Today is June 15th. On this date in 1215, King John put his royal seal on the first part of the Magna Carta, an early example of limitations on the authority of a monarch and codification of the rights of citizens under the law. Plus it would make a great band name, so there’s that. Also on this date, in 1300, Dante, of “‘s Inferno” fame, became a prior of Florence, Italy. His Divine Comedy is considered one of the most important works of western literature, and barely had any fart jokes. On this date in 1902, psychoanalyst Erik Erikson was born. No relation. And finally, today is National Lobster Day. Take THAT poor people! Consider this an Open Thread.

The Horror: NYT’s Timothy Egan Forced to Watch Fox News | Newsbusters
“I only am escaped alone to tell thee: Timothy Egan, a liberal reporter turned columnist for the New York Times, was forced to watch Fox News at the gym and lived to tell his readers about the horror in a Thursday post at nytimes.com”

The Anti-ALEC Alliance | Free Beacon
“ProgressNow, a leader in the leftwing campaign against free-market model legislation organization ALEC, is a shadowy organization funded by millionaires, billionaires, and leftwing philanthropies with the intent of expanding Democratic power.”

In The Real World, Steven Spielberg Loves Private Equity | Human Events
“Attacking Bain was a flop, but Spielberg certainly knows a thing or two about private equity. After all, in 2008, DreamWorks, the studio Spielberg co-founded in 1994, struck a $1.2 billion deal with Reliance Capital that pumped $325 million of equity into the studio”

Obama’s amnesia about his first year as president | Washington Examiner
“Listen to the president and his aides talk, and you’ll soon hear claims that the administration has accomplished great things in the last 27 months.”

For one protester, ‘Occupy’ becomes a way of life | Reuters
You’ll want to read this one just for the #facepalm.

Obama To Celebs: ‘You’re The Ultimate Arbiter Of Which Direction This Country Goes’ | Big Hollywood
“Obama spoke these creepy words at a $40,000-per-plate fundraiser that raked in a total of $2 million and took place in Sarah Jessica Parker’s home.”

Politics On Tap – Weekend edition from kowenhoven

cunctation (kuhngk-TEY-shuhn): noun Delay; tardiness.
(via Dictionary.com)