There are two ways to honor the passing of a legend. The first was is sickening. The cowardly, homicidal behavior of people gloating about Maggie Thatcher’s demise, bringing out songs by third-rate ‘artists’ like Chumbawumba (who lost all credibility years ago with their pop ditty, “Tubthumping,” making them rather wealthy at the expense of the crusties who followed them, and Morrissey, who wished her to be decapitated via guillotine in one of his lesser musical moments). That people take their political cues from such ‘artists’ says more about their lack of education than anything else, and such people deserve to suffer from the foolish policies they inflict on themselves and others.

That being said, if you want to read a more balanced, sane view of the Iron Lady, one can review the transcript between radio show host Hugh Hewitt and New York Times London Bureau Chief John F. Burns, a man with a centrist view of the world. He was not exactly a fan, but shows a fairness lost on the rabid dogs of the radical Left.

And why not? Though some will complain that these issues will not come up, who is there to insure this?

Renowned English actor Jeremy Irons raised questions regarding the ramifications of same-sex marriage in a HuffPost Live interview. Saying he didn’t have “a strong feeling either way,” Irons wondered if allowing same-sex marriage would open the door for a father to marry his son in order to transfer property without paying taxes.

“It seems to me that now we’re fighting for the name, and I worry that it means somehow we debase, or we change, what marriage is,” Irons said. “I just worry about that. I mean tax-wise it’s an interesting one, because, you see, could a father not marry his son?” When host Josh Zepps said incest laws would prevent such a relationship, Irons countered: “It’s not incest between men. Incest is there to protect us from inbreeding, but men don’t breed, so incest wouldn’t cover that. Now if that were so, then if I wanted to pass on my estate without death duties, I could marry my son, and pass on my estate to him.” Irons added that “lawyers are going to have a field day with same-sex marriage.”

Irons, who called himself “a complete libertarian,” also lashed out at New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s “nanny state” and bans on smoking and large sodas. “It’s an attitude where the governors think, ‘We know what’s best for people, and they’re so stupid they will only not do it if we ban it,’” he said.

It’s nice to see that Jeremy Irons is no fan of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, either. Sanity prevails.

More from National Review here. The video comes from The Huffington Post.

Bardawil: Obama has turned his back to all Arabs – Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades

2006 The Future Vision of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel-The Mossawa Center

North Korea targets U.S. bases; U.S. intel botching Asia?; Russia wants talks; Drone art; Prince Harry and more.

The Cruz Birthers – Eliana Johnson – National Review Online

Cyprus: Can It Happen Here? – Thomas Sowell – National Review Online

SDI at 30, Part II – Jay Nordlinger – National Review Online

Morning Brief: Syrian opposition takes seat at Arab League summit

Business Insider president: ‘We’re taking on the rest of the world’ – POLITICO.com

Daily Caller Fires Another Reporter – FishbowlDC

Iraq’s sectarian inheritance – By Fanar Haddad | The Middle East Channel

The opposition takes Syria’s seat at the Arab League summit – By Mary Casey and Jennifer Parker | The Middle East Channel

A Decade of Democratic Transition in Iraq – By Abbas Kadhim | The Middle East Channel

Dexter Filkins: Can Hezbollah Survive the Syrian Crisis? : The New Yorker

How Syria’s War Brought Down Lebanon’s Prime Minister : The New Yorker

Merry-go-round | Opinion , Editorial | THE DAILY STAR

The Washington Post has more on this headache-inducing news here.

HT: Kim Komando.

Hugo Chávez left far more than division in his country. He turned a prosperous oil company into a tool to make himself a billionaire, ruined a once-thriving economy, and made his nation an annoyance to the rest of the Hemisphere. Still, unbelievably, there are people who eulogize this clown of a man.

The New York Times analyzes the death of the tyrant here.

Today, May discusses the influence (really, a lack of) of Salam Fayyad. Fayyad is trying to become a peacemaker, a man both the Palestinian Authority and Israel can negotiate with. The chances of that happening are between slim and none, apparently. Still, if there is a sliver of hope for a sane, far less corrupt man to steer Palestine’s course into something less myopic, I’m all for it.

Read May’s article here, courtesy of Pundicity.

In this article, Pipes comments on the role of Islamism in today’s world. Pipes posits that this movement will die out shortly simply because it alienates those who want no part of it. May it be so, as the ones who suffer the most are not Americans, Europeans or Israelis. It is Muslims themselves who have to endure these monsters, and they will be the ones to decide to rid themselves on this tick on the body politik.