I think the issue here is action authority and the concept of impartiality.

I think the issue isn't whether an individual has bias for specific vendors/programs. Most of the flames here aren't about United or Delta or Avis - they're about people and ideas. I think, therefore, it's a question of conflict involving individuals. The folks who might be logical candidates for such a moderator role have, for the most part, well-established relationships with other key participants here. That will make it very difficult should one of those individuals be in a position to be "moderated". I think it opens up another can of worms that could potentially be more problematic than the ones we are trying to address by implementing moderators.

I would anticipate that the FT staff doesn't have the capacity to take this on, and I don't see a better alternative.