Very interesting and illuminating.
The funny part is that it shows just how far seo has progressed. Years ago, a post (any post) helped – even spammy ones like that. (So why do those stupid spammers keep on doing the same thing to try and help themselves)
But it really stinks when you have to defend yourself and report to google when you have been have been attacked. Negative SEO should only be ignored – not penalized.