[Al Skierkiewicz]

Well, I've waited while I thought about this thread and the posts it addresses and I am ready to respond. Are CD posters "thin skinned"? The answer is a most resounding "NO". Are they passionate, yes, are they excited/excitable, most definitely, are they caring and protective, without a doubt. Are they professional and gracious, of course, it is our law, our credo, our guiding light. When you ask a question similar to the original post, you strike at the fiber of each of these emotions and principles. You will see that you need to expect the response to be passionate, excited, protective and I would hope gracious and professional. You are dealing with an imperfect group though, sometimes we are more passionate than professional, or more protective than gracious. It does not make us bad, it just reveals the imperfections.
As to bad rep points, I have not found a reason to give one yet. No one who has ever posted here with sincerity, has ever posted anything that so flies in the face of our ideals to warrant bad rep. Those that have posted serious and meaningful questions or discussions require the rest of us to think and respond, much like in this post. I hope that you learn from the posts in this thread and read deeper than the words printed here that these people are committed to turning this world into a better place. They believe they can make a difference and I believe they can too. First allows us to function in ways that no place on earth can. We compete but are on the same "team", we come from different backgrounds, religions, or countries, but share in the knowledge we gain for the good of all. We are imperfect but are striving to become the best we can be.