No definitely not the worst jpanhalt, the idea just came to me with the last post I will make in that thread (I'll take any other to private message)
That thread however would have been cut off at an appropriate time.
Basically what I think would be good is that from the point of the original posters last post that EVERY post made between that and their next post should occur within a single page of posts, the exact number would have to be tweaked, but I'd think 10 posts is more than generous, maybe as low as 7 before auto-lock, and an auto-unlock after 2-3 days, or the original posters reply. That will give the hotheads time to cool off and refocus their thoughts.
The bulk majority of the posts in these types of threads occur in very rapid succession, often with 3 people involved in contra-topic webs where each of the three people is having a different arguement with each of the other two, and they cascade out of the possibility of sanely being read after a single page's worth of posts, generally speaking with random interjections by other parties which although pertinent do nothing but inflame the triangle.
Believe me I've seen enough of these threads in my time online, been a major player in a few of them as well and I think it's less an issue of individual culpability but of the lack of some way to more properly structure the threads here without excessive moderator time required to do it.