The Terms of Service are there to prevent inflammatory and negative behaviour on the forums. They are there to stop people from insulting one another and de-railing Threads. To ensure that people who post on this forum act with common courtesy and respect for their fellow citizens.
I am sure that the people who have been banned have been banned for good reasons. I.E. Swearing at other people, or expressing views that either offensive, irrelevant, or completely unreasonable.
It is taken for granted that openly expressing aggression or lieing is unacceptable, and is thus not allowed. This is for the purpose of maintaing Peace among people. The same as in real world society.
There IS Free Speech within reason.
True Free Speech does not mean having the right to "Say Anything". It means having the right to express your views openly without fear of reprisal or censorship - AS LONG as those views do not hurt or intentionally offend anyone.
Saying that True Free Speech does not exist because you are not allowed to "Say Anything" is like saying "I am not free because I am not allowed to rob the grocery store." That I am afraid is nonsense...
True Freedom, is the right to act responsibly for the good of all people.