OT
Especially with all the personal attacks that ran several off
I would think the reason for having a moderator.. is much like the reason for having a sheriff.. to uphold the rules set by the community and administration...
often a simple warning will suffice when an incident happens... and the "offender" will either get the hint, or move on...
the fact that anyone is scared to come to the site, or been run off would be a great concern to me if I was a moderator..
effective action might send a chill down an offenders back,.. but be a cooling comfort for those who are getting heat for having a dissenting voice..
since I believe in personnel responsibility.. I try to make sure my posts are not vulgar, oppressive nor threatening.. but some can't seem to do so.. and they should at least have had a warning.. if not a small time off the board,, . or maybe a swift exit and a long vacation
as for deleting the offending post.. it cuts both ways..but when the post is removed, then so is the bad "example".. sometimes the post says more when it is left as an example and the warning is made public...