For all of you who feel so sorry for John the Broken one, here's a bit of a hypothetical question which isn't really all that far-fetched.  What if John actually had the guts to talk with one of us again.  Say he even posted here of all places.  What if he didn't come across as all hang-dog and broken, however one expresses those states.  What if he actually seemed rather happy or, at least, okay.  Would you still feel so sorry for him and pat him on the head? 

I dunno.  I think it's a bit convenient to excuse him so readily.  On the face of it, what he did was indeed cowardly and traitorous.  And his refusal to even try to explain himself to many of his (former) friends and / or supporters doesn't help.  I think all we're left with is a few question marks.  Maybe one or two exclamation points mixed in.