And the only half worth considering.

I fully understand this, and have justified their position at length elsewhere. But if we have to excuse their ignorance, we have to give Rand the same benefit. He has no more way of knowing their good intentions than they have of knowing his.

He is the one indispensible figure in the struggle against the Shadow. His ego is not out of proportion when this fact is taken into consideration. And it isn't paranoia if they really ARE out to get you. Everywhere Rand turns, people are lashing out at him in favor of their own interests. He gave the Borderlanders a chance. He owes them no more than that.

Sucks to be them. It does not matter how trustworthy an individual is - if they lead you wrong, you still suffer the consequences. The German military had never been "done wrong" by their political leadership up until World War Two. Should they be excused their participation in the atrocities they committed? You don't get a pass for blindly following a leader when you step off a cliff, and people who decide to follow an army have to accept the risks that come with it. Rand did not invite any of them to come, and he is not responsible for their safety. Rather, it is the obligation of the rulers who choose to hide behind the skirts of all thos cooks and wives, rather than come to meet Rand in person and risk their own skins.

Given all he has been through, and the degrees of betrayal and letdown he has experienced, NOT reacting that way would require superhuman virtue and tolerance.