Though I applaud you for coming out and saying this, and taking the time to write a decently long piece on the subject, I have to disagree with you. Moderators are selected because they are experienced and know (to a certain degree) what is best for the community, but that does not include locking threads without giving a reason. At times, threads must be locked, yes. They may devolve into flame wars, be full of hatred, swearing, or other violations of the rules. That is not a point that I disagree with. But if a thread is to be locked, you MUST have a reason to lock it. You can't just lock a thread for the reason that, "We know how this thread will turn out". If you ever come to the point where you are locking a thread, you must have a reason that can be written down and explained to the members who were participating in the thread, and anyone who might read it. You must answer the questions raised instead of ignoring it. If you lock threads without leaving a response, you are not decreasing drama, but rather increasing it, strengthening the community's opinion that the staff censors information. If an issue is large enough for a thread to be written about it, it deserves a response, not a lock or deletion with no reply to the problem at hand.