I have no more authority than any other normal community member; my post was just a reminder that political discussion is inappropriate here at TMO for this very reason.

I've no idea when it was implemented, but the logic is transparent: people often have strong views on politics and religion, allowing such discourse here is inconsistent with the purpose of this forum - to help bind people from all walks of life into a community and to provide a channel of communication to further the goals of the same community.