BT is the only forum I've spent enough time at to know any of the characters. But I have spent a little time on numerous others. BT is the only forum of it's magnitude that doesn't have consistant moderating to my eye. On the others that I'm familiar with, the moderator will alert the potential offender in public when she/he's about to cross the line. If they persist or have already crossed the line, then the post is deleted. Don't know what happens next, because I've never been there, just witnessed.
This gives the flammers a chance to make nice with each other before they get axed or in some cases to explain the post that may have been misconstrued by the moderator. A moderator that has no knowledge of the regular posters will have a hard time moderating fairly.