[VLM]

Basically, not being civilized. Animals DO belong in cages, for the sake of civilization. I'm talking about the weird, crazy harassment stories, assuming they're true of course.

It inhumane to punish even animals for ridiculous illogical stuff, like, say, accessing a public website. Here I'm talking about AT&Ts security epic fail where they had to blame someone for their mistake...

[yeahrightdbag]

Assuming you are from the United States, if we jailed people for being uncivilized we'd end up with at least another 60 million people in jail.

Regarding the harassment stories and Kathy Sierra, I think they took their trolling too far. I don't think they made specific direct threats on her life, but rather said things like "I wish XYZ happened to Kathy" and photoshopped up some tasteless images. I might be a bit hazy on it, since it was quite awhile ago.

I was a fan of Kathy's blogging, so I was bummed when she took her ball and went home. I still don't think they should have thrown the trolls in jail, unless they were making specific death threats towards her.

[saraid216]

"At some point at least one anonymous poster escalated the criticism and expressed their desire for Sierra's death, together with an image of her with a noose. The same poster had made violent sexual suggestions about her." -- http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Kathy_Sierra_incident

I remember seeing these images personally, but it's been a long time and I wasn't able to locate them again. Likelihood that any of these people would actually buy a plane ticket and pay her a visit? Pretty low. But is that a risk you really want to take, when you know they have your home address?

[VLM]

"I think they took their trolling too far"

There's no need for "on the internet" to be different than any other part of life.

Simply walk to your local newspaper office and give a journalist the same treatment and see what happens next.

Or give a librarian at a public library a hard time exactly the same way.

Or just some random woman on the street.

We have extensive case law for "disturbing the peace" and all that kind of stuff.

This is not all that unusual. You can read about this kind of behavior and its consequences in your local police blotter, probably available online for free.

[freshhawk]

"not being civilized"

Now we all hope that you never get anywhere near public office or the legal system.

Since arbitrary incarceration for being unpopular is just about the furthest thing from civilized I can think of, never mind calling them "animals", would you go to jail for making this statement or would that only happen if you actually implemented it?

[VLM]

LOL "arbitrary" we have an imperfect justice system to figure out if nooses and death threats are "disturbing the peace" enough to result in some criminal justice punishment.

LOL "unpopular". A short yet semi-accurate explanation of why civilized societies have a criminal justice system, is they've defined certain activities as uncivilized aka "unpopular" and want to suppress those activities. So, yeah, anyone not living in Somalia either agrees with, or consents to the idea of, people who do unpopular things should be punished. Its impossible to describe his behavior as civilized by any rational standard like "do onto others as you have them do onto you" or... well any standard I can think of. Even fairly savage backwards civilizations, like if she were a slave woman owned property of someone else, he would still at least be committing a property crime. Generally speaking you're probably doin' it wrong if appeal to an obsolete brutish standard is the best defense strategy...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting capital punishment or lock him up and throw away the key. He deserves about the same punishment for writing what he did, as a drunken moron who runs thru a public park screaming the same phrases would get... probably a night in the slammer to cool off and a municipal citation, although if he persists, like he did, involuntary mental commitment for evaluation/treatment seems the best outcome for all involved.

The ridiculous BS with AT+T is an injustice. Just because it happened to a guy who acted like a jerk and got away with it, doesn't mean the AT+T thing is OK or even remotely appropriate.

[freshhawk]

I should have been clearer I guess, I was only taking issue with your stance on the punishments for unpopular speech. I doubt we have a disagreement on wanting punishment for actual crime, just in regards to thought crime.