"Doug's response is rooted in a mental block...Such mental blocks, imho, really dumb down discussion. A fair moderator might try to elevate the level of discussion rather than lower it himself."
These are quite harsh exchanges (on both sides). But it seems to me that Doug's comment was contribution not moderation. As contributor to the list, Doug has just the same responsibilities as everyone else. You might not like his comment, but that's debate.
I find your contribution (http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/pipermail/lbo-talk/Week-of-Mon-20070723/013898.html) a little confusing. You reproduce the article by Azmi Bishara, but it is by no means apparent from the post what you thought of it. Did you post it to expose Bishara to ridicule, or to endorse his comments (both possibilities seem within the bounds of reason)?
It seems to me that there is a responsibility on posters quoting other articles at least to indicate what they think of what they are quoting, otherwise the list would reduce to a newsservice.