They got deleted because of spammy stuff and got caught. Matt Cutts pretty much outed them...
Peoplescube was using hidden text and hidden links.
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/seo-advice-check-your-own-site/
I've met Matt several times and he is a great guy.
Well, there you go. Half of Freeper Nation is going off half-cocked again.
Although it is true the Big Cheeses at Google are a bunch of Bay Area Enviro-Lefties. Or at least were big Kerry supporters. A good friend of mine barrowed a car belonging to the brother of Google's founder. That's right, a Prius with a Kerry for President sticker.