Wasn't "Dane" a member of that class? When you look at certain members of the original line up, you've got to wonder how they lasted so long.
I think you answered your own question: because he was a member of the class of '98. What I've noticed (unless the behavior is really over-the-top) is that long-time FReepers get timeouts instead of bannings. From his final postings, I'm not sure why Dane got the axe.
Things have tightened up since the early days. There is little mercy shown to FReepers with bad attitudes/behavior with less than 4 years of tenure.