The Attack Of The Hierarchy

[sensei8]

I've placed this topic/thread here because politics within the Shindokan Hombu have tried to vacate me across the board and dojo politics have reached an all time crescendo of an unimaginable proportions.

Saturday, January 28, 2012: I received the most disturbing letter from the Shindokan Hombu...I was EXPELLED from the Shindokan Hombu “effective immediately”. Why? It appears that "...you’re abated disruptions have been interpreted by the Shindokan Hombu as a viable threat to the Shindokan Hombu’s future existence and potential progress unyieldingly so."

How? Why? Yes, I've repeatedly fought, and I will continue to do so, these past few months against the Hombu’s unswervingly attempts to elect a new Soke type, which I've refused to subscribe to. Our San Dai-Soke, at the supposed request of his father, our Dai-Soke, closed the original Hombu, and then moved it [Hombu] back to Okinawa, and he hasn’t been seen and/or heard from since...like a poof in the wind!! For that, I was condemned to an everlasting exile from the Hombu, and stripped of my Kaicho (President) title by the Hombu’s hierarchy.

The current Hombu’s administration, and how the Legal Team had re-constructed the By-Laws, works just fine without a Soke type. Apparently, the Hombu’s hierarchy feels differently, but I believe that they’re quite misguided in their walk down a sinister path of self-aggrandizement. In a mutual desire to rebuild a much more secure future for each and every member of our student body, the newly re-established Hombu quickly went to work in revamping a considerable amount of our By-Laws from top to bottom, specifically within the Executive Team, Administration Team, and General Affairs Team. Much of the credit deservingly goes out to our Legal Team in managing the creation of the new and specific language that allows growth and strength in the Hombu, while at the same time, prohibits a servitude attitude to arise; in short, certain factions within the Hombu’s hierarchy are quite addle pated.

I'm a firm believer that if the Hombu continued/s down its wretched path of electing a Soke type, the Shindokan Hombu will be doomed, and this is not what Soke wanted, and this is not what Dai-Soke wanted, and this is not what the student body wants...but to survive for all eternity and to be rid of damaging politics forever!!

Those whom I trusted, those whom I bleed with, those whom I trained with, those whom I’ve trained, those whom I cried with, those whom I celebrated with, and some of those same individuals have shunned me as quickly as the wind silently blows from here to there. But…whom?

They can try to take the Hombu away from me, but they can never take Shindokan away from me. It's who I am and it’s all I know!! No matter what they say and/or do, I'm still the most senior student of Dai-Soke Yoshinobu Takahashi; I'm still the highest ranking Shindokan practitioner across the board. I'm still the most knowledgeable practitioner of Shindokan, its history, and the like. Shindokan flows in my blood, and Shindokan is my undying heartbeat.

I had to fight against this unwarranted attack! And fighting is exactly what I did! But, I wasn't in the fight alone.

The following Monday, January 30, 2012, I called into the Shindokan Hombu’s crack Legal Team sharply at 0900, pacific standard time, to appeal any and all actions levied at me. Hugh Beckworth, Attorney, Shindokan Hombu’s Legal Team Director/Lead Counsel, was already expecting my call. At the very onslaught of this ordeal landing on his desk, he and his staff, at the request of the Hombu, were in a fervor pitch to find any and all legal support and precedence of my expulsion; however, the Legal Team found NONE!!

I’m no attorney, and what very little I claim to know about these sorts of things, I intently listened with nervous and bated breath as I heard Hugh spout off things of legalese that literally perked up my ears. Words like, “absence of a vote of no-confidence”, “without proper cause”, “illegal removal from office/position”, “failure to comply with mitigation measures as indicated in By-Law Enforcement Order”, “without reason(s)of substance and/or validity”, “failure to comply with general or special conditions contained in By-Law Order of Conditions”, “violations of By-Law protocol”, and my favorite, “disagreement(s) and/or opinions are unfounded reasons/causes for removal and/or expulsion”. In short, the hierarchy failed at their coup against the Shindokan Hombu and me.

Next, Hugh and his team meet with the Hombu’s hierarchy to report their findings. According to Hugh, just right after he concluded his findings to the Hombu, you could’ve heard a pin drop, an audibly shocked pause from many of the hierarchy. Then, and because Hugh is not of the hierarchy, he then dropped the hammer blow of their own demise. The Hombu was informed that if they didn’t comply with the Legal Team’s recommendations, and findings, he was more than prepared to take the necessary steps to ensure that a court of law would intervene with no ambiguity.

Recommendations to the Hombu:

1) Terminate/Lift the expulsion of Robert Mitcham; effective immediately.

2) Reinstate Robert Mitcham as Kaicho [President]; effective immediately.

3) Cease and/or desist any and all actions against Robert Mitcham, aforementioned, Kaicho.

4) Rewrite and/or reconstruct the Shindokan Hombu By-Laws; pertaining specifically to the Executive Team and the Administration Team.

5) To execute without prejudice the removal from the Counsel of Regents; those indentified person(s) of as found within our report(s).

All of the aforementioned had happened over a 5 day period. I was out on a Saturday and then I was back on a Friday, and yes, it feels great to be back as Kaicho, and even more so, to have been vindicated. At the recommendation of our Legal Team, the most derailing away from the norm for the Hombu is the limiting of and the drawing in of the reigns much closer to the chest of the Counsel of Regents under the By-Law regulations. Even to the point that it’s being seriously considered to lessen the Counsel of Regents from 12 members to 5 members, or to eliminate the Counsel of Regents all together.

I sincerely would like to thank those of the Hombu that stayed faithful to the visions of Soke and Dai-Soke, and who put the student body before anyone and/or anything. I sincerely would like to thank those who’ve stayed faithful to myself and stood side by side with me as we fought against this thing that tried to destroy what we’ve all worked so hard to sustain.

Lastly, I would like to thank Hugh and the Legal Team for quickly interceding on my behalf, and for all that they've done for the Hombu, the student body, and myself. The Legal Team is a dedicated group of individuals who constantly demonstrate their capability across the board and I truly see why Soke and Dai-Soke had an unquestionable reason for keeping the Legal Team separated completely away from the martial arts of Shindokan in its training and the like; integrity!!

Enough’s said…let the training continue!

[Wastelander]

Wow!

I really hate politics in martial arts! I'm glad you were able to be reinstated and absolved of any accused wrongdoing, sensei8. I can think of plenty of reasons that the President of an organization would need to be expelled but I highly doubt you would qualify for that, given your knowledge and attitude toward martial arts.

[bushido_man96]

What a ride, Bob. Crazy, indeed. It sounds like those who think they are running the show have a plan, and they want to expel anyone in any place of leadership that doesn't share that plan.

I'd be interested to know what each of the "Boards" within Shindokan do; what their responsibilities are and what-not. It sounds like there are a lot of cooks in the Shindokan kitchen, if you get my meaning.

I'm glad you are reinstated, and I hope things right themselves for the time being.

[evergrey]

Ugh, horrible!

Congratulations to your victory!

What does a Soke do, and why should there not be one again?

OSU!

[sensei8]

What a ride, Bob. Crazy, indeed. It sounds like those who think they are running the show have a plan, and they want to expel anyone in any place of leadership that doesn't share that plan.

I'd be interested to know what each of the "Boards" within Shindokan do; what their responsibilities are and what-not. It sounds like there are a lot of cooks in the Shindokan kitchen, if you get my meaning.

I'm glad you are reinstated, and I hope things right themselves for the time being.

Brian,

I'll try to give you the watered down explanation in one paragraph, as to not bore anyone with all of the legalese, and red-tape stuff.

The Counsel of Regents, as set up by our Soke, are primarily designed to prevent any and all possible appearances of servitude and the like. Secondarily, they act like Sergeant-of-Arms to improve the betterment of the Hombu, and in that, the betterment of the student body, and in that, the betterment of Shindokan. Looks good on paper, but as of late, it's all askew from where Soke had originated.

[sensei8]

Ugh, horrible!

Congratulations to your victory!

What does a Soke do, and why should there not be one again?

OSU!

Let me try to put it in terms that you're familiar with.

Mas Oyama is the founder of Kyokushin, therefore, he's the Soke, the founder. What does a Soke do? What Oyama did to promote the art he founded is what a Soke typically does...in short...brand management.

Why should there be one again? That's my exact question. I suppose that the desire of wanting a Soke type is to rekindle the flame of having that type of leadership at the top rung...a believed tradition I suppose.

I hope this answers your questions.

[bushido_man96]

I hope things continue to smooth out for you, Bob. Sounds like a lot of distraction for you there.

[sensei8]

Now, I'm experiencing a splinter within the Shindokan Hombu. I feel as though I've disgraced my Dai-Soke!! I realize that the world of the martial arts isn't a bed of roses, but had I given in to the constant barrage of wanting to return to a Soke type, possibly, none of the negativity within the Hombu would've happened.

[bushido_man96]

I wouldn't worry about that too much, Bob. It may not be something your Dai-Soke would have wanted, but, things are different now that he's gone, too. So, changes may be in order, whether he would have approved them or not.

[ps1]

These are the types of problems that will occur when attempting to turn a martial way into a business. In the past, honor and respect were all that was necessary to do the right thing. There was too much bloodshed and fighting to give time for such things. But times have changed. And, as is often the case, the goal of a person in power is to gain more power.

I worry that your "victory" will be short lived. Where there is a will, there is a way. My question to you is the same as it has been in the past:

Why do you want to be the president of an organization that neither wants you or respects your opinions?

Why don't you simply keep your school (former hombu) and grow it on your own?

I would suggest your students train because they believe in you, they respect you, and they enjoy you. Being part of some organization that wants nothing to do with them is not a concern to them. Not really anyway.

Good luck.