Why comments are moderated

The intention is not to curb free speech or hostile responses -- as you can see from many of the comments which appear -- but merely to block libelous posts, messages advocating violence, slander and personal attacks, all of which, alas, have increased as the number of visitors to the site goes up. So please bear with me; most comments are up within hours, some may take half a day if I am not able to check my mail for any reason.