Threads disappearing?

Well, this has just happened to me and already once before. Where I've been in a thread and replied in it, go away for a few hours, come back and with the blink of an eye there is no sign that the thread has even ever existed. I'm looking through my post history and there's not even a mention of me posting in the thread at all. The thread couldn't have been closed because it'd still be there, so I tried using the address for that thread and it says I don't have the administrative duties to view the thread and other stuff I couldn't relate too. A search didn't yield any results either. So I'm wondering that it go removed by a moderator, I don't see how that thread could have been completely deleted instead of being locked, didn't seem like the kind of thread that could get way out of hand. So I'd just like to know if it being deleted and that would had been the case. As its causing me a wolrd of confusion when GTP says no such thread exists. BTW it was the thread about soldiers in iraq choosing AK-47's over their standard issue M16/M4's. The other thread that shared the same fate, I can't even remember what it was about anymore (No not the convo forum)

The AK-47 thread is in the Recycle Bin, but I’m not sure why. The only thing I can think of is that the moderator might have meant to move it to the Hobbies forum, but accidently chose the Recycle Bin, since we move things there so often.

[edit]: Well, I just figured out why it was deleted, but it’s kind of a complicated issue. Let me get back to you in a bit.

[edit2]: Okay, after looking it over, I’ve restored it back to the Rumble Strip.

Can we get a reason on why it was deleted, or would you prefer to keep that to yourself?

I deleted it.

The person posting it was an outright spammer.

Yahoo or Google this phrase "Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the world's most popular assault rifle" any forum that it is found in, will also hav another post about cheap car or health insurance. It'll contain this phrase "insurance premiums seemed very affordable with fantastic coverage to match."

The spammers MO is to post the AK-47 thread, to seem legit, then post the insurance advert.

Hence, thread deletion.

Since I don't agree with keeping the thread, and Sage does, the staff are in disagreement. We'll have a small side debate on the threads existance.

Thanks for you honesty. It would have been very easy to ignore my post. I appreciate you taking the time to explain.

Ah, ok cool. Thanks for the clear up, I got totally confused for a moment when I though I didn't really post in the thread, nor it even existed. Kinda like the opposite of a deja vu incident.

I never noticed an insurance ad. Never heard of that spamming tactic either.
Oh well.