Too bad I can't reply to any of the comments in that thread. I'm guessing old threads are locked to prevent spam? Perhaps they can be "thawed" for a short time if a mod links to it in a situation like this.

It's my understanding that 'warming up' old topics like this is not a problem, and that commenting links to the previous threads is more for reference than to chastise.

Dilettante_ is correct: links to past threads are just to satisfy readers who might be curious for more.

You're also correct: threads are closed to new comments after 2 weeks. That's for a bunch of reasons, e.g. to preserve the history of the site.