A red rose and a briar

The Human Flower Project reports that legislators in the state of Delaware “clobbered a bill permitting research with human embryos”. So far, so predictable. What seems shameful to me is that opponents of the bill used red roses to influence the law-makers. They asked opponents of research to contribute funds towards buying the flowers, and when the members of the Delaware house took their seats each was greeted with a vase of flowers, and each stem carried a card saying that it was from a constituent who opposed the bill. As Julie explained:

Did red roses actually change the outcome of the stem-cell vote in Delaware? We don't know. We DO know that "Roses...sent to lawmakers to represent constituents opposed to the measure, flooded Legislative Hall offices last week," and that's when favor on the Sentate Bill began to deteriorate. And we know that despite months of careful groundwork to move the bill through, yesterday "the House voted 32-3 in favor of a gutted version of the bill that sets a $1 million fine for human reproductive cloning and a $100,000 fine for sale of a human embryo."

Julie also notes that flowers “claim the moral high ground,” and act as a subtle signal that God, or Nature, is on our side.

Personally, I’m not sure there is a single flower that has been as messed about with by crazed and ammoral Satan-worshipping horticultural Frankensteins than the long-stemmed red rose. Stem cells, not quite, but just about every evil technique you can think has played its nefarious part in the development and promulgation of these abominations.

Alas, they’re generally thornless (Help! Mutants!) or I know where I’d suggest the lawmakers stick them.