> this comment doesn't show up (probably because it's a descendant of a flagged comment)

Correct - this how HN's software works these days. We didn't do anything specific to the thread; it's just that users flagged the root comment.

Btw I wasn't part of any internal YC discussions about banning anybody but I know and like breck from our time in W09 together, I have a lot of experience with this on the HN side, and you're unlikely to be able to extract the real story from material on the internet.

Speaking generally, there's an asymmetry with stories like this: one side can take to the open internet and say anything, while the other side can't or won't—and sometimes one of the reasons, ironically, is to protect that very person.