later. I think this would help for several reasons:

1. It helps posters not develop grudges against certain mods.

2. It helps mods not develop complexes.

3. It helps more CBers experience the challenges and benefits of being mods.

4. It brings new perspective to both the board and its users, hopefully reducing an "us vs them" mentality.

5. Bernard would no longer be a mod.

6. TNT could finally be a mod.

I still feel like moderation is too heavy-handed on the board. For example, I've been banned from changing my username for several years, and have one year left in my "sentence." I appealed an entertaining and yet also straightforward appeal about why the ban should be lifted, but it was never taken seriously. Why should anyone have to be given a multi-year ban for anything, and be rejected after a sincere request and apology? This isn't court or a legal system, it's a chat forum. Which is why I suggest we should basically do away with bans and punishments altogether except for stuff that's actually quite serious, which I interpret as stuff that rarely happens.

I do appreciate you being somewhat open minded about the suggestions. I understand the community you're trying to foster here, and I think by and large everyone appreciates it. But I think a large number of people feel that while the mods do a good job, we sometimes butt heads and are not given the benefit of the doubt when we try to plead our case. And, truthfully, the voting system where we sit in judgment awaiting a verdict with the polls is both maddening and belittling to people who generally are adults and act such.