I like the idea of a temporary cool down account pause if two members start too get into a overly heated negative argument.

Any chance you could introduce flags like in craigslist? I'm picturing an "Acknowledged" flag that allows us to acknowledge those heated negative ad hominem blaming flaming posts, rather than resist them.

If more than 5 people clicked the "Acknowledged" flag, the post would be moved to a parallel thread (same thread title except with the word "rant" appended), where the people could continue to blast away if they wanted, without hijacking the main discussion.