OK, here's my take on banning/suspension/etc:

The basic premise to xxxpt is that it is a forum where you can vent your spleen without getting instantly banned by a moderator. The important thing is that the same goes for everyone else; they get to do the same, even if it isn't what you want to hear.

Where someone like frankie gets in trouble is “spam”: he pops up in so many random threads with inane comments that other people can't post their stuff. This is the important point: it's not what he says that gets a suspension, but rather that he's making it hard for others to speak their mind.

drpornz is a slightly different case: he didn't derail threads but instead started so many, none of interest to anyone, that it was a nuisance to wade through them all. Other people's posts could be lost in the blizzard.

There are other things that can get a ban: kiddie stuff, stalking, theft, harmful pranks (last summer's pranks against Jeff and Chico) but most of those are fairly easy to understand.

Incidentally keep in mind that “free speech” means that while you get to sound off, everyone else can too. You don't get to profess you love for Pamela Peaks without hearing about it...