I agree. The nature of the posts from the moderator just did not seem to be in the spirit of what Flyertalk is about. The timing of the initial comment seemed opportunistic, especially when the subsequent comments sounded like the moderator has had some prior axe to grind with KVS.

According to www.thefreedictionary.com, a moderator (by definition) "arbitrates or mediates; presides over a meeting or forum." That sounds to me like somebody that should be relatively neutral or impartial. It hasn't felt like that's what's been happening here lately. It would seem to me that a Flyertalk moderator's priority would be to keep the nature of the forum friendly, inviting, and informative. And since Randy Petersen has come out supporting KVS and others, is there any question about KVS's right to be here?

I'd never heard of the Wandering Aramean before, and checked out the site. I really was not impressed.

The KVS Tool is very relevant to the interests of many Flyertalk members. For those that want it, they can pay for it. For those that don't want to pay for it, don't! But respect that some of us do find it a suitable and efficient tool.

It doesn't really matter that much of the information found with the KVS Tool may be available free, scattered about elsewhere; it's that the tool is a one-stop location for efficiently finding this information. And it is supported. In short, it's convenient. Isn't that worth something?

Why does anybody buy a coke or a loaf of bread at 7-Eleven when they could always get a better price at Walmart? Convenience.