Well, the Mudcat censors are busy censoring my posts, so I don't know how long this will last in the thread Jon. But this excerpt sums up my feelings about the ways things are rapidly going downhill, especially since Max's letter. Max is becoming more and more intolerant. He has certainly been verbally abusive. And more than a bit irrational. Anyway, here are the excerpts germane to the problems here, IMO:

The best boards are good because they remain on-topic and the communications between individuals is civil and useful. A good moderator works to ensure that this remains true so that everyone can benefit from the community as well as contribute to the discussions in an intelligent manner.

The best moderators work with the board members to create an environment which is enjoyable and beneficial to all. A bad moderator can produce the feeling that one is being watched by the Gestapo or secret police, where every word is watched and postings are often deleted without apparent cause or need.

Members of the board need to feel that their comments are desired and valued. Randomly deleting large numbers of postings for no apparent reason other than the moderator disagrees will certainly cause a board to become useless and empty of life. In fact, one of the things that can make a board truly outstanding is lively (not insulting or demeaning but lively) discussions about various topics.