Fred Bauder wrote:
We allow anyone, even anonymously, to edit any article, but if a serious question arises, would deny them an opportunity to air it out here; doesn't make sense.
No one has suggested that the purpose of moderation would be to prevent airing out "serious questions"? To the contrary, it seems that the purpose is precisely to permit more discussion of serious questions, by striving (with a light touch) to gently improve the civility of debate.
The wiki way is partly the idea that we approach each other with good will and the default assumption that even people who are in deep opposition on a particular point share a common goal, which is improvement of the wikipedia.
I can see how light moderation can help to defuse some of the flames that lead us to fight rather than work together. We've all been guilty of injudicious remarks sent in the heat of the moment. But these flames detract from "serious questions".
--Jimbo