I read through this ... in disbelief.
First, IF a thread is deleted by accident, it can be restored from the backup. (at least I backup my 8 forum sites daily, hopefully this board is backed up daily).
I don't delete threads on my forums, even if they're outdated and boring or whatever. I keep meaning to move them to an archive section but never have. My boards have an automatic feature that will remove threads after a certain date, but I don't use it.
Gee. a moderator made a mistake. He proved he is human.
Get over it.
It's not the first time and certainly won't be the last time.