@ Jewelltrail,
First of all I think you are entitled to believe whatever you want but please note this is an international forum and it may be that not all your beliefs are embraced by the rest of us.
1) I have never seen RH attack a human being
You kind of overreact IMO about this and since Ben appologised about his slip I guess this case is pretty much closed;
2) I have seen RH attack Pentax philosophy and performance, regularly
You better read more carefully his "Pentax blog". It's actually sad to see a grown up trying to pass judgements about gear he used 15 minutes in a store or for that matter technical problems he knows not that much about in the first place. His blog is basically a collection of Pentax (real or invented) flaws gathered from the net and regurgitated in one sigle place. And more so owning a K100D and some old Pentax film gear doesn't really qualify someone to talk about K20Ds and lenses he don't have much less talk down without proof. It's common knowledge that RH has some Canon gear but I am not aware about his "Canon blog"
3) I am not concerned with who knows more about Pentax
Then I guess you are in the wrong place because this is mainly a forum of those who use Pentax gear and who try to learn more from each other. And some of us value members that know more than the rest of us and IMO Ben is by far one of those. You may think of this in the terms "because of that he can step over people", I think of that in terms of "because of that he has more estime and credibility in my opinion".
4) I am not concerned with who is right most of the time about Pentax
If so, then how can you judge the others responses? If RH has over 1000 posts and in most of them is wrong what it will be in your opinion a threshold from where IT REALLY COUNTS who's right and who's wrong??? 10 000 posts, more?
5) I am concerned with dehumanization, and compassionately handling each other
You live you life as you wish and believe in whatever you want. Not many people here will try to make you change your mind about this beliefs but it seems to me that you try to impose your beliefs upon us. And guess what ...
6) RH appears the forum scapegoat—simply & only because of his intransigence concerning this forum’s popular perception of Pentax philosophy and performance
Okey dokey - so @ 2) it was "I have seen RH attack Pentax philosophy and performance, regularly" and @ 3) you just said that it doesnt matter to you "who knows more about Pentax" so let's just call his opinions slander, ok? Because this is what he does to Pentax gear he just expresses his biased, false and defamatory statement about things he knows little about. One more very important point here: "scape goat" would be correct if the problems with Pentax gear were so RH writes about. Or you couldn't be any further from the truth. WE HAVE, USE, ARE AWARE OF SOME LIMITATIONS AND APRECIATE OUR PENTAX GEAR. HE DOES NONE OF THIS
7) If you devalue RH to such a degree, then why on earth does he so upset you?
If you are already that upset about this forum bad behaviour regarding the innocent Mr RH, why in the earth do you care about this so much and why it's upseting you?? . But to answer straight to the point I think most of us find him mildly annoying and that's for his utterly lack of credibility
8) Have you tried, even for a second, to grasp how immensely difficult a struggle it must be for RH, (as well as for all other foreign posters) to try & adequately convey his thought here, in the English language?
Well, for me it's a very present sensation since my native language has nothing in common with English. And I know that some of what I say it's not that easy to understand because of this.
9) If your true goal is to win a convert of RH, do you think this is most effectively handled by beating up on him?
RH is already a convert! A Canon one and I am proud to say he really have the worst features of that very bad bunch. Any fanboy is a bad fanboy and RH is twice a fanboy (both pro canon and anti Pentax). His religion is to try in vain to excape his inferiority complexes regarding his investment in photo gear. That's why he needs to bash Pentax so that his Canon gear won't seem that much overvalued and underachiving (at least for whatever photos he may or may not do). Besides I (and most of this forum and others) have still to see a photo from him. And don't forget that we was banned from other forums and leaved "voluntarely" from photozone so here you must admit we are pretty tolerant.
10) Finally, and most importantly for me anyway, I have respect for Ben the photographer, for his learnedness in the world of photography. NO PROBLEM HERE--- However, in the world of humanity, where each and every one of us is equally and poignantly flawed, and where a man shows his real worth, here I still have a problem with Ben as I have come to know him in this post. But I hope I am proved wrong, that I have to dedicate a post for my apology to Ben. That would be a good day. But until I see otherwise, I will defend, with my heart, that which I see as right.
It's your God given right to stand up to whatever you think it's right. I see a major flaw in your logic though to judge Ben (by your own admision) FROM THAT SINGLE POST and give RH the benefit of the doubt after over 1000 posts (many in really bad faith)
Radu