OUTRAGEOUS SCANDAL BREWING: What Pelosi did with the flowers. (Proof in pics)

[babylonsister]

I know folks on DU also sent flowers to Speaker Pelosi, so thought you'd get a kick out of this.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/26/851310/-OUTRAGEOUS-SCANDAL-BREWING:-What-Pelosi-did-with-the-flowers.%28Proof-in-pics%29

OUTRAGEOUS SCANDAL BREWING: What Pelosi did with the flowers. (Proof in pics)
by Mike Stark

Fri Mar 26, 2010 at 05:33:00 PM PDT



I was all over this story today. I knew if I nosed around long enough, it'd devolve into a tale of sordid immorality. Here's my story in pictures:

Flowers arriving. Nothing fishy yet:



This is 2 (of six) carts that were used to deliver the flowers:

The last carts on their way inside (Washington monument in the background):

At this point, I started to get a little bit discouraged. No matter how much I dug and dug, I couldn't turn up even one speck of muck to rake. I was beginning to worry that your dogged sleuth was outmatched by the Speaker's superior dark arts.

But then I got my big break. (Actually, it was a call from the Speaker's New Media Outreach Coordinator.) I drove to the other side of town, and wait until you see where your flowers went...

*

My trip took me to Walter Reed Medical Center. I could scarcely believe my eyes: the place was awash is some awfully familiar looking red roses!

This wounded warrior's girlfriend simply doesn't like red roses, but that didn't stop his mom from taking a bunch!



One young soldier declined our offer of a dozen red roses by looking at us like we had two heads while shaking his head vigorously from side to side. That wasn't this guy.



The military has changed a lot since I separated 20 years ago. There were several women warriors recovering from battle wounds. If what they say about mental attitude and its importance to the healing process has any validity, y'all may have helped more than you know.



Healing is easier when it's a family affair.





But it takes a better man than I to keep the kids looking at the camera:



Sometimes it's easy to overlook the caregivers. But the DailyKos kooks don't forget!



Housekeeping shared in the nice surprise today too!



In closing, let's add it up. There were 6 carts used to carry the roses into the Capitol. Each of those carts carried 6 bins. Each of those bins carried 6 bunches of a dozen roses. Doing the math, at least 216 soldiers or family members had their day brightened quite a bit by your (and the Speaker's) thoughtfulness, compassion and generosity.

Good Job DailyKos! This has always been a pretty awesome place, and it keeps getting better.

[cynatnite]

1. I posted this, too, but yours looks better!

K&R!

[handmade34]

2. blessings upon all these fine people

and Nancy Pelosi also

[aquart]

3. What a lot of disposable income some have.

I'm glad the flowers were used to bring joy.

Other than that, I'm appalled.

I have so little to give, and I have to decide each month who gets that tiny amount. My mom sits and cries over the piles of letters begging her for money for so many, many deserving causes.

But the Kossacks decided the way to honor Pelosi was roses. Roses she didn't keep.

Geniuses those Kossacks.

[ProSense]

4. "Other than that, I'm appalled."

Some things should be kept to oneself.

[DeschutesRiver]

18. +1000. nt

[ChairmanAgnostic]

45. perhaps they used the wrong suffix? "ing" instead of "ed" would fit.

[Dappleganger]

8. Buying those roses supported an American small business.

WTH is wrong with that?

If you can't stop to smell the roses what are we fighting for?
Step back and BREATHE.

[xultar]

11. Some people want the whole world to be miserable with them. That is all...

in some cases those people have been hurt or are hurting and will hurt for ever.

But that isn't enough for some Duers. They want them to hurt even more without knowing a little joy that roses could bring for just a moment.
SAD SAD SAD SHIT

[aquart]

15. I'd rather rescue a dying animal. That joy doesn't last only till the petals drop.

Didn't occur to any of you to send donations to, say, a free clinic in Pelosi's name? To a woman's shelter? To an animal shelter? To Haiti? To..............endless, desperate charities but you spent hundreds on roses.

I envy your disposable income. I do. How wonderful to feel that money can be wasted.

It was rose overkill. And my suspicion is she thought you were idiots.

[Dappleganger]

27. FWIW, I didn't send flowers.

We just can't afford it right now.

But I fully support those who WANTED to--that is their FREEDOM to choose to do something nice as a way to thank Ms. Pelosi for all the hard work she's done.

And I would bet you have NO IDEA just how she felt. Why don't you contact her office and share some of your lovely personality with her and ASK.

[meeshrox]

29. I didn't send flowers, either...

but this still brought a tear...I emailed her to thank her and her staff for the hard work and to send happy b-day wishes.

I'm very happy that so many people were able to send flowers and I'm even happier that Pelosi forwarded them to other people that deserve the love.

I've said this on other threads, and I'll say it now:
People on these threads could probably list a million charities/organizations to send money to. It's the individual's business to whom they donate their hard-earned money. Lay off!

[prolesunited]

35. If that was, IN YOUR OPINION, the best thing to do

why didn't YOU start the campaign and do it?

I'll tell you what. Next time somebody wants to send a bunch of roses, why don't you organize your own campaign to make a donation in the honorees name. It will be a productive use of your time and instead of criticizing other people's efforts, you can start your own thread bragging about what you accomplished.

And why on earth would Speaker Pelosi think the people who did this were idiots? When someone gives you a gift, even if you do think it's a bit over the top, do you think that person is an idiot for their gesture?

[Shiraz]

39. hey dude :

It was her birthday.

[fasttense]

42. I know what it's like not to have any disposable income.

And to see all the people who do have a little extra make a grand gesture like this well it gets kind of tough. But their heart was in the right place and some wounded soldiers, their families and caregivers got a nice surprise. True, there were other ways to say thank you but there was no harm in what they did.

Let them enjoy their moment. It was a thoughtful and kind gesture. Something this world needs a whole lot more of.

Here's hoping you can spare a dime or time in the future to perform a thoughtful and kind gesture. It sounds like you could use a moment to enjoy.

[WilliamPitt]

47. (facepalm)

[PopSixSquish]

62. I'll See Your (facepalm) and Raise You a (headdesk)

Some folks need to resign their memberships in NAPO - National Association of the Perpetually Offended...

[Butch350]

51. How do you know...?

Maybe they do donate money to the causes you mentioned - but it's a tradition to send roses, (flowers), to a LADY!

I gave you some much needed attention. (here's a hug), (and another), from a brother with a different mother.

ZenWind )=(

[DevonRex]

55. Or, you could realize that everybody KNEW that those flowers would then be donated

to a nearby hospital or nursing home, to help brighten the day of folks in pain. That's standard operating procedure, you know. So, those flowers made Nancy happy on her birthday and then made soldiers and their spouses and/or mothers happy.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

59. "And my suspicion is she thought you were idiots."

My suspicion is she felt appreciated, and wanted to pass the sense of appreciation along to others who need it.

I applaud her and the people here who were thoughtful enough to send her flowers.

And I applaud you for doing your part in your way; but ask you, please, do not chastise people for not doing things precisely the same way you do.

[aquart]

14. Which small business?

You want to support American small business and give a tribute to Pelosi, I can steer you to a crafts fair in any city with incredibly beautiful work that needs to be bought. What about commissioning a piece of stained glass showing a child with a doctor? That would also support a small business.

A HUGE number of roses? Expensive extravagance she couldn't even use.

ONLY people who aren't worried about money would do it.

You sent hundreds of roses to a very rich woman. Gosh, I'm impressed.

[CTyankee]

24. Oh, c'mon. I can second guess just like you but a bit of sunshine in people's lives isn't nothing!

But more importantly we were supporting an idea of democracy, however flawed, which is a helluva lot more than the repubs are or have been doing.

What we've done is shown the community of the military the Left's commitment to them and that is important and even necessary politically...now they know that a liberal, progressive community supports THEM, the often forgotten military rank and file. And that is really impressive, IMO. It will have good, really good, rewards for what we think is important in our country...

[meeshrox]

30. From the original OP:

"Coast-to-Coast Florist is gonna give us the same special pricing that they gave for the Boxer campaign: Just $10 to send 3 roses direct to Speaker Pelosi's Washington D.C. office!

To add your order, simply call: 1 866 596 1860."

Party Pooper!

edited to add: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8014027

[Xithras]

56. FWIW, I happen to agree. Nearly all roses sold commercially are imported nowadays.

There are still some roses grown in the U.S. for commercial sales, but the industry sales numbers are only about 2% of what they were in the early 90's. The free trade agreements nearly wiped American floriculture out of existence, and pretty much every rose or carnation you see in a florists shop today was grown in either Chile, Ecuador, or Colombia. The only American involvement is in the final sales and delivery.

Up until last year, there were still two florists in my area that still sold American grown roses (you have to specifically ask). When a friends mother passed away last year and I went to send her some condolence flowers, I discovered that one of them no longer guaranteed American flowers, and now sold a "mix" (as they described it). The other flower shop now gets all of my business. The owner of that shop told me that about a fifth of his customers buy from him specifically because he uses domestically grown flowers, and that he had no intention of switching. So, I support him and just buy from him now.

If you want to support American farmers while buying flowers, ASK where the flowers originate. Buy only from stores that sell American grown flowers!

[Hekate]

63. A couple of weeks ago I went to a greenhouse open house in Carpinteria, Calif.

Friends and I just drove around the outskirts of this small town following a map of participating growers. They all acknowledged the inroads from South American florists and their cheap labor -- ironically they originally helped set up the Columbian business as it was supposed to be an alternative to coca.

The growers in Carpinteria still provide a huge percentage of the remaining cut flowers in the US: roses, Gerbera daisies, orchids, and more. Many if not most of the greenhouses are owned by the original founding families. They are wholesalers, so I don't know if you could ordinarily order a bouquet from, say, Westerlay Roses or Florabundance, but if you ever wanted to find out more you can google for "Carpinteria flower growers" and get lots of links.

It's quite an operation out here, and there's a small pre-tour story here giving some of the stats
http://www.kcoy.com/Global/story.asp?S=12087685

Hekate

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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[aquart]

13. I'm not.

Pelosi thought of a good use for those roses. More power to her. None of the Kossacks did. They sent an expensive useless (for her) accolade to Pelosi. SHE turned the lemons into lemonade.

Roses are nice to brighten a day. Babysitters paid for are better. That is the first thing I could think of to help those vets and I don't know that much about them and their needs. I suspect roses are way down on the list.

The self-congratulation over this Republican-like extravagance still appalls me. It ain't the 80s anymore.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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[babylonsister]

40. Hey, silly, the accolade was the whole point. She was appreciated,

and it shows. It's nice to reward people who do good. And $10 to do so, by lots of people? And the fact she shed sunshine on others? I really don't understand your gripe.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

46. Symbols and gestures have a huge impact.

Look at the Alamo. Geographically unimposing, its location unimportant, and its eventual impact on the Texican-Mexican-American skirmish, huge. It became shorthand for patriotism, nationalism, and victory.

Or look at the Pet Rock. Although it preceded her appearance on the national stage by 3 decades, it quickly became the symbol of the ability of one former Alaskan governor to complete a rational sentence or even concoct a coherent thought. Nothing else truly grasps the subtle verbal meanderings of Sarah like the Pet Rock. Sarah is the Pet Rock. The Pet Rock IS Sarah Palin.

Here, people, especially staffers, worked unimaginable hours, weekends, evenings, and most of the time, it must have felt like they got little support from the White House, and less from critically impotent senators and congressmen. On top of that, the N'Roots were pissed and demanded more. How small of a cost those roses were, and how great a symbol of thanks to Nancy, her staffers, and eventually to former soldiers warehoused and stored, forgotten, injured, in pain, and quite possibly dying at Walter Reed.

Are we so small minded and petty, that we cannot afford a gesture of thanks and appreciation, one that was wonderfully and thoughtfully shared with the troops and staff? That money would pay for one meal, ONE MEAL at Detroit's largest soup kitchen. While feeding the poor, the homeless, the jobless, and the hungry is critically important, it is no insult to them to celebrate a victory with a warm, heartfelt symbol and gesture.

[TommyO]

19. Somebody always has to rain on the parade

These flowers brought smiles to people, who are you to begrudge them that?

[Omaha Steve]

26. I've given time and $ to save whales, seals, polar bears, wolves, manatees, cat & dogs,...

I only honor a warrior that carried the great burden of health care on her shoulders for over a year. Without 4 or 5 key individuals, we would not be celebrating our new found power as Democrats.

3 roses plus tax = 10.70. The photo of the other warrior in a wheel chair with her roses = priceless.

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

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[JDPriestly]

32. Roses that will brighten the Palm Sunday tables of a lot of military families.

I like this. Look at the smiles on the faces of those who received the roses. Flowers bring joy. They bring beauty. They cheer us up.

[Odin2005]

37. Jesus Christ Almighty, aren't you a little ray of sunshine today!

:eyes:

I hate people who think that as long as there are people suffering individual happiness is not allowed.

[DevonRex]

54. How petty of you. nt

[axollot]

57. I am broke too. Seriously broke. It's amazing tho how far a little can go when

you add it up together. There are a lot of deserving charities out there - this brought joy too, so what if it was roses? Roses those men may not have had the $$ themselves to buy for their loved ones. I give what I can where I can, I do not own c/c's (besides the debit kind), 15 here, 5 here it adds up. I have more than an orphan in Viet Nam tho.

If you think I have $$ I do not. Not even a little bit. LOL. I live on a disability income - there are many ways to share a smile tho. Many ways - many blessings. Smiles heal.

Cheers
Sandy

[RetroLounge]

60. You're appalled?

So everyone should be a miserable as you?

Get over yourself.

RL

[tabatha]

61. She kept some of them.

[flvegan]

IMPEACHMENT NOW!!

do I really need this ---> :sarcasm:

[madrchsod]

5. did`t helen send our flowers to walter reed?

[aquart]

17. Wasn't that long before the economy crashed?

Before thousands of Americans lost their jobs and homes?

That overkill on roses was a lot of fun back then. She certainly deserved them. I'm so shocked that so many Democrats don't notice that times have changed.

[onenote]

34. it was april 2006 and you're right, no one was unemployed or hungry then

:sarcasm:

[madrchsod]

6. oh yes..a big

to the good folks at kos......

[Bitwit1234]

7. Nancy Pelosi continues to have class. Something

no republican or tea bag would have it if took 1,000 years.

[TommyO]

20. or even some DUers based on what I've read on this thread.

[Dappleganger]

9. It's socialism, I swear!

Taking from Nancy and spreading it around.
Poor lady.


BTW, wonder if she got that pool table she wanted?

[PatSeg]

58. I was wondering that as well

I got a bizarre picture of ten pool tables arriving at her home!

[Hekate]

21. KnR. Applause to all.

:applause:

[WinterParkDonkey]

23. It is a beautiful gesture....

from a very classy lady--who would have a problem with that. Someone should send these to Chris Matthews or Rachel Maddow.

[malaise]

22. This was truly fabulous

Congrats all :applause:

[Bluerthanblue]

25. this makes my heart sing-

thank you for posting this- and thank you to those who gave- wish I could have.

:grouphug:

[JDPriestly]

31. Looks like a lot of military families will have a brighter, more beautiful Palm Sunday

thanks to DailyKos and Nancy Pelosi. This is wonderful.

[RoccoR5955]

33. I am certain that these roses went a long way to the recovery of the vets

The mind is a powerful thing, and morale means all the more when one is recovering from something in the hospital. I think that though this was an extravagance, it was put to good use in the recovery of some of our veterans.

[Odin2005]

36. That's Class!

:yourock:

[jillan]

38. That made me well up!

[Qutzupalotl]

41. A Republican would have called a press conference.

[rasputin1952]

44. And then toss the roses on the bonfire of the books they are burning...

a blaze they lit with the Bill of rights...:hi:

[vaberella]

43. This is great to hear. Wow...Madame Speaker did good and so did the flower givers. n/t

[Drops_not_Dope]

48. Roses are

Off The Table too?

[BEZERKO]

49. I think Nancy has done a great job lately.

And she's tough!

She posted a thank you for the flowers on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/v/d7MxRlkwXjI&color1

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

50. I think it's great she donated the roses to Walter Reed. Anything that brings

a smile to the face of our wounded warriors and those who care for them is a mitzvah (good deed) in my book.

[Libby2]

52. Beautiful, thanks for posting!

[blondeatlast]

53. I'm choking up big time. What a savvy, classy, and thoughtful woman. A little beauty

for those who've seen real ugliness.

Wonderful.