Where I Stand -- Janie Greenspun Gale: Enlightenment not found in Mesquite's bull-running idea

FOR THE PAST few weeks, when driving in my car, I have been listening to "Your Buddha Nature" audio tapes by Jack Kornfield. He has opened my heart to the Ten Perfections. It is enlightenment I seek, as my car threads its way through traffic on the freeways and tangled thoroughfares of Las Vegas.

I flow with the traffic, smiling as my heart is filled with loving kindness and equanimity. I am the soul of patience. I send blessings of "May you be well" and "May your heart be filled with peace and happiness" to the road crews who signal me through the mazes that have become our streets. Blessings are also sent to those who allow for my lane changes. No longer do I curse the slow or erratic drivers. I realize they are heirs to their own karma and my wishes for them mean nothing.

My drives across town have become meaningful, pleasant sojourns. My heart is peaceful and filled with love for my fellow man.

And then Mesquite happens.

Nothing undoes a peaceful heart faster for me than stories of child or animal exploitation. Call it what they will, running of bulls at $50 a person is just another human scheme to exploit animals to make a buck.

Phil Immordino, the events creator, promises his event will be safe, no humans will be intoxicated and animals will not be hurt. With the mixture he's concocting, how can he make such ridiculous claims? Or do ranch bulls naturally run down the asphalt streets of Mesquite in 100-plus degree July weather? They might as well be running on ice. And if electric prods or whips aren't used, what is going to make those bulls stampede?

Most likely, the chain of events that will occur involves a whole lot of bulls running, slipping, panicking, breaking legs, tearing down the main drag of Mesquite, chasing a mob of humans who, if they aren't drinking, should reconsider. If they're not drunk, they are liable to panic, too. How can anyone predict what will happen given this scenario?

Mesquite wants to change its image, we're told. Spain is hardly the place Mesquitans should copy if a kinder, more civilized community is an ideal to which they aspire. The running of the bulls in Pamplona is part of the larger bloodbath that is Spain's obsession with bull fighting. Spaniards also drop goats out of windows and off rooftops to the waiting mobs below, who then tear the broken animals apart.

Is that to be Mesquite's next tourist attraction?

What exactly is going on in Mesquite? Mesquite City Council members Alice Fessenden and Lyle Hughes, the only two members to exert any sort of humanity or sanity into the council proceedings that allowed this event to move forward, understand the image Mesquite is trying to promote: an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas, a family town and a golfer's paradise.

Yet every two-bit carny that comes to town with a sure-fire tourist attraction gets approval no matter how ridiculous the scheme. A few years back, a coyote shoot was planned, with the kickoff at a bar. That's what we need. A few more drunks with guns.

A professional golf tournament would be a nice, civilized idea for the community of Mesquite, or is that too upscale a notion?

We are all shocked and bewildered by the violence being played out in our nation's schools. Sociologists point to the violence in music lyrics and on TV and movie screens as the reason for this outburst of morally bankrupt disconnectedness our children are feeling.

While it's true that children exposed to violence have increased violent tendencies, another important factor, one that must be given our utmost attention, points to children who commit violent acts on animals. Those children are the ones who turn their anger and aggression on the rest of us.

We should be teaching our children a respect and reverence for all living creatures. Using animals as pawns for sport, whether handing a child a gun and letting him or her shoot birds or deer or harassing bulls down a street, changes that child's compassionate soul. Add violence in movies, at home or on CDs and a dangerous brew begins churning in that youngster's mind.

The city councils of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson, along with the Clark County Commission, have in the past year voted to ban cruel sports such as dog racing and horse tripping, and they are considering measures to end pound seizure. These elected officials are doing what is necessary to make Southern Nevada not only a land of opportunity, but a place of civility and compassion as well.

It is time the Mesquite City Council climbed aboard. Until then, as I search for enlightenment in my car, I'll stay out of Mesquite.

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