I agree with each of you on some points, but -- Because I am an organic gardener and a vegetarian, I know quite a few people who share those interests, and they come from every part of the political spectrum. So I try to remember (except with people I know very well) that if I assume that someone who shares one of my interests will also agree with me politically, I have about a 50-50 chance of offending them. So, as organicguy says, there are other forums for other topics. On the Organic Gardening forum, maybe we should stick to talking about how to garden organically.

I can't say anything nice about this, so I'll leave it at that.

Can you eliminate the wasp nests on your property? I spray proactively every spring, summer and fall with raid hornet killer, in all the attic eaves and around our barn. I never have a problem with wasps frequenting my hummingbird feeders, porch or entire property for that matter. My husband is allergic to stings and I am terrified of wasps and hornets, so I practice prevention. I give bees more lattitude unless they decide to build a nest on our property, but most of our flower pollinators live elsewhere, and they never visit the hummer feeders. Getting rid of the wasps might be the answer to your problem, but wait until after dark to spray their nests and be sure to thoroughly soak them. It is easiest (and safest) to nip nest building in the bud before they gain size and population.

I have had a variety of volunteer careers. My most recent was for Habitat for Humanity - I really supported their mission. I liked the development coordinator and did some projects for her...the biggest one was working on their charity auction - their biggest fundraiser of the season. I was SHOCKED by the way the organization (the local one) failed to support her in this effort. I'm talking about the admin. She was not allowed to have the volunteer coordinator find volunteers for her, she had to find her own. It was a huge undertaking. There is a Restore attached and the staff there (all men) were all given free tix to the event, but were not expected to help in any way...in fact they were prohibited. Director is a man, and the sexist hierarchy was apparent...on the last days before the event the place was abuzz with mostly women doing the bulk of the work (there were some great male board members and volunteers helping, too). There was no other staff or admin support at all. The director cruised through the work spaces and never once asked how it was going, never lifted a finger to help. He left the event and the exhausted event coordinator to deal with all the unsold auction items with none of the guys from the restore expected to help clear things out of the space. I was so appalled and attended the board/auction committee debriefing after and expressed my dismay. The development coordinator left the agency because of it all and I never went back. They no longer get my $$. Sometimes it's hard to know if you are a good fit until you've been there for a while; sometimes it's apparent on the first day.