That isn't accurate. When political discussion got out of hand, I banned it and it stopped. I have recently rescinded that ban and, I am interested to note, while the topic has been resurrected in several threads, and while generally (as with all political discussions) the heat/light ratio is regrettable, I have not (yet) been forced to suspend anyone's ability to post.
Jeremy
It's not about the out-of-hand and banning, it's about the animosity that permeates to the rest of the forum and remains over time. In addition, as interesting as it may be for some, it starts to become a bit skewed if the few political threads in the coffee corner draw more attention, reaction, and uninformed opinion, than any of the gear or art threads ever did.
That said, I don't personally have a problem with the politics, but I do notice a significant decrease in visual contributions and an inability of this forum to welcome and retain potential contributors. No, I don't have a solution, but the fierceness in politics doesn't seem to help the accommodating nature required to welcome new visitors.