I'm sorry I am unable to be around very much these days but I do check in regularly. A couple of points if I may:
1. Thank you for the appreciation in regard to how difficult it is to admin/moderate a forum. Generally you want it to be lively, varied and with regular differences of opinion. A forum where everyone agrees is not likely to last for too long. In pursuit of this, we try to follow a narrow path down the middle. On the left are the accusations of anarchy, no moderation and no protection for members. On the right side people who claim that if your opinion is different to the thoughts of those who run the site then you are not welcome or even banned. Neither side is ultimately true, nor desirable.
2. People who disagree should try to remember that the other person is a human, not a nickname - and keep things respectful.
3. If a member repeatedly snipes at a specific member it is likely we will have to let them go.
4. Our ban rate over 14 years is sensationally low. We are excruciatingly tolerant as forums go but need members to be tolerant too.
5. God knows what our new member makes of this topic - asking for help with a local problem and seeing it go to 7 pages of bickering.
6. Let's draw a line under it and have a virtual group hug.
7. Please.