Kajukenbo politics (Long)

[Matt]

Originally posted by Andrew Evans
Matt,
From what I heard about Professor Kimo from many people, he is a decent person and highly-skilled martial artist. In my humble opinion, he does a great job of helping to represent Professor Godin's legacy. Last but not least, he must be a great person to have someone like you standing up for him. You have worked hard to clear his name and I respect that a lot. I hope none of us have to personally suffer a similar smear campaign but if we do, it would be great to have someone like you to protect our backs.
Respectfully, Andrew

I'm famous now. Due to my diligence, I've been noticed. I've been given a featured role (and an instant promotion to 6th dan:rofl: - thanks fact checkers!) in the latest smear campaign against Kimo. My very own moronic, cowardly, anonymous stalker! I'm somebody now! Ok, it's not really my *own* stalker (I have to share), but you have to take what you can get...

It came on Dec. 24th - like a little Christmas present to me.

Matt

 

[Touch Of Death]

Originally posted by Matt
Kimo Ferreira has never run for or been elected to a political office. He has not to his recollection ever been arrested for driving a car on a runway either.

By the way - is it the right Kimo your friend is thinking about? There's a few (thousand) Kimos in Hawaii.

Matt

The guy that told me this is from the Martial Islands, I did use the right last name when talking about "Kimo", but he probably latched on to the name "Kimo". I told him that I met him when I was in the ARMY and that "Kimo" was a Medic. He explained that that is why he got elected. He was just a regular guy with a regular life. Thank you for clearing that up. I was wondering.
Sean

 

[John Bishop]

Well Matt:

If your looking for the author of this last round of emails, your looking in the wrong place. Start a little closer to home. Real close. Talk is you might want to look for someone with the initials R.F. , and it's not a Kajukenbo guy, never has been.

Good Luck

 

[tshadowchaser]

I want to say folks that this thread has been informative and respectful.
Matt keep up your search for the truth and PLEASE keep us informed .

 

[Matt]

Originally posted by John Bishop
Well Matt:

If your looking for the author of this last round of emails, your looking in the wrong place. Start a little closer to home. Real close. Talk is you might want to look for someone with the initials R.F. , and it's not a Kajukenbo guy, never has been.

Good Luck

Thanks -

Yes, Richie seems to have a bit of a hand in this one, i.e. 'the east coast gang'.

Thankfully, I've made it to the mailing list, so I can trace them first hand....


Hey - I'm still warm and fuzzy about the mention by name and that 6th dan thing.

(Note to those with no abilty to sense sarcasm, I'm not a 6th dan, but the latest round mentions me as one.)

Have you received the version where the cowardly anonymous moron states falsely that Dechi Emperado is being investigated by the IRS? Classy, eh?

Happy holidays,

Matt

 

[John Bishop]

Matt:

I've got the 4 from 12-24-03, and most of the ones since the first one was emailed on 4-20-99.
You haven't discovered anything new here. Your just the first one to take this matter outside of the Hawaiian Kajukenbo and Kenpo families. We've always ignored the emails because we know whats true and whats B.S.
But now that you've given this guy a public forum be prepared for more.

 

[Matt]

Originally posted by John Bishop
Matt:

I've got the 4 from 12-24-03, and most of the ones since the first one was emailed on 4-20-99.
You haven't discovered anything new here. Your just the first one to take this matter outside of the Hawaiian Kajukenbo and Kenpo families. We've always ignored the emails because we know whats true and whats B.S.
But now that you've given this guy a public forum be prepared for more.

Oh no - I'm not the first to post something like that in a forum - besides the emails by martialinsider/martialartspress/moonkick, this person or group of people has posted to the Hawaiian Martial Arts History group at Yahoo, the Schools & Teachers forum at Martial Arts Planet, and someone else posted one by these folks to Onzuka.com regarding Sijo. As you may recall, one of the people mentioned in items #13 and #16, who on 11/16/2003 was removed from the Hawaiian Martial Arts International Society webpage where he used to be listed on the executive board page, posted messages by these people to the Kajukenbo Cafe, which I'm glad to say you have removed.

I'm just fielding the current crop.

Matt

 

[John Bishop]

My seniors and my peers have never discussed this publically outside of the Kajukenbo Ohana. This is because the attacks were always directed toward our system, founders, or practitioners.
The times it was posted on the net, it was done by the author of the attacks, or you. Since this does not concern or address anyone outside of the Kajukenbo Ohana, this will be my last comment here on the subject.

 

[rmcrobertson]

1. Mr. Bishop: for what it's worth, you have my sympathy in respect to your attempts to deal politely with this nonsense; and,

2. I can't tell you what a relief it is to see that American kenpo doesn't have a monopoly on silliness.

 

[Matt]

Originally posted by John Bishop
Well Matt:

If your looking for the author of this last round of emails, your looking in the wrong place. Start a little closer to home. Real close. Talk is you might want to look for someone with the initials R.F. , and it's not a Kajukenbo guy, never has been.

Good Luck

Well, as much as R.F. is a convenient suspect, I think (unless he spent Christmas in Hawaii) he's off the hook, at least as the sender. They came from the same hawaii roadrunner server that all of the previous ones have come through, and not New York.

Either he's joined 'Team Martialinsider' or perhaps if folks think he's been 'paper chasing' for a promotion, someone wants to kill two birds with one stone and make him even more unwelcome in the Kajukenbo circles.

I think he's just being offered up as the sacrificial Cow.

Matt

 

[Matt]

Originally posted by rmcrobertson
1. Mr. Bishop: for what it's worth, you have my sympathy in respect to your attempts to deal politely with this nonsense;

He tries very hard. This is difficult, as these guys have been at work on this for a few years, and obviously are folks that spent quite a bit of time involved in the Hawaiian Martial Arts scene. They also seem to have no shame. I'm a bit of an outsider on this, so I'm working 6000 miles from the source. It is an advantage of sorts, as I am stuck drawing my conclusions from tracing emails and other sorts of empirical evidence, as I don't have longstanding relationships in Hawaii, so my personal investment is much smaller (except that I'm now named in one of the current crop.). John's been around Kajukenbo for a long, long time, and knows all of the significant people in the Kajukenbo community, especially since he's written many articles on Kajukenbo and other Hawaiian arts. It could very well be someone he's known for years (lots of people use that hawaii.rr.com server) that has been conducting this assault on Kajukenbo, and that must be unsettling.

and,

2. I can't tell you what a relief it is to see that American kenpo doesn't have a monopoly on silliness.

I used to think it was just the kenpo / kempo arts (I always thought the East Coast / Shaolin Kempo of my roots was worse!), but I've seen this stuff in TKD, Shotokan (gasp!), and pretty much every other one I've ever encountered...

So much for martial arts building character

Matt

 

[Shiatsu]

Ok first off Matt. It isn't John, it is Sigung Bishop. He has showed respect in the way he dealt with it, you should show the same respect.

As for the politics, for hells sake, show me a art that doesn't have it. Kaju is great, it has a great family atmosphere, however like every family, there are fights and quarels, however the web is not the place to do it.

 

[tshadowchaser]

This discussion has been polite and respectful , lets please keep it that way.
I do not belive Matt ment any disrespect to Sigung Bishop by calling him John. We all tend to get on a first name bases here and sometimes we goof and forget rank and age.

 

[Shiatsu]

I understand what you are saying, I was merely pointing something out. Sorry if it came off the wrong way. However he is a senior in my art, so that is why I spoke on it.:asian:

 

[Matt]

Originally posted by Shiatsu
Ok first off Matt. It isn't John, it is Sigung Bishop. He has showed respect in the way he dealt with it, you should show the same respect.

Sigung Bishop doesn't need a title to be respected. The countless articles he has written, the websites and forum he runs, and his years of training speak for themselves. I'll be happy to apologize to Sigung Bishop if he feels slighted by my referring to him by his name during the previous post. Perhaps because this 'project' has required relatively regular contact with him, I slipped into a more 'personal' mode. I'm sure he knows that I respect him. Really, was there anything in that post that was disrespectful?

As for the politics, for hells sake, show me a art that doesn't have it. Kaju is great, it has a great family atmosphere, however like every family, there are fights and quarels, however the web is not the place to do it.

I agree with you.
As I stated previously, the stuff was out there: broadcast email, websites, forums. I've just been the first to call them on it. Why? Google doesn't care if it's true. It comes up in search engines. Maybe if people were held accountable for their words, this stuff would be more rare.

Matt

 

[Shiatsu]

Disrespectful, well it depends on who you talk to. Sigung Cox, is my instructor and one of my closest friends, however I would never call him James. It just isn't right. Even if my ability is better than some sensei or Sigungs, I styill call them by their title.

Most likely that lack of respect is what has lead to the degradation of the arts.

 

[John Bishop]

Thank you Shiatsu for watching my back. I would expect no less from a Kajukenbo brother. And that is one of the things I love about Kajukenbo.
As to Matt, I am sure that there was disrespect meant, as we have corresponded many times thru email, and normally address each other by first name.
Besides, this is a mixed styles forum. So the use of titles is very hard here with all the differant customs and traditions practiced by the members. And many arts use no titles at all. Some arts even abhor the use of titles.

 

[Shiatsu]

Yes Sigung Bishop you are correct. I didn't even notice which forum we are in.

However respect is a earned thing to me, and I have never met a Kajukenbo/kajukembo person that didn't earn their rank, and even if they didn't I wouldn't want to here about it.

Politics are best left to the politicians, however Matt if you are ever in Texas and you just want some good hard training and Ohana spirit then stop by my school, visitors are always welcome. However ranks and titles are used and respect is given to everyone regardless of rank.:asian:

 

[John Bishop]

Originally posted by John Bishop
As to Matt, I am sure that there was disrespect meant, as we have corresponded many times thru email, and normally address each other by first name.

WOW, I just noticed a big mistake. Surprising how one word can change the whole tone of a converstion. Should read:
As to Matt, I am sure that there was "NO" disrespect meant, as we have corresponded many times thru email, and normally address each other by first name.
Sorry Matt.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Originally posted by Shiatsu
Disrespectful, well it depends on who you talk to. Sigung Cox, is my instructor and one of my closest friends, however I would never call him James. It just isn't right. Even if my ability is better than some sensei or Sigungs, I styill call them by their title.

Most likely that lack of respect is what has lead to the degradation of the arts.

I know this has been resolved already , but I feel that people demanding respect for themselves or others cause more problems than unintentional lack of respect. Ed Parker was named the "Old Man" by many old time students. Some decided it was disrepectfull and would threaten or beat up those that used the term. We were taught to refer to him as "Mr. Parker" only by my instructor whom is only known in the MA community by his nickname... Skip. Go figure. We will only find heart ache when we expect of other peoples students the nuances we were taught. An example of that is when I first trained under Skip and a noise occured from behind while he was talking, God help you if you turned your head. Every school I have had the pleasure of training in ( to include "Kimo's) did not observe this 11th commandment. So , I had to learn not to look on other peoples students as direspectfull malcontents. Because after all they are only doing as instructed.
Sean