Helen Thomas probes White House on torture; online community sends flowers
{{date|April 25, 2008}}
[[Image:Bushandhelenthomas.jpg|300px|thumb|President George W. Bush conveys birthday wishes in 2006 to reporter Helen Thomas in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. {{image credit|1=[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/08/images/20060802-3_d-0386-1-515h.html White House photo by Eric Draper]}}]]
On Wednesday, long-time White House correspondent {{w|Helen Thomas}} questioned {{w|White House}} Press Secretary {{w|Dana Perino}} bluntly and repeatedly about [[United States]] President [[George W. Bush]]'s recent confirmation that he had approved {{w|CIA}} interrogation policies that included {{w|waterboarding}}.

"Where is everybody?" asked Thomas, apparently frustrated with lack of attention her colleagues had given the issue. The community at the social news site ''{{w|reddit}}'' answered "Here we are"; a message they plan to deliver along with several thousand dollars in flowers and other gifts.

Thomas's questions became front-page news on ''reddit'' this morning, via a ''Think Progress'' blog post that includes a {{w|C-SPAN}} 2 video clip of Thomas during yesterday's press briefing. Noting the president's repeated assertion that the U.S. does not torture, Thomas characterized the authorized interrogation techniques as torture. 

"Now he has admitted that he did sign off on torture, he did know about it," said Thomas, "so how do you reconcile this credibility gap?" 

Perino reiterated that the "United States has not, is not torturing any detainees in the global war on terror." 

{{QuoteLeft|That's not my question. My question is, why did he say publicly 'we do not torture', when he really did know that we do?|4={{w|Helen Thomas}}}}
Whether waterboarding, among other techniques, should be categorized as torture has been a subject of political contention in recent months. Thomas was unequivocal, responding to Perino: "That's not my question. My question is, why did he say publicly 'we do not torture', when he really did know that we do?" 

In appreciation of the reporter asking "A REAL QUESTION" (as the headline put it), reddit users (known as "redditors") have collected over $3,000 for the purchase of flowers, edible arrangements and other gifts. Several 'redditors' also claimed to have ordered flowers for Thomas independently.

The bulk of the money was collected through ''Chipin.com'', on a donation page created Micah Fitch, a musician and graphic designer in {{w|Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis}}, [[Minnesota]]. As of publication, the site registered 400 contributors for a total of $3,125. Fitch also created a wiki, ''FlowersWiki'', for organizing the gift purchases and selecting messages to go with them. A large delivery to the {{w|Washington D.C.}} offices of Thomas's employer Hearst Newspapers is being scheduled for Friday morning.

One redditor claims that a friend who works for ''{{w|The Daily Show}}'' is pitching the story to the show's staff.

This is not the first time Thomas has received a high-volume flower gift. In 2006, an e-mail campaign that began on the political website {{w|Democratic Underground}} collected over $2000 and resulted in delivery of 108 dozen roses.

{{haveyoursay}}
== Sources ==
{{original}}
*{{source|url=http://flowerswiki.wordhop.com/index.php?title=Main_Page&oldid=237
|title=Main Page
|author=
|pub=FlowersWiki
|date=April 25, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://reddit.com/info/6gws2/comments/
|title=Breaking: Reporter Actually ... OMG .... Asks A REAL QUESTION at the White House!
|author=
|pub=reddit
|date=April 24, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://reddit.com/info/6gymw/comments/
|title=Let's send Helen Thomas flowers for being the only reporter with the guts to ask tough questions at the White House.
|author=
|pub=reddit
|date=April 24, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://reddit.com/info/6gz36/comments/
|title=ChipIn for Flowers for Helen Thomas
|author=
|pub=reddit
|date=April 24, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://reddit.com/info/6gymw/comments/c03tb5x
|title=comment by halcyonw regarding ''The Daily Show''
|author=
|pub=reddit
|date=April 24, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://flowersforhelenthomas.chipin.com/helen-thomas-deserves-some-flowers
|title=Helen Thomas deserves some flowers.
|author=
|pub=ChipIn.com
|date=April 24, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0408/More_Flowers_for_Helen.html
|title=More Flowers for Helen
|author=Michael Calderone
|pub=Politico
|date=April 24, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/04/20080423-4.html
|title=Press Briefing by Dana Perino 
|author=
|pub=White House
|date=April 23, 2008}} (12:45 p.m. {{w|Eastern Time Zone|eastern time}})
*{{source|url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=HuWTAgz_NSc
|title=Helen Thomas roundhouses Perino on torture
|author=
|pub=YouTube
|date=April 23, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/23/thomas-chides-colleagues-torture/
|title=Thomas Breaks Press’s 14 Day Silence On Bush’s Torture Approval, Chides Colleagues: ‘Where Is Everybody?’
|author=Ben
|pub=Think Progress
|date=April 23, 2008 (Blog)}} 
*{{source|url=http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/2006/04/helen-thomas-gets-flowers-from-left.html
|title= Helen Thomas Gets Flowers from the Left
|author=egalia
|pub=Tennessee Guerilla Women
|date=April 6, 2006}}

{{publish}}
{{archived}}

[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Wackynews]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Computing]]
[[Category:Science and technology]]
[[Category:Reddit]]
[[Category:Executive Office of the President of the United States]]
President George W. Bush conveys birthday wishes in 2006 to reporter Helen Thomas in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. 
On Wednesday, long-time White House correspondent White House Press Secretary CIA interrogation policies that included .

"Where is everybody?" asked Thomas, apparently frustrated with lack of attention her colleagues had given the issue. The community at the social news site  answered "Here we are"; a message they plan to deliver along with several thousand dollars in flowers and other gifts.

Thomas's questions became front-page news on reddit this morning, via a Think Progress blog post that includes a  2 video clip of Thomas during yesterday's press briefing. Noting the president's repeated assertion that the U.S. does not torture, Thomas characterized the authorized interrogation techniques as torture. 

"Now he has admitted that he did sign off on torture, he did know about it," said Thomas, "so how do you reconcile this credibility gap?" 

Perino reiterated that the "United States has not, is not torturing any detainees in the global war on terror." 


Whether waterboarding, among other techniques, should be categorized as torture has been a subject of political contention in recent months. Thomas was unequivocal, responding to Perino: "That's not my question. My question is, why did he say publicly 'we do not torture', when he really did know that we do?" 

In appreciation of the reporter asking "A REAL QUESTION" (as the headline put it), reddit users (known as "redditors") have collected over $3,000 for the purchase of flowers, edible arrangements and other gifts. Several 'redditors' also claimed to have ordered flowers for Thomas independently.

The bulk of the money was collected through Chipin.com, on a donation page created Micah Fitch, a musician and graphic designer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of publication, the site registered 400 contributors for a total of $3,125. Fitch also created a wiki, FlowersWiki, for organizing the gift purchases and selecting messages to go with them. A large delivery to the  offices of Thomas's employer Hearst Newspapers is being scheduled for Friday morning.

One redditor claims that a friend who works for  is pitching the story to the show's staff.

This is not the first time Thomas has received a high-volume flower gift. In 2006, an e-mail campaign that began on the political website  collected over $2000 and resulted in delivery of 108 dozen roses.
Internet Politics and conflicts Wackynews United States Computing Science and technology Reddit Executive Office of the President of the United States