The following comment was received late last evening in response to a post in this blog, written by Christopher Key and shared with readers here immediately following the election:
--- freetobreathe@yahoo.com wrote: ---------------------------------
New comment posted on your Radio weblog.
Commenter's name: Eleni
Email address: freetobreathe@yahoo.com
Web site: IP address: 69.171.25.224
Domain name: 69-171-25-224.kntnny.adelphia.net
Commenting on: http://blogs.salon.com/0001549/2004/11/03.html#a1624
Well go away already! I'm sure Canuckistan can use another self-centered self-absorbed moron like you.
Ordinarily I don't respond to trolls; I generally ignore them. I've had to block an IP address on one occasion and delete a comment only once during the time I've been blogging. But this comment REALLY got under my skin because of a directly ad hominem attack out of the blue. Not yet realizing what post they were commenting on and being quite hot under the collar, I responded:
Please note that your IP address has been recorded, in case you did not make note of that when you left this comment.
With name like Eleni, you should be more understanding and quite happy that people in the U.S. have the right to free speech and therefore dissent. Without it, people bearing names like yours would never have made it into this country, nor would they have wanted to come here.
If you want a country that does not allow free speech and encourages suppression, I suggest YOU return to the place where a name like Eleni would be only too common.
Thinking about this further, I realized this really pressed a button because of the name -- the same as that of a family member. I cannot imagine the Eleni I know, the first generation daughter of immigrants to this country, ever behaving like this, saying anything like this. The Eleni I know is entirely too well-bred to ever say anything like this, seeking to suppress another American's free speech. I can't imagine her parents, immigrants from the Mediterranean ever tolerating this, having wanted so badly to come here and loving the freedom of this country so much.
While I pondered about my visceral gut reaction to this piece of trollishness, it occurred to me to check the post on which this comment was placed. Yup, Christopher Key's reaction to the election.
And then it dawned on me to check into the referral logs, to see why someone would comment on a post now three months old; it doesn't happen very often that anyone comments on something older than two weeks.
This shameful "Eleni" actually arrived at my blog and that particular post by Googling "Christopher Key" and "bush".
Christopher dear, if you're reading this, watch your back.
And you, you disgusting fascist troll, you lost your right to keep this comment private and buried because of this personal attack on a friend of mine, a real American, the son and descendant of great Americans.
9:01:48 AM 
