The difference is, he didn't go to other sites and badmouth FR. He probably just quietly lobbied, apologized to Jim, maybe even got a letter of recommendation from another poster.
Look, I understand pride, and you guys seem like proud men. And when you say "Come to think of it, my banishment is torturous, was carried out by a secret squad, and involved a quick, unappealable judgement" I fully understand your point, but just don't agree that it's so harsh or so mysterious. I've never been banned (I have been warned, though) and I have not hit the abuse button, but crap happens. Sometimes you say the wrong things, and sometimes they are read on the wrong day. The difference is how you handle it from that point on. The fact that A+Bert got so many chances to come back only proves that it's not insufferable, and it's not necessarily permanent. You folks should be commended for not taking up new screen names and defending your beliefs and your principles, but as I am sure you know, there is sometimes a price to pay for that.
So that post does indeed speak for itself... but it probably speaks different things to me than to you. To me it basically says that you did not get enough cheese with your whine. You handled the situation poorly from the get go and can't see it. I wish the site could be more free, and tolerate internal dissent better (just ignore it) but it's not my call to make. At this point it seems like you know what to expect, and you have to make up your minds whether you will take it or leave it.
You'll find him posting at FRU Reunion (http://www.delphi.com/Reunionx1) and/or Original Dissent (http://www.originaldissent.com).
ROFLMAO!!! Good one!