Why I am closing my Linked-in Account

Hello Connections and Friends: After a lot of consideration, reflection, and thought, I have decided to close my Linked-in Account and Profile by month's end. This is troubling to me, as I have, to be honest, worked hard to build a thorough Profile -- uploading a lot of photos, etc -- and have in the past written a number of Linked-in articles, etc, AND diligently combed through many profiles to amass over 11,000 Connections. I felt the need to explain why I am taking this action.

First of all, it is by way of protest. I am a very conservative individual, and many of my postings and comments have reflected what I consider a conservative, free-market, pro-Christian outlook. At this point in our history, I perceive that my views may be considered 'extremist', and I have no interested in bearing such a label. This is especially important as I am currently an employee of the United States Government, and I do not need some soon-to-be-future Government 'diversity czar' or assistant thereof going through my Comment history, and endangering my job. As a retired military officer, I believe that I have 'paid-my-dues' and am fully entitled to my own beliefs and opinions -- and these do not need to come under some kind of cancerous, Leftist Government scrutiny. I am particularly concerned inasmuch as we seem to be in an era where my Constitutional Rights -- given by God and presumably protected from Government intrusion -- are being shredded with impunity.

Second, along the same lines, I am very much against the recent actions to take Conservatives out of the marketplace by banning perceived Conservative platforms such as Parler for example, off the air; banning President Trump's Twitter account, and so forth. Indeed, this is one reason why I have closed -- a couple of years ago -- my Gmail and Twitter Accounts, and have NEVER participated in Facebook. I have noticed that Linked-in seems to be also doing a sort of shadow-banning and limiting of our Accounts on this platform. Despite, for example, actively taking steps to be responsive to Connection-requests, and continuing to seek Connections myself, my Connection-count seems to somehow and for no reason that I can discern, be declining about 2% to 3% per week -- after years of steady growth; it has NOT been because I have been going in and 'purging' my Connection network!

I am going to close my Account mainly because I do not want Linked-in and its parent organization -- Microsoft -- to make money off of my name, by continuing to say that they have n number of participants, when I am no longer going to participate. I think it best to just close-up shop on the platform, and fade away until I can be assured that I could re-engage -- or to engage in another Platform in a more positive manner.

Having said that, it will take me until the end of the month to get this done properly, as I have a lot going on in my personal life and at work, with a new assignment. However, by the end of January 2021, I expect to be off of this Platform. I would like to say farewell to my many Connections. For some of you, this will not be the last you ever hear of my, as I expect to reach out and stay in contact if I feel that such action makes sense, on an individual basis. I have enjoyed learning about some very interesting activities some of you are up to, have enjoyed following thing such as the rise of the new United States Space Force, for example, the going-on at companies such as SNC and SpaceX -- all really good stuff, I must say! Congratulations and keep up the great work!

Onward and upward! May the Lord bless you and keep you! Fair winds and following seas! Respectfully -- Steve Morgan, January 10th, 2021. Sine die ...