On the Sunday before President's Day, racist remarks of the most vile sort were slipped onto the Loudoun Times website by a person or persons unknown.

They appear to have been prompted by that newspaper's commitment to Black History Month, and were attached to a story in the paper's excellent "Living the Dream" series.

Two of the people featured prominently in that series had strong ties to Middleburg. One of them, indeed, is a member of our Town Council.

Clearly, whoever posted on the Times Mirror site hoped not only to harm some of our friends and fellow citizens but to incite and encourage the like-minded to do the same.

They also did their miserable best to use their access to a free press to undermine and discredit a good newspaper and a county tradition.

To the credit of Publisher Peter Arundel, he addressed the issue quickly and effectively and in the best traditions of a free press.

Both our papers, I believe, would defend to the proverbial death the rights of even racists to speak their minds.

That commitment, however, does not compel us to allow them to use us, nor does it prevent us from branding such "free" speech as contemptible, demeaning, and dangerous.