Iran bans GMail

It appears that the Iranian regime has not learned the lesson of the election debacle - that the internet can not be easily controlled. In an attempt to suppress protests around the Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, they are banning GMail from the country in favor of a "national e-mail service". The ban is supposedly permanent.

Of course, this may simply drive users to other free (both as in no-cost, and as in freedom) e-mail services like Hotmail, Yahoo, AIM Mail, GMX Mail, Inbox.Com, Fastmail, Lavabit, MySpace, and more. This is clearly an attempt to stop an avalanche with a stop sign.

Congress: "You take care of it, I'm going home."

You've gotta love it. This Congress has been attacking GWB right and left for "excesses of Executive power", where the President or an agency under his authority goes and takes on responsibilities duly delegated to Congress. So, what does Congress do when the Economy is in a tailspin, banks are failing left and right, and the people demand action? They go home and tell the Executive branch to deal with it. Ah, the irony. Is anyone surprised anymore that this is the Congress with the lowest approval rating in history? I wonder if the Democratic Party will be shocked to see a mass turnout of incumbents come November. A Democratic presidency and a Republican congress would be a logical reaction to the current situation.