Well, whether I agree or disagree is irrelevant. I am (and have been) a member on numerous online forums, and I am (and also have been) a moderator on other forums as well... The one rule I have learned (sometimes the hard way) is that: it's not your website. You are a guest and invited to converse because and ONLY because the site creator(s) see fit for you to do so.

Most forums are not democracies, nor do they pretend to be. Some mods tend to be heavy-handed, others not. I can tell you that on one very popular forum, the moderators' heavy-handedness resulted in some major splits and people going off to start their own forums. I hope that doesn't happen here -- and from what I can see, there's no reason why it should. Here, the mods for the most part, participate actively and positively in forum life and discussions and don't use their "powers" unless it is necessary. I also don't always agree with moderation decisions, but I value the camaraderie far more than any temporary ire I might feel at any given moment.

I apologize if this comes across as unsympathetic, but we DO need to remember that we are guests, subject to the rules that have been created by those who started this place, and decisions were never intended to be democratic. You can't really miss something you never had, IMO.

I'm sorry this issue caused you to get upset -- really I am... But hopefully by having mods that are a bit more on the strict side rather than being too lax, the forum will continue to grow and gain popularity with rabble from all walks of life.