The Great Lie

We are fighting to "Make the world safe for Democracy." These words meant very little to me in 11th grade back in 1964 when my father was preparing to go to Vietnam. I still remember how we watched TV and laughed at odd sounding names no one had heard before, villages and hamlets in far off places. Letters from Vietnam trickled in with messages like "today we had 12 KIA." As she read the letter out loud my Dad’s mother laughed at the word kia until I explained to her it meant Killed In Action. A few years later I was writing my own letters from DaNang: describing the landscape, the war and the people. They were a beautiful people that we were killing to "Make THE world safe for Democracy." Killing and dying, some 35,000 of us and hundreds of thousands of them. Was it really to set them free, make them safe?

It is nearly July Fourth 2009, our Independence Day, and we are pulling our troops out of one war and sending them off to another. Isn’t democracy safe yet? How much blood must flow to stem the tide of what: communism, socialism, terrorism? In the process of "winning" these wars against "isms" we have destroyed most of our democracy here at home. I am a patriot, but once again by God I do not, cannot believe we are fighting a righteous war. Carry in your heart this holiday, and the days to come, the torch of Freedom and the spirit of Independence.

God bless our troops, and guide our nation, as we stumble drunkenly down a dark and bloody road to a destiny as yet unrevealed, but subliminally dreaded. Beware, another great lie is in the making and history being repeated.
Written by David Decker, Instructor, White Shadow Dojo.

A Classic Fighting Knife

A Classic Fighting Knife:

Undoubtedly Bo Randall was one of the most formative knifemakers of the past 60 years. Bo's Model One was the iconic fighting kife of the 1940-60s. This knife, which bears an uncanny resemblance to a Mod. 1, was made by Kurt Zahm of Indiatlantic, Fla. The resemblance to Bo Randall’s best known creation is unmistakable. A lot of knifemakers today get apoplectic if anyone even makes something vaguely resembling one of their knives. Having designed a few knives I sympayhize with them. But, you should understand that knives are, for the most part, unprotected by copyright laws. I rather think Bo would be flattered by this high quality rendition. Shown with the Zahm is my Kimber Sainless II.
Here is the description as given by the seller. "The 440C stainless steel blade length is 8" and the overall knife length is 13". The blade thickness on this knife is just shy of 1/4" and the blade width is 1-1/4". This is a large knife. The blade is marked ZAHM on the left side, just in front of the double brass guard. The handle is nicely sculpted from a piece of dark maroon Westinghouse Micarta which is set off with some black, white and brick colored spacers where the handle joins the guard. There is a brass tube thong hole in the butt section. A natural colored leather sheath with a pocket for a sharpening stone is included and this pocket contains the original unused sharpening stone."
Typical of most 440C blades it is sharp but not scary sharp. While the knife is solidly built and suitable for serious combat duty it appears to have remained unused. Story has it that it came from a Priest’s collection. The exquisitely shaped handle is reminiscent of Bo’s Border Patrol grip and comfortably fits my hand. I am glad to have this knife in my collection and to share it here with you. I offer my compliments to Mr. Zahm for his design choice and the very high quality of his work.

A Life Too Short

Funny how things work out sometimes. When I did the blog for Craig Edens I could not find the photo I wanted even after searching through dozens of CDs. Then as Gwynne was cleaning off our Dell computer there was the folder with the photos I was looking for. Craig is the smaller person on the right as you look at the photo (Matt Drehmer is the other student). In retrospect I wish I had taken more photos but I could never get all of the students to class at the same time. Anyway, now that I found this photo I want to share it and a few thoughts with you.
Some of the people we meet in life are for specific reasons. Sometimes those reasons are apparent sometimes they are not. Coming from a very ancient faith system I believe that we often meet people we have known previously from another life or time. People are like magnets. When the poles are correctly aligned wonderful things happen. When they are opposed, well things just don’t click. Craig was on a short-list of people I was sure had entered my life before and we just clicked. He was familiar to me like a younger brother and we shared many of the same interests. He was very interested in Art and Shamanism. At his age I had already missed an opportunity to go to Art School and during the time we were training together I was reading a book about indigenous peoples and their folk magic. Craig was obviously a student of the martial way, training with myself in kenjutsu and with another sensei in Shorin ryu Karate-do. In fact the katana Craig is holding in the picture was built from a blade he bought from me and then mounted himself.
Unfortunately Craig was our second sword student to die in a car accident. I guess the same consuming passion that fuels a young person’s desire to learn the way of the sword is the same one that causes them to climb cliffs, jump from airplanes, explore caves, and drive too fast. They believe they are invincible. I still remember when I felt that way, don’t you?