I was afraid that this was going to happen. This will be the last comment on this thread, I am going to have to close it. This is not an effort to cover anything up, it's simply this: we do not engage in public trials in current or former members of this forum. In this case,
this protection is being extended to Marc. We respect him too much to run him down to explain our decision.
Here are the facts that I am willing to publicly disclose. Marc made a mistake on January 3rd. After moderator deliberation, Marc was placed on a 14-day suspension on January 6th; 13 moderators responded to the deliberation, and a majority recommended a permanent ban to Mike Holt. Mike and his staff reviewed the situation and confirmed the moderators' recommendation, which was executed on January 12th.
The conversation was extended, over 100 posts, and no issue bore less weight than Marc's exceptional experience and knowledge.
Everyone needs to remember that when something untoward transpires, if the moderators are swift in removing it then you will never see the activity that preceded our response. This is the case on many forums. As a necessary side-effect of maintaining order, the disorderly posts are moved out of sight of the general public, or soft deleted. As a result, moderators wind up hiding the impetus behind their actions from the membership.
This is Mike Holt's site, we are here at his pleasure. If at any point he decides to end our stay here, it is his prerogative, he pays the bills.
If anyone has anything further to say on the matter, feel free to PM me: but the decision (and the ban) is decided and permanent. If you perform a google search, you can find other places where Marc frequents, and can enjoy his fellowship there. Peter has already made the trip.