I don't think it is too harsh at all to remove insults, false accusations, words being put in mouths, and unnecessary snide comments. It's very difficult to moderate a debate form, because people do express themselves to the opposition with exactly what they think and a certain amount of freedom of speech should be allowed, but should also not be abused by the members for unnecessary nastiness.
Yes, abuse is what I ban for. Just because you can do it does not mean that someone should do it. So members here think that I would only mod and ban evolutionists. Not true.
At the other forum I run, we have banned a few Creationists who decided to abuse a evolutionist. We usually warn, but if the abuse from either side is bad enough, we just ban them. I even blocked a creationist on one of my videos on youtube the other day. He verbally abused a evolutionists, and it was bad enough. So I deleted what he said and blocked him. I'd do the same here.
I mod people by their actions, not by what they believe. If someone cusses, whole post will get deleted and they may get suspended from posting for a week or two. If the whole post was nothing but cussing, they get banned. Someone makes threats, they get banned. Forum stalking I ban. Threats, or bad messages in the PM I ban. There are some things you mod (delete, suspend, warn), and some things you ban (not worth even dealing with because it goes over a line).
So it's a fine line in allowing certain things to get across, but making sure it's to do with truth and what the topic is about also. Sometimes descriptions of people here in their behaviour can be accurate and necessary if that person thinks they are fooling everybody by veiled arrogance/insults themselves. But from there, it's really up to the moderator to say "enough, let's get back to the topic", or if someone has a posting history of non contribution to the forum, apart from causing or flaring up arguments/flaming/sarcasm, then they probably should be watched for more of the same and if it continues regardless of warning, then obviously banning that person maybe necessary.
I look at action and reaction. If a person makes a comment that is not a real bad insult, and the person responding did not react. And no body complained. And if it did not throw subject off track. I will let it stay.
But if a comment is made that gets a reaction that is bad, then it get deleted. People make bad comments for 3 reasons.
1) In the heat of a debate. Not to harm, but an expression of their current attitude.
2) To get the upper hand when they are losing the debate.
3) To insult on purpose, to make mad on purpose.
