The Chasm, Again

No photographs today. My camera went through the wash, but is slowly recovering function. Kind of like me trying to think through the American stance in Libya. Maybe it will all dry out in a couple of days.
Bottom line for me as I think about American planes bombing Libya- it is wrong to kill people and wreak destruction. I know that there is much to be said about humanitarian aid for the rebels, and we are doing this. I cannot help thinking that the U.S. did not help other African countries in dire straits (who did not have oil!)
We want to support the people who rise up against their tyrants and we want to support their push for democracy. But we Americans can do this by providing only humanitarian aid - NO VIOLENCE AND DESTRUCTION AND KILLING PEOPLE! The Libyans must construct their own version of democracy or whatever. We should have learned this lesson in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We are today talking about the goal, the end game. Seems to me that we can take the high road and the American way and let the Libyans make their way on their own. We did it in the Revolution and there were so many bumps in the road, and still are. Do we think any less about these nascent democracies? They don't need the U.N. or America bombing them! They need to work it out on their own with dignity and the caring community of nations. The rest of the world can encourage by sending in humanitarian supplies. No bombs and guns.
End of screed.
Today I went to watch twenty-four children aged eight through eleven put on the Shakespearean play "As You Like It". These kids are the treasured ones. They are healthy and beautiful, beloved by parents who care for them. These kids have learned Shakespearean English (really another language), and done everything to produce a wonderful drama. They have painted the sets, worked on costumes, and of course, learned by heart all those many lines of script. These kids know that their parents are one hundred percent behind this endeavor. Their parents sawed the "trees" for the set and helped their kids paint them. The parents climbed up into the rafters of the auditorium and managed the stage lighting. The parents coached the kids with the live music, and the parents spent hours with kids working on costumes.
And the finished production was wonderful! After the last curtain call the kids came down to see me and I told them how marvelous they were and they basked in my praise.
It is so dispiriting in my volunteer work in a public school to get anything interesting going. I wanted to have a regular "clay day" at school for parents and kids. A small beginning. I bought a hundred pounds of clay and the tools and set up a time for the first day. We had many families on board. I hammered at the school to reply to e mails. In the end, it couldn't happen for various reasons.
These kids could absolutely do Shakespeare! They could make lovely clay artifacts! But, they are hunkered down to FCAT and I fear that they and their teachers are doomed to mediocrity.