I've never met Kathy Sierra. I don't subscribe to her blog. But I am utterly, utterly appalled to hear that she was subjected to death threats and, while those who threatened her are below contempt, nor should there by the tiniest portion of toleration for those who attempt to make light of such things. No. Wrong. That the Internet provides an amplification to the voice of the disenfranchised and the unhappy, to the untrained and the counter-cultural, is commendable, but in no way, in no way, does this excuse anyone, anyone from the power of the written word or from the affect of the public voice. That the Internet already plays host to hate, to misogyny, to racism, to all that shit -- in no way do those facts mitigate the responsibility of those who write.
Apparently, it is known who is most likely responsible for the threats. I hope they're prosecuted and I hope they go to jail.