So basically, if you had moderator powers, TLI...you'd do absolutely nothing and let the bickering, flaming, insulting, non-sensual spam and idiocy carry on?
I'm glad you're not a mod. Moderators know their purpose and they use it well. If a thread had served it's purpose i.e. question answered, then it's locked. If it's degraded into senseless shot firing, it gets locked. In flood, rules still apply. Trial by forum is boring and such arguments can be saved for Skype chats.