bkw said:

Under normal circumstances, that would be true. However, once the matter went up to Ben, it went out of my hands. At this point, I'd be stepping on Ben's toes if I took it upon myself to unban 2the9s.

Okay, the moment you've all been waiting for....

I just got off the phone with Ben, and he's decided upon a plan of action. Expect a statement from him soon.

matt said:

would it be possible for ben to start another thread for his offical statement. This thread is so damn long and i'm sure that whatever ben has to say will generate loads of responses. just a request. thank you.

OK guys, sorry I wasn't around to resolve this issue sooner, I've been really wrapped up in work and new daddyhood. Anyhow, here's the deal:

There is no place for this kind of thread, period. The issue that 2the9s got into hot water for involved just this, wanting to debate moderation issues in public. This is a private issue for the myself and the rest of the staff to deal with.

All the mods HAVE discussed this situation and I'll also discuss with 2the9s directly; I suspect the issue will be resolved shortly.

In light of all of the above, I'm locking this thread, which should have happened quite some time ago--my bad.