Oh no, now you’ve done started it.

I could write up a steam about scam email messages and, here in Germany, totally illegal but regularly placed commercial phone calls by companies who got my number from other @@**@@ companies that simply sold it.

For example, one of the reasons I cancelled Time Magazine was that I’m sure they squandered my address to anyone paying a cent for it (or they simply gave it away for free). Now that two years have passed since I cancelled it, spam snail mail has decreased to a trickle).

Today I talked to someone in one of Germany’s biggest cities who was accosted by several scam artists walking door to door in her suburb, giving people a bad conscience for not giving money for some invented charity. She almost fell for it and paid up and it took me a while to convince her that NOT giving anything was the only right thing to do.

By entering my phone number into our so-called Robinson list, unwanted phone calls have also decreased substantially, but I’m most likely to answer my phone regularly with a healthy “f**k off” before I’ve even heard a single sound. Not a good thing for my social life.

I’m seriously tired of this cr*p invading my privacy via mail, phone and unwanted visitors and we desperately need some laws that make it a lot easier to scare these imbeciles away. Right now it’s just too troublesome to contact the authorities every time ... and then it takes forever for something to happen (if anything ever does).

Do you think 10 years of forced labour might be scary enough?

I say we should go for 20.

You know, I’m not even sure what the legal status of scam emails are here. No one tries to do anything about them and they sure don’t seem to be a priority with the gov’t.

I’ve reached the conclusion that most of my spam originates with the big broadband companies. It was terrible with Comcast and is growing worse with Verizon. I didn’t use the comcast address very much and have rarely used the Verizon one. Both companies swear (hahahaha!) that our information is private (hahahaha!), but someone is getting the info from them somehow.

I’m not bothered much by unwanted phone calls. Between caller ID and my anwering machine, nothing gets through unless I want it to. Considering how infrequently I get spam calls, I presume my number has been gradually weeded off lists as one that is a total waste of time.

It’s the door-to-door solicitors that I HATE. During the summer, it’s nearly non-stop. I feel like a fugitive in my own home sometimes. If I leave my front door open it’s an open invitation. If I’m outside, it’s an open invitation. If I’m inside they stand on the front porch and peer in the front windows. That drives me wild. I end up hiding in the stairwell until they go away. Because I cannot stand talking with them and if they see a sign of movement, they renew their banging on the door with purpose.

I think 20 years is a good round number.

what about a “No Sollicitors” sign.  Or maybe one that says “Sollicitors will be shot”.

I like the simplicity of your second idea, Steph. Direct, to the point.