Margaret Thatcher and misapplied death etiquette  —  The dictate that one ‘not speak ill of the dead’ is (at best) appropriate for private individuals, not influential public figures  —  News of Margaret Thatcher's death this morning instantly and predictably gave rise to righteous sermons on the evils of speaking ill of her.

Reid Threatens Filibuster Reform With Nuclear Option  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) threatened in his most explicit terms yet to use the so-called nuclear option to weaken the filibuster if Republicans keep blocking judicial and other nominees from coming to a vote.

Sen. Tim Johnson Endorses Gay Marriage  —  Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), one of the last remaining Democratic holdouts to oppose same-sex marriage, announced Monday that he now supports gay nuptials.  —  “After lengthy consideration, my views have evolved sufficiently to support marriage equality legislation,” Johnson said in a statement.

Bobby Jindal's Political Collapse Is Dangerous News For The National GOP  —  Sure the GOP may need a little outreach here and a little fine tuning there, but Republicans in Washington say they're confident that a principled message of low taxes and cuts to social services will eventually propel them back to victory.

A Republican website without “Republicans”  —  The buzzy new website from House Republicans doesn't mention its party affiliation.  The brand has seen better days  —  The new website for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of House Republicans …

Annette Funicello, Mouseketeer and Beach Movie Actress, Dies at 70  —  Annette Funicello, who won America's heart as a 12-year-old in Mickey Mouse ears, captivated adolescent baby boomers in slightly spicy beach movies and later championed people with multiple sclerosis, a disease from which she suffered …

Jindal gives up on tax swap plan in speech to lawmakers, calls on Legislature for alternative plan to eliminate income tax  —  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal speaks at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Friday, March 15, 2013.

Does BuzzFeed Know the Secret?  —  Jonah Peretti's viral-content machine purports to have solved the problems of both journalism and advertising at once, all with the help of a simple algorithm.  —  Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the website BuzzFeed—though this is increasingly unlikely, as it's currently enjoying a viral moment.

COMMUNISM SURVIVOR BLASTS SALEM GUN GRABBERS: “YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT FREEDOM IS!”  —  “You don't know what freedom is because you never lost it!”  With a pointed finger Manuel Martinez called out Anti-Gun Committee Leader Floyd Prozansky during heated testimony on Friday.  You can bet Prozansky got the message.

Republican Congressman's Gay Son Says CNN, MSNBC Cancelled Interviews When He Wouldn't Bash His Father  —  The networks dispute Matt R. Salmon's story.  Via KPNX  —  View Video ›  —  Image by  —  Rep. Matt Salmon's (R-Ariz.) gay son told local news channel KPNX Sunday that CNN …

Rand Paul's Same-Sex Marriage Plan: Continue The Debate ‘For Another Couple Of Decades’  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) opposes same-sex marriage, but his tactics for doing so are unique.  For example, last month he offered a completely unfeasible suggestion to simply erase any mention of marriage …

Crabs, supersized by carbon pollution, may upset Chesapeake's balance  —  It is the dawn of the super crab.  —  Crabs are bulking up on carbon pollution that pours out of power plants, factories and vehicles and settles in the oceans, turning the tough crustaceans into even more fearsome predators.

A Futile Protest  —  Femen is a feminist group that began in Ukraine but seems to have spread to other European countries.  It is known for staging topless protests, and is distinguished from some others of this ilk by the fact that many of its members are quite fetching.

Workers Stuck in Disability Stunt Economic Recovery  —  Former truck driver James Ottesen, of Mason, Ohio, said being on disability “kind of reminds me of welfare.'  —  The unexpectedly large number of American workers who piled into the Social Security Administration's disability program during …

A lot can change before Election Day 2014, when 36 states will hold elections for governor.  But at this early stage — when decisions on whether to run or retire are considered and made — 10 of the 32 governors who are eligible to run for re-election have net negative approval ratings in their states.

We need an IQ test for politicians  —  While politicians talk about expanding background checks for gun owners, I'm starting to think that what we really need are IQ tests for political officeholders.  The only problem is, that might leave us with a lot of vacancies in Congress and America's statehouses.