Today is March 9th. On this date in 1454, Amerigo Vespucci was born in Florence, Italy. The American continents are named after him, which worked out pretty good. If Matthias Ringmann had made a different choice when making his maps, we might all be Vespuccicans today. Also on this date, in 1959, the Barbie doll was publicly debuted at the American International Toy Fair. Truly a Vespuccican classic. And finally, OH MY GOSH WHAT THE FRACK I ALMOST FORGOT THAT IT’S NATIONAL PANIC DAY!!!!!! Consider this an Open Thread already!!!

Obama’s Super Paranoia | Major Garrett
“In Obamaland, the 3 a.m. phone call has become the 3 a.m. e-mail. In their own way, both speak to a crisis mentality and a groping for security.”

Yes, Walker has governed as he campaigned | Philip Klein
“With the recall effort against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker heating up, Democrats are recycling the old claim that somehow Walker’s public union reforms came out of nowhere once he took office.”

Derrick Bell in 1994: ‘Jewish Neoconservative Racists’ | John Podhoretz
“It is incumbent on Powell and others, if they want to get in on the conversation about Bell, to explain what on earth is mainstream about comments he made in an eye-opening New York Observer interview published on October 10, 1994, that is not available online.”

Ed Schultz Paid Nearly $200,000 By Unions in 2011 | Newsbusters
“For its fiscal 2010 payment to Schultz, the union characterized the payment as pertaining to ‘union administration,’ according to Labor Department records.”

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Wordsmith.org
shambolic (sham-BOL-ik): adjective Chaotic, disorganized, or confused.