We don't ask JoeClones to consult with Joe/Jeff/Max before deleting obviously problematic things like Spam, Hate messages, racism, and personal attacks. That just wouldn't make sense. If it's obviously a serious problem, we ask that they delete it right away, and then consult with Joe/Jeff/Max for approval of the decision. If the decision is not approved, the message/thread is undeleted. Messages are not deleted to punish anybody - they're deleted to stop a problem before it gets out of hand, which is why immediate action is required.

The anonymous volunteer who deleted the item in question should not have posted a message to defend his action. His error was in attempting to explain the decision, not in posting anonymously. If any explanation is needed, it should be done by Max, Jeff, or Joe. They're the ones who approve editorial decisions.

And as I've said over and over again, such deletions are quite rare. I gave a detailed analysis in the Help Forum a couple of weeks ago. Of course, Martin got two or three personal attack messages deleted from this very thread - but ordinarily we don't have to edit quite so heavily.

-Joe Offer-