I really think we would not be seeing these threads predictably shoot off into 50-100+ page dumpster fires again and again and again if the mods were more sincere in their dedication to civility rather than feeling entitled to selectively indulge in petty online drama. And there's an obvious difference between having an opinion and lobbing an insult. There is also a trollish passive-aggressive streak at play. For instance, Locutus' avatar image seems intended to troll Trek purists. I've seen him use that avatar in its larger form to deliberately mock them. You can't whack a hornet's nest with a baseball bat one moment and then put the referree hat on and expect them to not try to turn around and sting.
IMHO, if a mod is playing "off-duty police officer" they should be smacked down by the on-duty police officers when they start swinging below the belt. I see no evidence of this. I'm not even sure there's a mechanism for mods to issue warnings or ban other mods. Also, mods can't be put on ignore, so there's no getting around that being a mod offers the perks of immunity and a bully-pulpit, both of which may be the reason why some choose to volunteer in the first place.
I'm not going to belabor the point but this is my collective observation after having been here for many years. I know damn well questioning things like this risks being given a warning but like I said, if there's any interest in preventing flamewars (which is what mods are supposed to do) then it would pay to listen to some feedback.
