[dory36]

Thanks Twaddle -- I misunderstood.

On your other points... I can't speak for how individuals use things like "ignore list" as substitutes for other insults. People will behave the way they will. But FWIW, although I have been in mostly an observer role for the past few months, the folks you refer to being banned or run off were discussed almost ad nauseum by the moderators before the moderators did anything at all, and were then sent numerous PMs, put into a mode where their posts were reviewed before they were public, and given "time outs". Those who were banned seemed to be immune to all of those remedies.

While most of the volunteer/draftee moderators have been quick to jump on the occasional obvious spammer, they have been pretty consistently reluctant to tread on people's ability to make opinionated, controversial, foolish, wrong, or stupid posts.

Controvery is fine. Debate is fine. Alternate opinions are fine. The tipping point has usually been whether the posts are disruptive, and likely to drive away new visitors interested in learning about early retirement issues.

"Regulars" occasionally cross the line. I've never seen a case where they failed to calm down when privately asked to take it easy.

The ones that seem to go away, with or without volunteer moderator help, never seem to calm down when asked to.