Even if locking threads is cowardly, since when is there a policy of making hard rules against things that are cowardly? Why not just use the current system of callouts?
This is an excellent point.
My answer is "I didn't think of that. I just reacted on the spot"
The slightly longer answer is that there aren't any hard rules. This was a case of me being annoyed by a completely pointlessly locked thread and reacting. In retrospect, a callout might have been better. Maybe. Can't decide.
This is sort of better because it brought out the discussion in the open and that's important.
We have a culture that is largely about censoring as little as possible and moderating nothing unless we have to (or, in a few cases, using word filters and the like but that's just because admins are evil). The board, I believe (but check with McJ), was started not as a freedom-of-speech board but a place for spazzes to learn how to stand their ground and fight back, and if anything, this is a case illustrating that, being responsible for your words and your actions.
It is also about freedom of speech and where to draw the line, so IMO it's a good thing that this discussion happened.
That is to say, I don't have a clear-cut opinion but I like the discussion.