An Open Letter to Director Bortnikov

To:  Alexander Bortnikov, Director, Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation

Dear Sir:

I note with some interest the activity on my blog on yesterday, 14 December 2016 at approximately 1700 Pacific Standard Time.  The graphic below represents the issue at hand:

You will note the spike of 641 hits at one moment with the very dark green indicating the country of origin of the views.  It appears that there has been an attempt to view my blog multiple times from a single country - the country, it turns out, which you are employed by.

Please understand that I appreciate the support - after all, I am small blogger and a spike like this (which seem to occur with some monthly frequency) will put me up above 100,000 views after 8 years of writing more quickly than anything.

That said, I fear that such activities will prove to be a poor investment of resources on the part of your department.  I am, as I have said, a small blogger with a limited following.  A review of my postings will reveal to you that I am a mildly depressed individual that spends probably more time than I ought to pondering things and trying out different ways of gardening, making cheese, and practicing swordsmanship. And writing fairly unmemorable poetry and perhaps only slightly less forgettable haikus.

If you and your department are seeking to build international relationships and cross-cultural ties, you will find no larger fan of the effort than myself - and if that is the intent, I would appreciate any feedback about what I could write about which would help to build those relationships.  If, sadly and on the other hand, your department is looking for anything else, I fear you have wasted time and effort.  I would direct your efforts to a more highly frequented blog or website with more valuable information.

In the spirit of international co-operation, I would less than a good neighbor if I failed to point that out.

Your Obedient Servant,

Toirdhealbheach Beucail