I interpret Swordmaker's admonitions as requests for common courtesy and mutual respect. They're not rules, the way a caucus would have.
A caucus says (sort of): "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Disagree, yes; argue, no. (That's how I interpret the rules, YMMV.)
The tech threads are still a good place to have an argument, if it's on-topic and not personal. To quote Monty Python:
"An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition."Whereas a verbal food fight is something else entirely.
No need for a caucus, since a good argument can be fun and enlightening, as long as we all manage to conduct ourselves as civilized adults.
it was tongue in cheek as his list of requirements implied somehow this topic is any different from any other threads on FR.