The post DID contain insults and complaints WERE made. At 4am in the morning when nobody else is around and a heated discussion is propagating itself, AND I get complaints, AND the original question is not being addressed, the safest and best moderating action which considers the membership as a whole, not just as individuals is to move the posts to a safe location pending further scrutiny.
If I do nothing at all in this situation then those who complained are just being discarded, so some action must be considered in any case.
Removing only the potentially offending posts is unfair on those members, if I am to consider this as a free and open discussion, so I lose again.
Locking the thread would just be rediculous and unfair to the author of the topic. I lose again.
Deleting the topic, besides being something that I never done here or in other places that some people seem to incline, is not even allowed on said forum and has never been considered here as far as I can tell.
As I say, I performed a moderating action, it is not irreversable, it is not a personal decision, it is a mechanical one. And if you, like me, have at least atttempted to consider all of these possible outcomes then perhaps you, like me, would also have erred on the side of caution, posted a friendly response (not some power-trip induced ban or slapping) and moved the damned posts to a place where they could be considered by staff.
The original topic could continue as the author intended and I am clearly available and as many of you know completely approachable!