On this website, just like any other website I visit (no other cruising sites, I promise
), I acknowledge, upon entry, that this is a privately owned site, with owners who make up the rules and enforce the rules as they see fit. I may not necessarily agree with the rules, but I agree, absolutely, to abide by the rules as a condition of entry. This is not some nebulous democracy that is owned by it's users, and there is not "right to free speech" per se. If I was sufficiently unhappy about the rules and their application, I wouldn't visit.
But the fact remains that this is, without doubt, the best resource for cruisers anywhere on the web, bar none. Do not lose sight of that fact. Frankly, I think the mods here do a pretty damn good job (and I have been moderated a couple of times here and there, with accompanying PM). But even if I didn't think that they did a good job, I accept that they are doing their job as they have been instructed and as they see fit to interpret their instructions. If you don't like it, the metaphorical door is over there... But bear in mind that leaving will deprive you of a fantastic resource. Letting little things get to you is to lose the bigger picture (the bigger picture being that this is a great site full of wonderful people and excellent information and knowledge).
Fair winds to you all.