Just to be clear (and I welcome and appreciate the fullness of your comment, dcs) ... I'm not on a personal beef.
I indicated above that I have a stone or two left unturned on this thread ... haven't had the time to frame properly my comments and thoughts on the matter just yet, but I shall.
Part of what I will comment on overlaps with something you mentioned. In my mind/view, this thread has a natural conclusion and I hope to take it there. On another thread, I note there's a brewing mention of moderator discretion ... and well, I find all of this rather timely and intersected.
I've spent years on this forum and largely have been circumspect in my conduct here. It's going to be intriguing to see if this is the thread that breaks the camel's back or whether this is the thread that is scapegoated or whether there is a broader take-away from these 3 pages.
Let the thread mature organically brother. It might lead to a kind of Arab Spring.