I hate to suggest more policies, knowing that this is a site that prizes free speech. However, given the recent tone of many forum posts, and given that there could theoretically be legal liability on the site and on JMO if a litigious individual took umbrage, I wonder if it's not time for a policy on abusive language in the forums.

As an example, here's the comment policy the NYT uses in their comment sections:

"You shall not submit any libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive or otherwise illegal material. Please use respectful language that does not abuse or discriminate on the basis of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual preference, age, region, disability, etc. Hate speech of any kind is grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to all parts of this service.

Please refrain from posting plot spoilers about movies and theater shows. If you do post a spoiler, you must warn readers.

Any person involved in or affiliated with the production of a work reviewed on NYTimes.com may not submit a Readers' Review for that work or competing works."

Simple, reasonable, and enforceable. Obviously, not all portions apply to this sort of a site, but it might be a starting point. Again, my suggestion come primarily out of a desire for civil, helpful, or edifying conversation in the forums and secondarily out of concern that JMO could be held legally liable if anyone were to choose to take action. Some of the posts recently come close to the legal standard for criminal threatening. All it would take is one highly sensitive person with a decent lawyer to shut the site down for good.