Genny Bove

Plant Seeds of Truth for Bradley Manning

Back in May, I reported on CODEPINK Kansas’ collaborative art project Plant Seeds of Truth that invited people to sow sunflower seeds, to take photos when the plants were tiny and also when in bloom and forward these to the project. The photos will be included in an exhibition to be displayed during Bradley Manning’s trial, which at that time was anticipated to be taking place in September 2012.

As well as sowing some myself, I distributed packets of sunflower seeds (the black ones favoured by birds) to others in England and Wales including at a seedling swap in Bala.

Tiny seedling

There hasn’t been much sunshine this Welsh summer and some of the seedlings succumbed to slugs. This is one that survived. Others self-seeded from previous years and just appeared amongst the broccoli, courgettes and potatoes.

In full bloom

Like Brad, these particular sunflowers stand little over five foot and are in all other ways superlative. They’re a particular favourite with our local nuthatch families.

“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”

The late Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice,
speaking on the need for openness and transparency (1913)

“Some of us from Kansas will be traveling to Fort Meade with the Plant Seeds of Truth Project to install it as a collective voice of love and appreciation for both the native Sunflower and America’s son, Bradley Manning.”

CODEPINK Kansas

Brad is also a son of Wales. His mother is Welsh, he was living here less than a decade ago as a teenager and still has close family in Wales.

If you took part in this project, don’t forget to send copies of your photos to Plant Seeds of Truth.

Bradley Manning is back at Fort Meade, Maryland for another pretrial hearing from Tuesday 28 August. This month we learned that Brad’s torture at Quantico was ordered by a three-star general far removed from the brig with everyone below this officer complicit in the abuse. These issues will be addressed at a further pretrial hearing due to take place 1 – 5 October.