Today is May 21st. On this date in 1602, Martha’s Vineyard was first sighted by English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold. At the time, the island was peopled entirely by the indigenous tribe known as the Kennedys. When he made landfall, Gosnold was offered brandy and snuff, then asked to leave because his ship was “blocking the view, dahling, and has dreadful decor.” Also on this date, in 1980, The Empire Strikes Back was first released in theaters. That movie always makes me nostalgic. I remember when my dad cut my hand off and I fell out of a floating city. Ah, memories. On this date in 1892, the opera Pagliacci premiered in Milan, Italy. It was an instant and enduring success, and gave us the ever popular (and personal favorite) aria “Recitar! … Vesti la giubba“. It also taught the world that clowns are to be feared and avoided. And finally, today is “National Memo Day”. You can celebrate by starting every sentence with “note to self.” Note to self, this is an Open Thread.

Cory Booker’s Conscience Held Hostage, Day One | Jim Geraghty
“On Morning Joe, Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s subsequent video explaining that he has no real quarrel with the tactics and methods of the Obama campaign is compared to a ‘hostage tape.’”

Harold Ford Jr. On Booker: “I Would Not Have Backed Off The Comments” | RCP
“‘I would not have backed off the comments if I were Mayor Booker,’ former U.S. Congressman Harold Ford Jr. said on ‘Morning Joe’ today.”

Networks Target Romney’s Wealth 13 Times More Than Richer Sen. Kerry | Newsbusters
“But the major networks gave Kerry’s great wealth nowhere near the attention that they have given to Gov. Mitt Romney’s millions in 2012.”

Actor Will Smith Gets High Taxes Reality Check | MichelleMalkin.com
“Actor Will Smith supports President Obama’s call for America’s top earners to pay more taxes. But where would he draw the line? Let’s just say Smith won’t be moving to France any time soon.”

Politico Continues Attacks On Private Citizens Supporting Romney | Big Journalism
“The backgrounds of private citizens supporting Governor Romney, however, elicits all kinds of time, attention, manpower, and publicity from Politico’s wretched left-wingers.”

Kathleen Sebelius’s Orwellian Assault On the First Amendment from kevinaw2.

boniface (BAH-nuh-fuss): noun the proprietor of a hotel, nightclub, or restaurant.
(Via Merriam-Webster.)