PORTLAND AIKIKAI – Testing 1993

The original seven members of Portland Aikikai were: Ty Barker, Scott Margraf (“Little Scott”), Andre Nguyen, Steven Shane, Michael Cavalle, Rowan DeSantis, and Scott Schanaker (“Big Scott”).

We had separated from the coalition of teachers that comprised Two Rivers Aikikai at that time – and began training in the gym of the French American School.

Before training we had to roll out the wrestling mats and then roll them up again at the end of every class.

My father made the folding kamiza to house O’Sensei’s image.

Governing Humans

Thomas Jefferson was largely correct, but he got the French Revolution entirely wrong. He should have known better. Jefferson focused on protecting the potential that each and every individual is born with – the “unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” He thought the French Revolution was an expansion of the American pursuit. It wasn’t. The French version tried to dictate outcomes through legislative pronouncements – “Liberté, égalité, fraternité.” A collectivist dream perpetuated by lawyer-tyrants like Robespierre who was no better than the hereditary-tyrants he executed. France wasn’t a principled revolution: it was a mob hit. And the Russian Revolution was the same. Just look at the outcomes.

France today is similarly deluded. I must admit jealousy at the fact they riot over a two-year increase in the retirement age, phased in over seven years, to the ripe age of 64! It shows that France’s financial education and understanding of government Ponzi schemes is even worse than the United States’. The peasants are still angry and deluded that there is some source of governmental wealth beyond what is stolen from the populous.

More critically, there is still a strange belief in the reified government, as if there is an “it” above the parasites who inhabit the structure. Those inhabitants are not moral agents – Plato’s philosopher kings – rather they are the same stuff of muck and guile that the rest of us are.

The current noise in the news at both the federal and state level serve as poignant reminders. The OLCC liquor scandal, Secretary Smokin Shemia Fagan, Clarence – Long Dong Silver – Thomas are guilty of naked self-interest. (And in Thomas’ case, I would think criminal tax evasion.) Ethics violations do immeasurable damage to the public trust. But that trust was always misplaced because it was predicated on the moral superiority of those who seek power. Lord Acton will always have it right.

Alex Leavens

Measuring time by the passing of old friends.

Aiki-ken at Ryo Bo Zen On
Alex and Lisa MIyaguchi
Criag Capistran, Mischa Mulligan, Alex Leavens in France

I posted this shortly after his memorial, but took it down almost immediately after because it was inadequate. It still is.

Alex was a talented Aikidoist and I had the privilege of being his sempai, training partner, and teacher. His Aikido had precision and power. He left the art too soon.

Kagamibiraki 2003

Kagamibiraki 2004

We didn’t stay in close contact once he and Asako separated and he left the dojo. Every so often we met by happenstance on the street and then at PSU where he was taking writing classes and I guest lectured on real estate.

I did reach out once to ask him to spend a day teaching Kyrian primitive skills.

Although I knew he had started writing, I never read any of his poetry until after he was dead. I had forgotten that he collected and restored axes.

Gonzalo Flores and Leslie Peterson met me at the memorial. A sad context to see old friends. It was difficult to speak with his sister and mother – what does one say to a grieving family whose son and brother took his own life?

Memorial >here<