The comment I responded to is in agregious breach of the rules.

Altman has a well established reputation as a person with a deep commitment to mission and concern for the wellbeing of his team.

I acknowledge your reminder about the site guidelines. However, the comment I responded to was so egregiously unfair and baseless that it called for a strong response to counter an unsubstantiated and harmful accusation.

In cases like this, a firm rebuke can be a vital part of healthy community discourse, serving to discourage baseless character attacks and uphold a standard of integrity. While parts of my comment certainly strayed well outside of the guidelines, the specific line you mentioned was, in my view, not a violation but a necessary response to uphold community values against unwarranted defamation.

Pointing out that a person should be ashamed for a baseless attack on character does not discredit a broad argument. It demonstrates conviction. I think many would agree this is.warranted in many cases.

If character attacks are not going to be moderated, it's hard to reasonably expect to not see this kind of response surface. I believe there's a long tradition in most societies that when a person's character is attacked in a public forum, a response should be expected and is fair discourse within certain bounds.