murderous rage

as I read about the silencing of Kathy Sierra, leading tech blogger, through blatantly sexist and graphically violent threats and intimidation.

From The Washington Post:

"The sad thing is, I've had thousands of messages from women saying, 'You
were a role model for me,' " Sierra said in an interview, describing
communications she received after suspending her blog. Sierra was the first
woman to deliver a keynote speech at a conference on the Linux operating
system. Her blog was No. 23 in the Technorati.com Top 100 list of blogs,
measured by the number of blogs that linked to her site.

Her Web site, Creating Passionate Users, was about "the most fluffy and nice
things," she said. Sierra occasionally got the random "comment troll," she
said, but a little over a month ago, the posts became more threatening.
Someone typed a comment on her blog about slitting her throat and
ejaculating. The noose photo appeared next, on a site that sprang up to
harass her. On the site, someone contributed this comment: "the only thing
Kathy has to offer me is that noose in her neck size."

On yet another Web site came the muzzle photo, which struck her as if she
were being smothered. "I dream of Kathy Sierra," read the caption.

"That's when I got pushed over the edge," she said.

In what she intended to be her final blog post last month, she wrote:

"I have cancelled all speaking engagements.

"I am afraid to leave my yard.

"I will never feel the same. I will never be the same."

* * * *

If someone posted on the internet threatening similar action against Bush, Cheney, any man in public office, it would be a terrorist threat. There's no question that the police - if not a SWAT team - would be on their doorstep, charging them with intent to commit a violent crime.

When it happens to a woman - a writer - it's a joke.