I engaged primarily in arguments of fact. I did my best to cite sources and outline rational arguments. I was immediately condescended to, insulted, and slandered as racist and a liar. I admit I got testy in response, but you can see that I didn't fire first and was repeatedly provoked. None of the others users involved appear to have been silenced or banned.

This isn't just some academic comments section argument, it affects real policy and real people and real lives. Where on the whole Internet is open and honest discussion of this subject, who commits crime in America and why, permitted? Not Facebook, Reddit, very soon likely not Twitter. I had hoped HN of all places would be one such forum. I see now I was wrong. Your biased moderation is noted and a great disappointed.

Could you please stop feeding flamewars and/or using HN for ideological battle? Regardless of what you're battling for or against, it's not what this site is for and destroys what it is for.

If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.