A Time To Be So Small

So many interesting things going on today. Christopher Reeves, aka Superman is dead at 52. Go here for the full story on that.

The latest polls show that Kerry has a 3 point lead over Dubya. Maybe all of the "anyone but Bush" activism is finally paying off? Or maybe the two debates so far have proven what an idiot Bush really is. Finally.

This next issue is something close to me. Back in 1999, Indy Media was created because the mainstream news outlets were failing to adequately cover the news during the World Trade Organization conference in Seattle. It's a network of collectively run media outlets for the creation of radical, passionate, and accurate tellings of the truth. Last Thursday, the FBI ordered the site's host, Rackspace to turn over one of the servers that hosts a large portion of the IndyMedia site. This server also happened to be the host for individual IndyMedia sites that span over 17 countries around the world. If you're not aware of the impact or reach of IndyMedia, they have nodes all over the globe. There isn't one for Detroit, but there is one for Michigan, and there's a site for Windsor as well. Apparently, a few months back, the FBI, acting on behalf of the Swiss government, requested that IndyMedia remove an article that discussed Swiss undercover police. I don't know whether or not they complied with the request, but I do know that the method of the request is the same method that was used last week. The request was executed through the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, which was established by the US to establish procedures for countries to assist each other in investigations such as international terrorism, kidnapping, and money laundering. Basically, it makes it easier for countries to stick their noses in other country's business. IndyMedia's host, Rackspace is not able to comment on why the server was seized. This is part of the MLAT. Go here for the full story. IndyMedia is the grassroots campaign that has organized and galvanized activists around the world to take action against a wide variety of issues including George W. Bush, Globalization, slave labor, child welfare, the elimination of overtime pay, the World Trade Organization, NAFTA, labor union issues, the International Monetary Fund, as well as hundreds of other issues and actions around the world that destroy us.