiet life of prayer and penitence.’”

Interestingly, Fr. Kearns is also abusing his authority. By attempting to prohibit freedom of expression of other points of view, he is abusing his position as publisher of the National Catholic Register to promote censorship.

I am outraged at your attempt to dictate and intimidate us in this way. I am outraged that Circle Media, Inc., publisher of the National Catholic Register, attempts to use its advertising acceptance policy to intimidate the St. Gabriel Possenti Society, Inc. into conforming to your point of view.

The ad from St. Gabriel Possenti Society has been running in your paper every week since February 2006. The 3-line ad in your newspaper reads: Honoring a Holy Handgun Hero: WWW.GUNSAINT.COM St. Gabriel Possenti Society, and includes an image of St. Gabriel Possenti.

Now, after five months, in order to continue running my ad in your newspaper, you want me to retract a statement, a statement that was not even made in the ad in your newspaper. Nor was it made on the website. It was made elsewhere in an electronic press release.

This is a blatant attempt to infringe the right to freedom of speech and press under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Shame on you, you yourself a newspaper, in attempting to subvert the First Amendment!

Again, just for the record, I reaffirm the statement, made as part of criticism of Vatican UN Permanent Observer Archbishop Celestino Migliore’s support for international gun control policies of a United Nations Conference. “We understand this initiative not as an attack on the Church, but rather as a protest of a terribly misguided secular political initiative undertaken by a Vatican agency and at the very least implicitly supported by equally misguided American bishops.”

Let me emphasize that the right to self defense is a God given right . . . a right to life itself . . . a right of law abiding citizens to protect themselves against criminals and against organizations and governments that abuse their authority.

Website here:  The St. Gabriel Possenti Society.