Originally Posted by staehpj1

First... I didn't think those comments were all that out of line considering the nature of some of the posts he was replying to. Did he step over the line a bit, probably. Was he provoked, yes. There was some less than perfect manners shown on both sides. Big deal.

On whether I am "perhaps being blinded by Ryan singling you out for praise"...
No cut him some slack from the get go. I offered encouragement in posts 7 and 8 of the original thread. I offered him a place to stay in post 10 of the original thread. I did criticize the exorbitant requests for sponsoring expensive luxury items. I also criticized his proposed timetable and at various times gave other criticism. I also said that I didn't care for funding a tour with donations. I didn't criticize his ideals or his politics at any point though.

OTOH: When I did criticize, I did it in a more civil manner than some here. I applauded his ambition and idealism. Ryan said he was "a naïve young man with a dream" and maybe I am just a sucker for that, but I also remember what it was like to be young and a bit naive. I also remember the folks who were kind to me on the the road.

To Ryan's credit I think he is a quick learner and is willing to take advice. I believe he saw that the list of luxury items were a mistake and removed the list from the site. He saw that the time table was unreasonable and moved up the start.