A couple of things to keep in mind:
1) Paid membership does not make you exempt from the rules... or the plank.
2) If you read the fine print, there is no refund for paid members who get banned.
3) A high post count does not make you exempt from the rules or the plank either.
4) Indeed, I, for one, expect a higher standard of behavior from long-term and paying members because I expect them to set an example for new members.
5) Respect for the moderators does not mean that you have to agree with us on everything we say. But, you are expected to cooperate with us in keeping the peace and good order. If you disagree with or have a question about a moderator's official actions (or inactions), contact that moderator by e-mail or private message or take your complaint up with Spark in the Service and Support forum; that is the appeal path. Do NOT argue in the forum with the moderators about official acts; that is the banning path.
6) "He started it," didn't work on the kindergarten playground and it doesn't work here either. You can not -- and will not -- be held responsible for the actions of others; but you can -- and will -- be held responsible for your own actions, provoked or not.