Now I know the real reason candlelight vigils are essential at night protest demonstrations in San Francisco.
You need a thousand candles just to stay warm.
It was so cold even the star attraction, Richard Gere knew he couldn’t read an entire message from the Dali Lama. So he stuck to the highlights.
“It is the legitimate right of every Tibetan to struggle for their freedoms and rights,” Gere said on Tuesday night, reading from the Dalai Lama’s text. “On the other hand, it would be futile and not helpful to anyone if we do something that would create hatred in the minds of the Chinese people.”
Gere then jumped to a section containing a special message to those Tibetans living outside their country in freedom. It was an admonishment to stay extra-vigilant about the developments in Tibet. But it came with this warning. “You should not engage in any actions that could be even remotely interpreted as violent. Even in the most provocative situations, we should not allow our most precious and deeply held values to be compromised. I firmly believe that we will achieve success through our non-violent path. We must be wise.”
More than a message, it was both a call and a prayer for peace at today’s official torch relay event.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/04/09/MNAS101V1O.DTL&type=printable