'Everyone else is doing it' does not make a valid argument. Not here, not anywhere.

There are lots of activities people are engaged in which are neither ethical, nor legal in many cases, for example drug pushing or gun running. Okay, maybe these extreme examples are in the minority, but using the excuse that someone else does it is inherently dangerous.

There is nothing sinister about protecting the identities of moderators, particularly as it is obvious that many of the people who want to know who they are seem to have some sort of agenda.

Max, Jeff and Joe are NOT anonymous - you can easily address complaints directly to them (instead of cluttering up threads), as they are ultimately responsible for anything a moderator does. If a moderator is acting inappropriately, I feel confident the appropriate action will be taken.

Consider the obvious:

Max set up Mudcat, and he is at liberty to run it (or close it) as he sees fit. If people don't like the way he runs it, then they should not use it.

Seems simple to me.