> Thanks Colin.

NP - HTH, & YW.

  > I don't feel that I should have to beg for a privilege
  > that is afforded even the newest account on HN. It just
  > bugs me every now and then such as in cases like these.

Finding out what happened at least might afford some insight into the thinking behind it. Then you have more information.

  > I probably lost my upvote capability due to some perceived
  > slight and I'm very much tired of that sort of thing.

Or you got fat-fingered, or it's a false-positive and they'd appreciate the heads-up to help them improve the accuracy, or you really did do something they disapprove of. Without knowing more it's hard to say. HN is a complex place in these regards.

  > ... if a user interface component is non-functional it
  > should be grayed out or not there at all. At least that
  > would be clear, open and honest.

Much of the behavior is driven by the anti-spamming, anti-trolling concerns, and this could easily be one of them. Openness just gains more knowledgable trolls, as I've discovered. I can understand the stance they've chosen, although it is at times frustrating.

  > edit: and some smart-ass flagged it. Too bad.

Indeed. I got down-voted for suggesting that the item on Llanfair PG was not really of intellectual interest. <fx: shrug /> I'm learning that not everything can be fixed, not least because some people don't think it's broken.