I'm hesitant to write this, but I think I need to. I completely agree with Koiulpoi and centracityguy. I thought the entire conversation was very benign, and I still have difficulty finding anything in the tone that was out of line. I was shocked when the conversation turned to threats of "banning". I have many years of experience, and probably much to add, but posts like this have turned me into a reader, and made me avoid contributing. It's not worth it. Nerves seem to be pretty raw on this site at times.
I understand that being a moderator on a fourm site like this is challenging. It requires patience and temperment. But the authors and moderators are the public face of the site. If there is any "allegiance" required to perform that function, I would hope that at least some of it should be to the users. Many of us are the people helping pay the bills.
Some of the people reading this site may be sources of valuable information. I would hate to see them turn mute because of fear of reprisal, or because they don't trust or respect the site enough to share.
Thanks for listening. Keep the good information coming.