Call to Action - Video: SSDI Access in Peril

Watch the video posted by John Michael Neil on his RootDig blog of Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue's testimony about the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) before a congressional committee.

Commissioner Astrue's comments about genealogists has been described as "condescending" by Dick Eastman on his Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.

You be the judge then use the Call to Action tools we recently posted to let your voice be heard about this important issue.

posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond

Call to Action - SSDI Records Access in Peril

The Federation of Genealogical Societies posted the following information on its blog regarding the need for all genealogists to take action now to fight Congressional attempts to close access to the Social Security Death Index (SSDI):

The Records Preservation and Access Committee has created a Call to Action Kit to support the Stop ID Theft NOW initiative.

Access the kit at http://www.fgs.org/rpac/sddi-call-to-action-kit/.

If you have questions concerning the Social Security Death Index and its possible loss as a resource for the genealogical community, please check all the resources available in the kit including:

• Educational videos and FAQ sheets.

• Information on the Stop Identity Theft NOW! petition via the We The People website.

• Form letters that you can use to contact Congress and let them know you do not support removal of the Social Security Death Index.

• And ways to spread the word to other members of the genealogical community.

posted b Denise Hibsch Richmond

This is the Face of Genealogy

Thomas MacEntee posted a link to LA Weekly's website promoting the Southern California Genealogical Society's 42nd Annual Genealogy Jamboree. He says "The photo used by LA Weekly was, to say the least, offensive to genealogists everywhere. Click on the link and view the article.  If you want to respond to the article, you may send an email to the editor of the LAWeekly using their online form.

Thomas MacEntee requested "Also, I’m asking that every genealogy blogger put up their favorite ancestor photo with the simple post title “This Is The Face of Genealogy.” Together, hopefully we can turn this offensive piece into a win situation for the genealogy community."

This is my face of genealogy.

Photo: Mary Agnes Beyer Eaton, 1920's, Truckee, California. Digital image in possession of Ron Setzer [address private], Citrus Heights, California.

Posted by Ron Setzer