Gil,
Thanks for your feedback but I dont agree with you here. Silence in the face of fraud is passively allowing the fraud to occur.
You stated:
"If you as a budoka stand for something and your dojo epitomizes the pursuit of excellence why should you notice "the dogs who lift their legs at your lodge?" The instinctive response is to kick them, at least metaphorically. Don't you only lower yourself if you try to kick a dog?
The answer here is obviously yes but the parallel story about the dog is not in my opinion relevent. You see the dog is not malevolent. The dog is just naturally doing what a dog must do. I guess the argument could be made that these gentlemen in Abarishi and Italy are unable to control themselves and therefore equated with a dog peeing on a lodge. Actually I find that parallel funny....but I'm sure they don't.
Toby Threadgill