Archfeld's Journal: Time out for exxcessive MODS ?!?!

Got to say I am dissapointed, I've been here at /. for a long time, posting as both a reg'd user, and as AC depending on at home vs work and topic, my Karma is excellent, I subscribe to slahsdot and have for quite a while.
Recently I posted a comment on an Apple article, an opinion, granted but not obscene, or off-topic but apparently quite controversial. It received 5 down mods and 3 up mods and as a result, the IP or my USERID, not sure which yet was placed in TIME out ??? While I can appreciate the need to mod, the post was NOT a troll, nor off-topic and yet silenced I am. I sent an email to /. for info and received a reply and then sent follow up..they are attached :

I have replied again and am awaiting response :(

Would that be me, or one of the 75 or 80 other registered users from this place ? Does it include an ID # or just the IP ?
Basically, someone doesn't like my opinion and I am being censored because of it ? I do not troll, or post anything not general audience safe, I use AC occasionally to post things that might conflict with my work's stated opinions or such, as many other people I work with also post on slashdot.

Nice just checked my account : 7 flamebaits on a single apple article, gee nice system, post an opinion and get bounced from the audience.
BTW During the same period on the same posting there are 3 POSTIVE MODERATIONS AS WELL, so essentially 3 people decide what is suitable for everyone to view, what happened to the SET your BROWSE LEVEL to avoid the noise ?
"Perspective is skewed..Wed August 18, @02:53PM 3 1, Interesting
what do you expect from rabid Wed August 18, @02:12PM 1 0, Troll
      attached to Real Feels iTunes Backlash"

  I have talked to several other users here and we all beleive there is a problem with that kind of censorship, but if it is working as designed we will of course work within the system, after all the net is about community :)

Note : KARMA EXCELLENT, subsciption ACTIVE, EMAIL available for response, instead I get modd'd down anonymously and gagged by automation...

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Rozeboom [mailto:[e-mail]]On
Behalf Of Robert Rozeboom
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 7:28 AM
To: Duffield, Robert L
Subject: Re: new ip moderation is censorship any way you look at it,

You have been downmodded too many times and are in time out.

On Thu, 19 Aug 2004, Duffield, Robert L wrote:

> it is your web site and you are free to run it the way you like of course but,
>
> If you think this is unfair, please email [e-mail] with your MD5'd IPID and SubnetID, which are "fb1a0da8eeb758c77e86486ba4501552" and "4d56937246936127aabe0e1618fd7391" and (optionally, but preferably) your IP number "171.159.64.10" and your username "Archfeld".
>
> This is one of the firwewall IP's for a very large tech company, there are like 100,000 users coming from behind 3 possible IP's. It is very likely that is the cause of so-called excessive posting. I have been a /. registered member for a LONG TIME,note the 4 digit CONTINOUSLY USED ID, but if I cannot post anonymously on certain topics I'll just go elsewhere, thanks.

http://slashdot.org/~Archfeld