Not the Mortimer Sackler Rose

Day 1175.

I planted roses in the stoge garden in memory of my Luke.
I ordered them from the alleged best rose grower in the world; David Austin.

I chose the roses for their appropriate names to reflect Luke’s life.

The Mortimer Sackler rose was not one of them.

Planting the roses, I pondered - Do they know?

Dear Mr. Austin

Further to my email of February 13th, 2019 entitled Mortimer Sackler Rose:

I urged you to re-google Mortimer Sackler’s name.
It was a gentle request to save you the embarrassment of having, maybe unwittingly, named a rose after a terrible man.
I have received no reply. 
I thought maybe you would gently and quietly remove his name in embarrassment, but no. 
Today I see, in your new catalog, that the Mortimer Sackler rose remains.

The news is awash with the actions of many art institutions, The Tate, The National Portrait Gallery, The National Gallery, The Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim, to name but a few, now refusing donations from the Sacklers and removing their name from their buildings. These honorable institutions are no longer granting cultural legitimacy or social stature to a family who paid for their reputation laundering philanthropy with wealth amassed from knowingly unleashing an international opioid crisis and killing millions. But David Austin is.

The Sackler family has been caught in a staggering amount of deception, greed, and immorality at a phenomenal cost to human life over several decades. This is a fact. This now is the subject of many court transcripts and damages have been ordered to help those affected. 
The family moved their money to protect their wealth.

In the name of all the pain, Mortimer Sackler and his family have caused, I urge you once more, to find a new name for your rose and cease the honor that you grant him.
A name that befits it’s beauty.
Maybe lukelove.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sheila Scott 

The right to name this rose was auctioned on behalf of The National Trust. 
It would have been a lovely donation for the auction, from David Austin in aid of the National Trust. 
It was all done in the name of a good cause, likely at a lavish gala over fine wine and dinner, the charitable extravagance paid for by his wife Theresa Sackler (applause, applause) with their ill-gotten gains.

Whether it is the job of the National Trust or David Austin to revoke this naming.. I don’t give a fuck - Just do it in the name of all our dead children. Do it because it is right.

David Austin’s continued support and legitimization of the Sacklers through this rose makes me want to dig up my stunning rose garden and dump them on David Austin’s desk.
Maybe I will. Maybe I’ll film it.

Their careless disregard makes me sob. I can barely see this page for tears.
I am furious and bereft.