Speaking truth should not get you banned!

Yes indeed it is a sad state of affairs. We love our country and care about all others. If by some wild chance you were banned it would be shame on them NOT you!

Apologies for the behavior of our current idiots-in-charge to all of our LOVELY neighbors to the north. I am truly, deeply sorry.

I want to echo @indianagardengirl comments. Many of us south of the border between us are appalled, embarrassed, frightened & worried about our futures. Many of us did not cast our choices for the current crew in charge. Many of us are in the KT topic with threads that often are removed by site hosts but it’s evident from the comments that 99% of us posting are kindred spirits. Please don’t leave us! We are the same friends you knew and liked and many of us are suffering extreme anxiety.

Count me in as so sorry and appalled. Please don't give up on us, many of us are still sane - Go Wisconsin!!

If we can't talk openly, we can come up with a perennial code, like, my garden is full of blight at the moment

you know things are bad when politics percolate into stuff like garden discussions. I so totally get it, watching this from the other side of the pond, cant stand to watch news at the time, just can not stomache it, and I am really scared that the orange emporer and his cronies will go forward for a third term, stopped by no one, unchallenged, and then what...

"go forward for a third term, stopped by no one, unchallenged "

Seems rather unlikely. The Constitution expressly forbids it, the incumbent will be 82 at that time and is already displaying clear signs of age related decline. Plus, his recent executive actions have stimulated a significant and negative bipartisan response.

I really do agree with gardengal. But, too many of us thought that today’s situation couldn’t possibly happen & yet here we are. Many of us are hanging our hopes on changes in upcoming midterms. That is, that based on the ”…significant and negative bipartisan response..,” gg mentions, that more people will exercise their right to cast a vote than was done in last general go around.

🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

Well hey Rouge, more reason to post here just to maintain some sanity. And yes, at least your man is standing up to the orange oligarch...unlike our principle -lite, fence-sitting coward... (suspect quite a lot of opportunistic compromises are being made by Starmer et al, given the bungs they have already received from private healthcare and hedge funders).

Everywhere is seemingly controlled by the very worst people in the world...have never felt so in need of floral therapy.

I believe too many were afraid to vote. I am Caucasian, but female, and I was uncomfortable voting against the orange pervert!!!!!!

Very sad statement on voting process - being afraid to vote. I applaud the states, including mine, that have the vote by mail process & also accessible voting sites for those who can benefit from a ballot marking device. Filling in one’s ballot is done in privacy of one’s home. I can read the info pamphlet at my leisure & mark up my ballot as I do any research I want to educate myself on what I’m voting on. I do believe that vote by mail provides a more informed choice and easier access. After I either mail my completed envelope in or drop it in a secure collection box, I can track the progress of it on line to know it has been received and counted. My appreciation for the many volunteers who spend countless hours verifying my signature against records to ensure eligibility to vote. This process is another right current crew wants to take away

Canada has long had tariffs on certain US products when the US has had none on Canada

Ah, and there it is. Your perceived perception of Canada as a 'freeloader' echoes your leader's calls to us as being "a nasty country to deal with".

and we can get back to being best friends.

With "best friends" like that who needs enemies. @L Clark (zone 4 WY), you really have no idea as to what has transpired as it pertains to US/Canada relations over the past two months.

Glad you are still here Rouge! We are your friends and we can all use the serenity that comes with working in the garden, and the enjoyment that comes from garden talk. :0)

"Woah. I’ll show myself the door"

See, this is why we keep things on-topic in the gardening forums. There's no place for political talk here. I would hate for anyone here to leave the board, whatever their politics are. I realized I veered a wee bit political in my above comment and edited out that part so as not to ruffle feathers or offend.

On a lighter note, Rouge is a he?!?!

While gardening topics may be inconsequential in light of the multiple serious issues going on in the world today, taking periodic respites by gardening (or walking or yoga, etc.) is important imo to maintaining one’s sanity/mental health in uncertain times.

Glad to find a respite in this forum. Hopefully we can continue with the gardening and decorating discussions.

@L Clark (zone 4 WY) - Thank you for removing your posts

Is there any way that we can unwind this and get back to all appreciating each other here? Such a shame, that the crazy politics going on now have created such trauma to so many people that we look at each other differently.

I can’t think of a way to respond that ignores what’s been said and what is going on. So I wade in with trepidation…

Porkchop quoted ‘Woah, I’ll show myself the door.”

Did I miss something? Was there a post that was deleted? Has someone left the thread or the forum?

I can only speak for myself here, I have always had very warm and happy feelings toward Canada. And that has not changed. I had family who lived there for awhile. We have never visited a lot of Canada but it’s always on my wish list. My favorite TV show is from British Columbia - Heartland. A series about a very wholesome family living on a ranch in beautiful country. And I have always thought of Canadians as wholesome and friendly. More tolerant than we are. Less caught up in the rat race. I could go on, but every thing I normally think about Canadians is warm and fuzzy.

I mean even as a child, watching movies…Jeanette MacDonald in love with a Royal Canadian Mountie. "When I'm calling You...." :-) I always wanted to visit Quebec, and Montreal and they are just over the border from me and I haven’t made it yet. Ottawa…skating on the river around the city, reminds me of the Dutch. One of my favorite authors - Louise Penny does a mystery series set in rural small town Canada. I’ve read all her books. One of my Mom’s favorite singers was Anne Murray….and who doesn’t love Michael Buble’ and how sad was I when I heard that Celine Dion was ill and couldn’t sing.

And who ever thought one minute about Tariffs before now?

I have always enjoyed all the people here who are Canadian and join the group. Some of our more active contributors. Always friendly and respectful and …funny too...with great gardens!

So, I really don’t want to talk about politics. Right now, I can’t even turn the news on without getting upset. I hold onto gardening as a way of trying to keep my equilibrium and I imagine that is what every other gardener is doing. These are VERY stressful times. So much anxiety and uncertainty and anger.

Is there any way we can all blissfully ignore everything that is going on out there and just be here for one another?

@prairiemoon2 z6b MA - Yes, 3 posts by a poster were deleted. Some references to those posts remain. In my post just before yours I asked the poster to please remove his/her 3 posts that were political. The poster complied with my request. I modified my post (that’s just before yours) & edited my comments to the simple ”Thank you…” that courtesy calls for because the comments were removed. I didn’t want to leave my original comments & continue to make others uncomfortable but did hope to allay confusion about the thread by making it clear posts had been removed.

KW- You did a perfect job allowing us to follow along with what happened. Thank you. :-)

Yes, L Clark -- thank you for removing the posts.

I didn't remove any posts. What I said I stand by. huh??

"I didn't remove any posts. What I said I stand by. huh??"

They might have gotten flagged and removed by moderators.

L. Clark, I don't think you are reading the room. No one wants to get into a discussion about politics of any kind. You seem to be ignoring what everyone is asking for. To keep this a gardening forum where people who have long known each other can continue to enjoy a friendship without politics entering into it. Why is that so hard?

There are SO many forums where people want nothing more than to discuss politics. This just doesn't happen to be one of them.

And I think I have read every post here and I have not seen any Canadians 'trashing' Americans. I heard someone express feeling betrayed. And someone having a hard time with things that have been said about Canada in recent months. All 100% understandable.

Boy - color me surprised. I was certain that L. Clark had removed the posts. I didn’t flag the posts because I prefer the direct approach of asking. And, my understanding is that it takes more than 1 flag to remove a post. I do want to thank @prairiemoon2 z6b MA for so diplomatically explaining forum etiquette.

"L. Clark, I don't think you are reading the room."

^^This.

The point is.....keep the politics - any politics - out of the discussion. Regardless of the viewpoint, they are divisive, disruptive and against Houzz's intent. It would not surprise me at all if the mods deleted the comments in question just for that reason.

If you want to express your opinions of a political nature, there are other venues better suited. These discussions are supposed to be for gardening!!

Lol I counted 9 posts of a political nature before I chimed in. It’s just that you guys didn’t like the nature of my political post

Yes, Clark, Rouge did begin the political discussion by explaining why he was not posting here and yes he said he was venting. And then look what happened? You said something that offended him and off we go.

And LClark, it really had nothing to do with the nature of your post, for me.

Now Jay is jumping off the deep end into the political discussion.

So, really, if everyone is going to discuss this anyway, I’m going to leave you to it.

Hehe, I may sound like I jumped off the deep end but this is typical conversation at facebook. Im a truthseeker and I'll research things until I know the absolute truth.

I had to mention some facts in an attempt to comfort rouge. I think that the now defunct Hot Topics forum was the place where political conversation was acceptable. And the use of curse words wasnt frowned upon. Im not sure why houzz ended it, but I suspect it might have had something to do with politics .Lol I also suspect that charecter campunula may have gotten banned because of that forum (?) but it's just speculation.

I think some people are born to be activists. Ive befriended quite a few. Sometimes it's important to keep an eye on political events that can impact all the people who work with plants and restoration full time, so we can alert the others who spend all their time in deep study.

At social media there will be memes that evoke a certain sentiment and it circulates in an echo chamber and becomes more intense and stressful. It provokes outrage or mockery.

There also seems to always be a 50/50 split on everything. Like it was purposely orchestrated to keep everyone divided. That way all the people will never unite and take back the country. It may sound perposterous but billionaires can afford think tanks that come up with these diabolical ideas. No more politics from me.

Yep Jay, got banned from Hot Topics...twice. And yep - divide and rule - oldest trick in the book But solidarity - there are more of us - the unruly mob.

cheers,'that character Campanula'

I know that I have become a 'lite' member of this beautiful community, but I do want to say that this topic saddens me. @rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a), please do not let politics separate you from the many friends you have here, many friends who support you. I also have friends in the US via another hobby, and I/we refuse to let a politician separate us. That would be the ultimate victory of this madness and the ultimate loss in this madness.