I don't read the GP as questioning the worth to HN, but simply asking if the article is a general interest article or if there is some specific reason the artic

I don't read the GP as questioning the worth to HN, but simply asking if the article is a general interest article or if there is some specific reason the article is especially relevant at this moment in time. Yes, it's possible this was simply a "historical submission", but that possibility alone doesn't answer the question. We shouldn't be in such a hurry to protect HN from degenerating into (say) /. that we make assumptions about intent or silence relevant and potentially interesting questions.