>>Point of fact, those threats (and there were a good half dozen of them) were made in late July 2004 by...

I suppose it depends whether you think sword-fighting challenges at dawn are a real thing in the current age. I can't remember whether you two were masters of the sabre or the rapier- or perhaps neither, and the whole thing was absurd. Still, it was taken as a threat and then defiance was shown, which seems to be one of the recipes for prolonged disappearance around here.

I grew up in interesting circumstances; with my father often out of town or waiting for juries, for years my mother would receive late-night calls from somebody saying they were coming over to put me (by name) or one of my siblings in a box. Her response was that she would put the kettle on.

>>... was ultimately banned in early September 2004, only after some vulgar exchanges, and only when Michael saw an opportunity to ban ... at the same time.

The second person you mention was one of the first to be banned twice, the first time after a savage exchange between him and another Fox stalwart I won't do the disservice of naming, but it descended into crude obscenity. Current episode was as nothing compared to that one. Fast-forward 25 years and things that were said would now be celebrated by mainstream media, so nothing lasts forever...