All
Many thanks for your messages, lump-in-the-throat seems to be an affliction that comes with age
I have laid out my reasoning and my feeling to a mod I like and respect and will decide where I go from here
I'll miss this forum and many of the people on it - it's been a voice that I (and I suspect others) wouldn't have had on subjects that are important to me, it has also been an opportunity to make friends I wouldn't otherwise have met.
I will say that, while I have accepted and sometimes have been relieved to see threads closed when they have got out of hand, I will not hang around when entire humanitarian subjects are formally made no-go areas without obvious reason and without the right of appeal (even criminals are granted that right)
I don't think I have been any more responsible for closing threads than anybody else, but I was not granted the right to respond to that accusation.
Ah well - as I said to the mod - I'll see what happens
The very best to you all (hope this posting doesn't get the tread closed)
Jim