Sailing,
Thanks for taking the time to sum things up from one Delta pilot's perspective. As I've said before, I sure could have used that info back in 2003.
I have to agree with Cheap Trick, however, and add that your version and the Comair version I've heard are very different (keeping in mind that only 10% of my Captains even discuss this)
Much like the German and Russian histories of Stalingrad are very different, but they're still finding skeletons in the ground so there must be some truth somewhere in the middle.
You say it's not the result of a grudge, then list a number of grudges... are you saying it's the result of a lot of grudges?
Ultimately, was it Delta's or DALPA's decision that Comair had to go away?