20 November, 2004 - "Birthday Blues"

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Today's my birthday, but so what...

Friday night I watched television, and oh what an eventful night it was on the tele'. In particular an NBA game between the Detriot Pistons and Indiana Pacers as I love NBA basketball. I did switch out at times to watch Bill Moyers NOW which focused on the awful Condoleezza Rice and the crimes by Tom Delay and lobbyists in Washington DC.

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Click to check out Bill Moyers latest episode of NOW at pbs.org

Well I missed Bill Moyers closing statement as I watched a riot unfold during that basketball game. It is easily the worst thing I have ever seen at a sporting event in my life. Thankfully no one was seriously injured or killed. I condemn all who partipated in the riot and acted with violence.

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"Man, there are going to be some lawsuits. You don't think some of those fans aren't going to want some NBA money?"--Suns guard Quentin Richardson, after seeing the brawl on TV

"It's the ugliest thing I've seen as a coach or player. There's no excuse for fans to act that way and there's no excuse for players to (respond). I was worried about our players' families and young kids. I've just never seen anything like that. I didn't know what to do, personally."--Detriot Pistons coach Larry Brown

"Just think about what it takes for NBA players to go into a crowd. Sometimes fans get kind of out of hand, but it must have taken a lot for NBA players to go into a crowd and start a fight."--Lakers forward Lamar Odom

"It was a frightful, devastating experience. There will be major ramifications of this for both teams and this could have a huge impact for the rest of the NBA."--NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton

"In violence we forget who we are."--Mary McCarthy

"Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary."--Mohandas K. Gandhi

*Jainist Prayer*

Peace and Universal Love is the essence

of the Gospel preached by all the

Enlightened Ones.

The Lord has preached that equanimity

is the Dharma.

Forgive do I creatures all,

and let all creatures forgive me.

Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity.

Know that violence is the root cause of

all miseries in the world.

Violence, in fact, is the knot of bondage.

"Do not injure any living being."

This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable

way of spiritual life.

A weapon howsoever powerful it may be,

can always be superseded by a superior one;

but no weapon can, however,

be superior to non-violence and love