Took Sophs to the first in a series of history co-ops today : we're going to be working our way through The Story of the World.

I didn't have terribly high expectations for the co-op; some of the homeschool things I've been to have been distinctly too schooly for my taste. But this was great. The person who put it together worked really hard - she had a mini archaeological dig set up for the kids, they did a "cave painting", and they read a couple of related books. The vibe reminded me of the art group we used to have in Durban - loud happy kids and nursing toddlers and cool creative stuff happening. Sophie learned lots and had tons of fun with the other kids.

And I enjoyed spending time with the other moms, several of whom are still absolutely shattered over Kerry's defeat. It helps, knowing that there are so many of us who feel the same way. And you know, reading about the problems in Ohio, I can't help but wonder if Kerry truly was defeated or if the problems were actually more widespread and this is a re-run of 2000.

I got teary listening to NPR in the car on the way home. They were interviewing troops outside Fallujah as they prepared for the assault. Those are just kids they're sending in there; kids who've never been in combat of any description and who are now going to find themselves in house-to-house combat. How many of them are going to make it safely home? And how many civilians are going to die? I wonder whether the average American would be so calm and complacent about the war if the media in this country showed the things that other countries do. We don't see the US coffins coming home. And we don't see Iraqi kids crying, people bleeding and dying, houses destroyed, people walking around dazed because a family member was in the wrong place at the wrong time and is now dead.

My only consolation is that almost half the country - who knows, maybe more, if the voting problems really are wide-spread - voted against Bush. So there are millions of people here who feel just like I do. And that number of people - along with the rest of the world - has got to be able to make a difference.