If I had actually wanted to prevent discussion of a subject matter, due purely to the subject matter do you honestly think I would have let it go on for 9 months and over 3,600 posts? And why would I leave those 3,600 posts sitting around after the fact?

If people had listened to the numerous warnings given over that 9 month period and acted like mature adults, discussing the matter with both level heads and respect to their fellow posters, the thread[s] would still be open. However any thread regarding that subject matter attracted the same posters with the same heated arguments.

I had a choice between the outright banning of a number of members, or simply closing discussion of a topic that had had nothing useful posted to it for some months.