Wowza. I wondered why no one had responded for so long... it was because you were taking so much time typing all that up.
I won't hit every point, but there are a few things I want to address/clarify. Know that just because I didn't address every point you made, I did read them and take them to heart.
I know back with the S-U-P-E-R ban, there was frustration then because when people started asking for clarification, none was given. Things got testy when I tried to pursue it with Insano threatening me with a ban for bringing it up a lot in the funhouse. The only answer we got was that it kept getting extended but no reason given. If a reason can't be given to do that, then how is that fair or appropriate action from the moderation staff?
To clarify, unless I'm remembering incorrectly, Super's ban was extended a singular time. This was after he created not one, but two different accounts to circumvent his ban. I think most folks would agree that this was a reasonable reason to extend his ban.
As for not telling random folks who asked about it - as I said here, I've always felt that a moderation was between the individual and the moderator that took the action, unless the individual choose to contest it. See, this is the perfect case as to why I don't like to comment on an action that another mod takes - I didn't know why his ban was extended, so I simply couldn't comment on it - but once I looked into it and got an answer, then I completely agree with that decision - and without having the facts beforehand, I could have ended up with a foot-in-mouth thing going on.
Likewise, there is now frustration on the status of the mafia forum and if we can use it again.
Again, not my place to comment on it, since I have no power or authority to add mods, but I think we can all pretty much agree that the actions that lead to your temp ban and removal from moderation status were not kosher.
Now, because of that (again, I assume), not only are those in power reluctant to re-modify you, but they're reluctant to give mod powers out to just about anyone (and with the uptick in spam of late, it'd be handy to have another person on here, but I haven't really asked or anything). And, in my opinion, this is completely understandable.
In my honest opinion (since this is a "Real Talk" thread), it's made worse by the fact that you seem pretty unrepentant for the actions you took - and every time you make a post taking jabs about your lack of mod status, it shows. Remember, you not only participated, but pretty much organized a fairly disruptive forum event the week of E3 - a time that is historically the busiest time of the forum. I think it takes some time for those wounds to heal and every time you make another post taking jabs at it, you're ripping those scabs right off. HOWEVER - that's just how I'm viewing that, as an outsider, who has no control or say regarding if you ever get the mod status back over any aspect of the forum.
Take changing Oblivion's name to Oblivious. [...]
On this - It was amusing to me that Oblivion had brought it up previously when another poster kept taking jabs at him by changing his name. Therefore, when he did it to me in three different posts, I did the same to him. Immature? Sure. Another option is that he could have been warned/banned - but I felt that would be too extreme. I knew he was just making jokes with "UncleBoob", so I thought I'd have one back at him. I did not realize that he'd be so crazy upset about it. As soon as he did, the name was changed back. Total amount of time the name was changed for? Less than a singular day. Meanwhile, has he made any attempt to go in and fix any one of the three posts he did the same thing in? Nada.
Tied into this, I'd like to point out the efforts I've gone in creating the "Title Wipe" thread, where users can get their titles cleared out - and that I haven't gone in and changed any titles (except for title wipes) without direct and express authorization from the individuals involved, and typically then, I still don't do it.
[skipping ahead in your post here a second...]
For instance, when Oblivion's name was changed to Oblivious, it was cited because he had changed Unclebob's name in his posts. Unclebob then mentioned that it was a funhouse thing and not to be taken seriously.
This is wholly incorrect and is based off of an incorrect reading of the post where I "mentioned" it.
Timeline replay:
Someone made a typo-o in their post outside the Funhouse.
They made a crack that they thought a moderator did it.
It was clarified that no, in fact, it had always been that way.
Oblivion made yet another snippy remark about how horrible we moderators are, changing posts and thread titles, that it was an understandable conclusion.
I then made a Funhouse topic where I clarified that no, we really don't do this outside of the Funhouse.
I never claimed that his temporary name change was Funhouse-only and I refuted that claim the first time it came up.
Would the moderation team then be willing to change their judgment or would they fear that this would lead to more people questioning or arguing their decisions every time they did something thereby meaning they would still enforce their actions no matter what?
Again, I cannot speak for any other moderators, but you bring up an interesting point. I did give one member of this forum a warning and, when that member contacted me and clarified, I quickly removed the warning and apologized. I'd be interested in seeing if that member would like to come forth and say anything about that.
In a couple of other cases, I've given warnings (and one ban) and have had members dispute them. In cases where I feel that the punishment is adequate, I reffer them to another moderator to plead their case - and will always be okay with what any other moderator decides (since I'm the total low man on the totem pole 'round these parts).
My involvement in that scheme was to add the words Free Super into legitimate threads I had created and were in use at the time.
Point of clarification here, your involvement also involved using your moderator powers to change many, many unrelated threads in the Mafia forum as well.
My actions may have spilled out from the funhouse but they didn't affect people's usernames, weren't insults, and didn't do anything to alter the words that someone might use in a post creating confusion for other users reading them.
....the week of E3.