scary stuff from the obama admin with regard to indymedia (to which i've just added a permanent link, at left). apparently the justice department wanted, and demanded by subpoena, a list of all their visitors, backing it up with various threats, etc. oddly (since indymedia is far left), i caught this story on glenn beck (being guesthosted by "judge napolitano"), but i guess it's useful as a stick to whap the democratic administration. well, sometimes a thorough whapping is called for.

just to repeat: really both parties are more-or-less avowed opponents of freedom in any comprehensible form, and they are complementary in that the one wants to increase state power by expanding half the government and the other the other half, while they actually agree on many particular abrogations of autonomy, such as those embodied in standardizing and federalizing education, or in surveillance powers.

According to the EFF, Indymedia received a request (PDF) in January for the IP addresses of everyone who visited the Indymedia site on June 25, 2008. But the request went further than simply asking for the computer addresses of visitors -- the subpoena ordered Indymedia to turn over all identifying information it may have about visitors, including their addresses, email addresses, bank account numbers and social security numbers.

EFF reports that, when they challenged the subpoena, the Justice Department backed down, and responded with a one-sentence letter (PDF) that rescinded the subpoena. But at the same time, Justice Department officials threatened an Indymedia web administrator with charges of obstruction of justice if she revealed the subpoena's existence. Officials told the administrator, Kristina Clair of Philadelphia, that publicizing the request "may endanger someone's health" and would have a "human cost."