On bulletin boards in general and our board in particular it is important to remember that the people you are interacting with come from all walks of life and all different races, creeds, and religions.  Therefore, it is very important that you remember this when posting, and avoid posting something that might be upsetting or derogatory to someone else.  

No one is perfect, and we are all bound to step on one another's toes at some point.  Some disputes are merely misunderstandings, and can be resolved quickly and in a friendly manner if both sides are willing to be patient and to give the other the benefit of the doubt.  Some disputes will inevitably turn nasty and subsequently upset more members of the board.  Most 'Net denizens are familiar with flamewars, which eventually deteriorate into shouting matches and almost always cause some people to give up in disgust.  

The role of the administrators and especially the moderators is to prevent this from happening.  They try to maintain a neutral stance so they can mediate conflicts and bring them to a satisfactory resolution.  If talking it out cannot solve the conflict, a moderator may be forced to resort to deleting posts.  In the most extreme cases, the administrator can ban people who refuse to settle their disputes peacefully.

If you find yourself upset by a post, back away and try to be rational.  Think about your response, and don't compose it in the heat of the moment, when you might say something you don't really mean.  Should you have a serious bone to pick with one person, keep it off the board.  Send an email, but don't get everyone else all riled up just because you are.  It's not nice.

Should someone persist in an unwelcome vein, he or she will receive a warning from one or more of the mods.  If the warning goes unheeded, a "time-out" period of one week may be instituted by the admin - in short, the person will be banned for a week.  The ban can be made permanent if the person continues to make trouble upon his/her return.