Iowa Defeat, Failed Congress, And Some Fun Stuff

Hillary planning to lose?
Hillary Clinton is already trying to explain why she is likely to lose (or at least to fail to win) the Iowa Causus tonight.  Bill Clinton is saying she didn't even try that hard and doesn't need to win, while Hillary herself is saying it's because the Iowa Caucus is sexist.  Well, hold on...I thought she was the 'inevitable' Democrat candidate!  If you're 'inevitable', doesn't that mean you'll win no matter how hard you try...?

Lobbying reforms are worthless
Everyone knows it, and even the New York Times is reporting on it.  I've blogged about it several times over the last couple months, but here's another chance to drive the point home.  The new ethics 'reform' bill -- the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 -- that Congress passed earlier this year with much collective back-slapping and self-congratulation has amounted to nothing more than an empty gesture.  One example is that the new law does not permit big parties at the RNC/DNC conventions in honor of certain political figures.  So, at the 2008 conventions, the parties will still be held and all the same political figures will still be invited...but no 'honorees' will be announced.  Another example is the provision that lawmakers are required to disclose the names of their campaign 'bundlers' -- think Hillary Clinton's Norman Hsu scandal -- has been indefinitely suspended.  Just another example of how Congress screws the American public, telling us one thing and actually doing something completely different.  In this particular round, it was the Democrats leading the charge, although most Republicans were right behind them.  Shameful, for both parties.

Netflix plans to lose those fun red envelopes
Netflix has announced plans for future delivery of their movie content via the Internet to its customers' televisions.  This would enable Netflix to ditch its tedious and manual process of using physical media in favor of fast, efficient, digital delivery.  Others playing with this idea include Amazon.com (partnering with TiVo), Walmart (partnering with HP) and Apple (iTunes), but no one has really made it fly yet.  It's only a matter of time until someone finds the right idea here.  Personally, I love Netflix, so it'll be good to see if it can pull off the win.

Concealed carry? Oh, yeah!
51-year old Charlie Merrell stopped a robbery in progress at a local grocery store, holding the would-be thief at bay until the police arrived.  How did he do it?  He was carrying a gun (legally).  Get this: "While the suspect was demanding cash from the workers, the police report states that Merrell pulled his own handgun, pointed it at the robber and ordered him to put down his weapon.When the suspect hesitated, Merrell racked the slide on his gun to load a round in the chamber."  Apparently, that was too much for the thief, and he gave up at that point.  I love it!  Seriously, though, this is yet another illustration that the populace is actually safer if it is legal to carry firearms.

There's my two cents.