That query configuration in SpamAssassin was incorrect, and has been fixed in 2.60. While I apologize that it caused you an inconvenience, it was in fact set up like that without our knowledge. It was querying the HIL even if there were no Habeas headers present in the inbound email in question, so it was querying the HIL for every single piece of email going through SA.
In other words, the HIL is designed to only counteract the Mark, and not operate as a bl(a|o)cklist. I've seen a lot of confusion concerning people's perceptions on that (read the iCop interview. haha).
<cough> Correct, although if people choose to use it as a blocklist, that is their business. But the only IP addresses on there are those for which we have in hand email infringing our mark, and we remove the listing as soon at the infringement stops. Anne