Today is June 12, 2012. On this date in 1979, cyclist Bryan Allen became the first person to cross the English Channel in a human-powered aircraft, piloting the Gossamer Albatross. The plane weighed only 70 pounds when empty, and was powered by pedaling. His only complaints about the journey were being groped by the TSA before takeoff, and that his luggage ended up in Belgium. Also on this date, in 1978, David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz was sentenced to 25 years to life for each of his six victims, forever tainting the “a dog made me do it” defense. On this date in 1987, Ronald Reagan famously challenged Gorbachev to “tear down this wall!” He was very passionate about interior design. Today is also former President and Presidential parent George H. W. Bush’s 88th birthday. I wish I had two middle initials. Or even three. Caleb A. N. D. Howe. … I’ll work on it. And finally, today is National Peanut Butter Cookie Day. But don’t worry, Mayor Bloomberg is working tirelessly to stop the spread of this dangerous and insidious observance. Consider this an Open Thread.

Operation ‘Black Button’ Catches Up With Senator Sherrod Brown | The Shark Tank
“But your ever-loving johnny on the spot reporter El Sharko was able to get in a couple of questions in with Senator Brown.”

ProgressMass not yet legally registered in Massachusetts | Red Mass
“One of the few areas that ProgressMass seems interested in, besides Scott Brown, is overturning Citizen’s United. In that spirit, ProgressMass was asked if they would be willing to release board members names.”

Barack Obama’s autobiographical fictions | The Weekly Standard
“You can’t help but sympathize with our host, with the flack, with the curators at the college library. They faced a challenge known to anyone who tries to account for Barack Obama”

Will a Republican save Obama’s War on Coal? | Fox News
“The only Senate Republican who has publicly sided with Obama in support of the disastrous Utility MACT regulation that would cripple coal-fired power plants and therefore imperil our fragile economic recovery is Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander”

7 Ways Conservative Activists Are Being Harassed By the Left | Townhall.com
“Since many people are unaware of what goes on behind the scenes, it seems like a good time to catalogue just some of the tactics liberals are using to try to stifle free speech on the Right.”

The Legal Showdown Between Feds & Florida from Bethany.

fantast (FAN-tast): A visionary or dreamer.
(via Dictionary.com)