The core audience is experienced Perl programmers.

They're people, and people are not prone to jump through hoops. If your procedure is the recommended one, it should be documented and convenient, not a departure from the normal flow of browsing and form interaction. I didn't say it was difficult, but it is cumbersome, compared to normal web interactions.

i see this whole issue as a solution looking for a problem

The two threads dominating the Worst Nodes of the Week demonstrate that trolls can have a field day in the Monastery. And I believe that a little reassurance that "it's been taken care of" is all that a fair number of monks would need to quell their drive to address the trolls.

You already have a way to label a post as trollish

I have a way to suggest that a node be reaped. That is not the same as having an indicator for my own benefit to indicate that a post has been widely viewed as meritless. Reaping is not labeling, nor is it advisory. It is enforcement for the whole forum.

If a human cannot always determine 100% of the time that a post is truly a trollish post, how can a program do the same?

I didn't suggest any such thing. If I thought that could be done, I would have proposed instant reapage.