I felt the same way too, and my hairs also raised at the unnecessary attack. As far as Mr Child's comments go ( Waving - Hi Dale ;-P ) while they were very stern, candid and straightforward, I did not get the sense they were meant to be cruel, and he signed his name, big difference. Here is the bottom line, if Dave or any one of us continues to look back at the past, failures as well as successes, we are in danger of losing the future. That does not mean we don't learn from our mistakes, or enjoy the successes, it means we should move ahead without dwelling on them.
Dave would also help anyone on this list who asked him for help, he stepped up and helped my friend Chris during the 08 MN1K when he crashed at the start. Being from Vancouver Island and not having transportation really put him at a disadvantage, Dave did not even blink when he offered to help. All I am trying to say is, Dave has a huge mountain to climb. He has been part of the LD and Team Strange community for a long time, he has an opportunity to do something many of us only get to watch from the outside, and dream about. If there are those who can't, or are unwilling to help him be successful and safe, then politely get out of his way and let him get on with what he needs to do without kicking sand.
Once again, I am going to wish you good luck Dave, as well as my best wishes to all those in the rally.
Donna
oh, and being "snarky" is not necessarily a bad thing, as Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem "The Hunting of the Snark" shows, being snarky has more to do with "the infinite humor of the impossible voyage of an improbable crew to find an inconceivable creature"