Originally Posted by CaptainObvious -
"Green Guy was rude to me for no reason, so I was rude to him."
I agree with Sir Moby. This does say it all

When you work with "the public", be it paying customers, affiliates, or just people, you should never be rude to them, no matter how annoying they are. "He started it", is something I hear from my kids at home (2 and 4 years old) and has no place when you do business.
Sometimes it's not easy sitting on our hands and not typing back what we think. Bottom line though, whether you're a sponsor rep, a moderator on a board or "just a webmaster", it's best not to be rude and aggressive. Just doesn't reflect well on your business.