I, too, was a long standing, active user of Absolute Write. And I can attest that the moderators on the site are indeed, bullies. It's actually the mods as well as a couple of old users who believe that the site exists for others to stroke their egos.
One thing that cannot be tolerated on Absolute Write is disagreeing with the moderators. You are forced to either not participate in discussions, or agree. If you disagree, you are banned.
The moderators also seem to be under the impression that they know absolutely everything about publishing. They are able to get away with this with people who know little or nothing about publishing, who they are constantly trying to "teach". But much of what the moderators say isn't very helpful, and they are allowed to get away with this becaue of the fact that dissent isn't tolerated on the site.
I wholeheartedly advise any serious writer to stay away from Absolute Write. The moderators will drive away anyone who does not agree 100% with them.