Password protected side bar?

No, and im not sure youve thought that idea through completely, since youre going to have to provide alternate content that ‘simulates’ what your sidebar looks like once a password has been successfully submitted.

Without that, your page will look like crap.

You’re robably right. My – clearly flawed – thought process was that if the sidebar and main content areas were inside div’s in a two column scheme that the layout would remain stable whether or not the sidebar was in it.