Precisely what kind of retribution is feared?

I use my same username on this forum as I do on Braintalk, the Neuropathy Association, etc. I am also sure than on all these boards most people know exactly what my real name is, where I live, etc. I believe it's best to "hide" in plain sight, as it provides a degree of protection against unfounded accusations--anyone can Google me and find my posting history on many boards, which helps people make their own judgments (and, as the possessor of an unusual last name--Ribotsky, for those who don't know--I'm not likely to be confused with anyone else).

I am quite grateful to DocJohn for providing this alternative forum for us during the time Braintalk has been down. But remember, this forum would have been unnecessary had Braintalk not been offline for so long. It does not detract from John Lester's accomplishments with Braintalk, or from the value so many of us find in the community, to criticize and question WHY there have been so many long outages over the board's recent history, and why the communications about said outages have been terse and not completely transparent.

It is from that climate that so many of the angry and critical posts made here about the administration of Braintalk have come--and such posts only provide more evidence as to how valuable Braintalk is for so many. And it is to be expected in such a climate that other criticisms of Braintalk would surface.

People are peeved that their lifeline and info source has disappeared, and that it has done so for so long and without detailed explanation.

I am sensitive to the idea that this outage occurred at the worst possible time--when JL was travelling--and to the idea that he is allowed a non-Braintalk life. Nevertheless, Braintalk is still his baby--until the day he relinquishes guardianship to others--and no baby should be left without adequate caretakers. JL does merit THAT criticism. And it matters not that this is a volunteer, versus a paid, endeavor--it's still his baby. (I know I do not give my volunteer responsibilities--I am chair of the New York Road Race OmbudsAssociation, a volunteeer scorer at numerous road races, and a member of several committees in my co-op--short shrift just because they are unpaid, and I am sure most of us who do volunteer work can say the same.)

As I've said before, John Lester lives in such a rarified world of virtual communitites and such that he may not be fully aware of the reach and breadth of Braintalk, which is far greater than that of most such communities--it is a destination to get primary medical and resource information, not just contact and support, which distinguishes it from most other boards that he may now be heavily involved with. He may also not be completely aware of the depth of feelings about aspects of the board's administration at this point (as has been reported, many suspect he is not involved in a lot of the day-to-day). One can only hope at some point he reads some of these threads in depth, as one can see that most posts are not the ravings of malcontents, but serious considerations of the "state of Braintalk".