That's why I resisted signing online petitions.

I try to not give my email out, even to for-profit orqanizations.
Sure don't need any extra spam email.

I don't remember signing up for these, or even giving my email address.

I get them from various national Dem entities as well as one or more state orgnizations.
I'm not a huge donor by any means, - never was.

I have so many charitable solicitations, religious and non-religious. At least they send me address labels, calendars, note paper or greeting cards, etc. and I send a small donation if I'm going to use the "gift".

I've assumed I can't get off the political lists, since I'm a registered Dem. and that's public information, so I just delete the political requests.
I got a phone call from the state organization the other day, asking for $50. I cut the figure way back & said send me a notice; they wanted me to promise I'd send it back in several days.

Two other reasons to support Sen. Sherrod Brown:

1. His wife, Connie Schultz, is a terrific asset, in the manner of Dr. Jill Biden. Ms. Schultz has won a Pulitzer Prize, I believe, as a columnist for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. She is no longer with that newspaper, but can hold her own in political forums (fora?) and most public speaking occasions.

2. Three Ohio cities, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, are in contention for the host city for the Republican National Convention in 2016. There are only four other cities in the nation still in contention, so that gives Ohio a strong possibility of being the locale for the Republicans. Since Ohio is one of the most important "swing states", Sen Sherrod Brown, an Ohio home-boy, on the Democratic ticket would be a good counter-balance to whatever positives the Republicans would get from having their convention in Ohio.

I hope for your sake things do work in your favor to enable a move

to a more congenial area.
You likely have many more years to live, and I have found that a support systems is more and more important in the later decades,
especially if one wants to continue living on one's own.
DU is great for providing a like-minded community, but the physical presence of people who will step forward when a hand is needed can be a great consolation.

Glad to know not as many have been lost as previously thought. nt

Civility is important in my world. Have no need to set myself up to

experience rudeness and crankiness in my space.
Ignore works better for me when crankiness intrudes.
No see it, no response necessary.

How could it go otherwise?

These are mature, sophisticated men used to the intricacies of diplomacy & civility.
(I realize your statement is rhetorical - no offense intended by you - or me.)

PLease let us know when you have accomplished the sign-up.

We all learn from one another's experiences.

If we live long enough, we become the senior members of the family.

I now consider myself the matriarch of my clan, and finding my mission for the remainder of my days in passing along family stories and history, so that when the younger ones want to know, some clues and answers will be out there for them.

My brothers lived away from the family's home city, so their children didn't hear the family stories and culture that they would have absorbed in the normal course of everyday life, had they remained local. Even my own were busy growing up and not so interested at the time, but now give an ear to the stories.

I'm aware that there's much history that, if they don't learn it from me, they'll never know it.
So I post photos and incidents on Facebook, which most use fairly regularly.
I benefit as well, seeing photos and reports of their doings as well as their young ones.

That's where those photos of the good times with June come in...

Wonderful memories can warm the heart.