Um, dang is one of the moderators here. Trying to shut town off-topic rants that lead to flamewars is part of his job. He's engaging because he's trying to educate you on how people are expected to behave on HN. (And it's good that he tries, rather than just banning you. And it's good that he keeps calling out and shutting down garbage; HN is trying to hold on as a place where you can have an intelligent conversation rather than drowning in insanity.)