Hey dascallie. If you've lurked here at all you must know that FReepers are wary of newbies. As your post points out, there are any number of nutjobs trying to disrupt the forum. Don't let the neg posters get you down. If you're the real deal, hang around, everyone will see that you're legit and life will go on.
Thanks for your message...good advice--I'll take it on board and yep, I'll be sticking around!