UPDATE FROM THE FRONT:
Boys, we now have the tools now to win this war.
The registration is now linked in to an NSA spam database that will block 97% of the spamho's before they can check "I agree with the terms of this foru...".
I've added a new Spam WMD that will alert the moderators when a new member joins with spam in his sig or homepage, even before he has a chance to post.
My server tech just upgraded my automated backups, so the entire domain and forum db are copied.
I've made a second copy of the 2.3GB forum db to use as a test platform.
I have just tested a magnificent 3-part MySQL script on the test db for a 2 year segment of users and it took 1364 spammers and put them in the
spammer usergroup to be pruned.
With our shocktroop moderators and spamkilling specialists smashing their righteous fists down on the
Report Bad Posts 
buttons AT THE FIRST SIGN OF INTRUSTION,
* we will nuke any spammers that make it to the shore before their boots are dry.
Let it be said: no more unauthorized selling of viagra, real estate, furniture, and chicken coops, not here, not ever.
I'm setting myself a calendar reminder at the end of the month to go back 30 days and follow up the SpamCheck for any spammers who wait a week to post their spam (that's very unusual), they won't have a chance.
We will all think back someday, with our grandchildren at our feet, of how the pestilent spam hordes put us to the test, and we prevailed.
Audeamus!
Onkel Neal
*I had to use some all caps somewhere....