It is often said that power corrupts, but more commonly, it blinds. People can easily lose perspective and make bad decisions, particularly when they are directly tied up in a dispute themselves. Here we have two of the most valuable members of this community engaged in nuclear war against each other, and that's clearly something that needs to be avoided. The following is a very bad idea:-
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Actually, I have a better (more entertaining and more decisive) idea - let's play chicken!
@Chase: Permanently ban Brendan or Solar. It doesn't matter who. Flip a coin if you like.
Don't ban either of them. Just set a rule that no bans of long-established members are allowed unless the majority of moderators agree to it, and a moderator who is a major part of a specific dispute should not be voting on such a case because they cannot guarantee that they're in a position to see things as clearly as they think they do. Ideally, all moderators should agree to this now without it even needing to be demanded from above. Judges need to be impartial if they are to make just decisions.
I've had blazing rows here with both the people involved and know very well how explosive this site can be, but I recognise their value and don't want either of them to be lost. No one should be blamed here - there is simply a dangerous bug in the way this place is run, and it needs to be fixed now before it does any more harm.