Met at Mary Ellen's last night and it was another long, long night. Didn't get home until 11:00 and to bed until midnight. My script was well-received and we went through the whole thing, but I have a bunch of re-writing to do. Some of the ideas and suggestions are good, others I'm not so sure of, but generally, I think it was worthwhile to get input from the players.
We looked at Mary Ellen's outline for her Jersey Devil piece, too, and kicked around a lot of ideas. I enjoy these creative sessions, just wish they weren't so far away and continue so late. Tonight, the first meeting for Hedda Gabler (to be staged in November) isn't until 8:00, but at least it's nearby in the old municipal building.
Wider: I'm slipping in one of those I-don't-always agree-with-him Fred Reed columns in his "Fred On Everything" blog. Here, he points out the inconsistencies of Israel and some Jews on aggression (okay for us, an abomination for them). He notes that the generally recognized high intellect of many Jews doesn't lead to a realization of the inhumanity of aggression, but:
"Intelligence does allow the fabrication of high-sounding motives. Thugs simply hit people on the head. It is a straightforward and honest undertaking. The smart come up with grand justifications. Americans had Manifest Destiny and now have Spreading Democracy. Israel says its settlements have the right of “natural growth” or, in German, lebensraum. All these amount to 'I want it. Give it to me or I’ll kill you.'
I agree on this one, Fred. All aggressors bastardize their language to promote the idea--so successful in the U.S., too--that it's okay to slaughter "the others."