If rules were always enforced to the 't', there would be bans/infractions all over in every thread just about (generally speaking for message boards not just this one). Aside from the time factor, that just doesn't make for a 'good' forum. You need a bit of maliability. "... is more of what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules." from Pirates of the Caribbean comes to mind when thinking about this. You let people slide or bend the rules within reason up until a point. You can fall back to the letter of the law when showing why a ban period or length is warranted. Showing just how many times they actually violated a rule and leeway was given.
Should a poster with a flawless history posting a troll topic be given the same punishment as someone who's last 10 topics have been bait for trolling/conflict? While the violation may be the same, the circumstances may vary and lead to a different course of action. Should that mean parties are treated different? Maybe, maybe not. It's for the ruling body to decide what's best and how to handle situations as the arise.
All that said, the nature of the original post seems like you're wanting people to talk at you as if to be waiting for conflict rather than discuss things with you to understand each others point of view.