I hate to drag a thread like this out but I'm genuinely curious: why is there someone/are there people out there who have such an axe to grind? Or are they just trolls?
I wrote an extremely long comment here, but deleted it. I'd rather say this: like anyone who works in public, I am very open and vulnerable to criticism. When you work in public for a long time, there's a ton of reasons for people to decide that they hate you and have an axe to grind. Some of those things are things I still stand by, some of them are things that I agree that I was in the wrong. I am not a perfect person, and make mistakes like any other. It's up to you to see my actions, who I am, and decide for yourself.
Steve you're a good chap doing some solid, respectable and valuable work. These things are just troglodytes looking to inflict pain. The interesting thing is, they could totally transform themselves by doing constructive work and presenting it to the community. It's then, quite possibly, they realize, it is your attention they seek.
The heart is a complex place and the internet a good channel for its darker bits.