"When the first San Antonio Kaikan opened back in the mid-eighties, Gen. Dir. Williams and his HQ entourage came to town for the opening ceremonies. Since at the time, I had previously left the org, moved to a new city, returned to the org, but no longer held an official position, I wasn't considered "eligible" by the local leadership to visit him at his hotel. But I didn't let that stop me - I had already established a personal relationship in the past with Williams, and I was determined to stop by and say hello (and damn the torpedos).
During the afternoon of the big opening day, I was at the Kaikan helping with preparations for that evening's meeting when two of my cannabis cohorts were asked to deliver meals for the toban guards at Williams' hotel. Since I was headed over there anyway, the three of us together took the food delivery and left for the hotel, the very largerst and best in town - the brand new downtown Hilton. When we arrived, all the YMD toban were starving, having been there all day without food. They quickly forgot about guarding the elevators and hallways as they rushed inside a small downstairs room to stuff themselves with the homemade food we had brought. So it was easy as pie for the three of us to grab an elevator without being challenged by the absent toban guards and head to the top. Literally, all the way up to the top. Turns out Williams was staying in the presidential suite. The frigin' presidential suite!!! Talk about pampered 5-star treatment! And all that opulence and luxury was being paid for by the donations and sacrifices of the members. No wonder the fat-cat leaders didn't want any members coming around the hotel - they might discover, as I did, what an elite and lavish lifestyle the top leaders were enjoying at the expense of the members.
When I boldly knocked on the door of the presidential suite, my two friends (one was my shakabuku, the other was his shakabuku) felt intimated and ran down the hall, trying to pretend they weren't with me. One of the higher up Japanese WD gatekeeper leaders cracked the door open a few inches and curtly said, "what do you want?" I confidently replied that I had come to visit Mr Williams. Without saying anything more, she shut the door. My friends walked back over to me, thinking that was going to be it. Suddenly the door opened again and Williams stepped out into the hall. His face beamed as he gave me a big friendly hug. As always, he seemed genuinely happy to see me. I introduced my two friends. After we chatted for a short while, he ducked back inside and quickly reappeared with some token gifts before sending us along. But I was a bit disappointed he didn't invite me in, perhaps because I had the two newbies with me, or perhaps because I was breaking all protocol right and left. Eventually, my awestruck friends and I said our goodbyes and began our return trip to the Kaikan.
By the time we got back, the news of what I (we) had done had already proceeded us. Phone calls had been made. Both of my friends were thoroughly chewed out by angry leaders over their unauthorized visit to the hotel room with me. They were treated as if they had committed some sort of grave offense against the org, and were threatened with having their Jr. leadership positions taken away. Oh, such devilish disunity we had caused!
But interestingly enough, no one ever said one single word to me. Nothing! I had no position they could hold over my head. I didn't care if I had their permission or not. Perhaps they were the ones that were intimidated by my fearlessness and self-initiative. I didn't ask for guidance or permission, and I wasn't about to let the org leaders run roughshod over me ever again. I felt perfectly free to do what I wanted, and they knew it. Lacking any clout to intimidate me with, the local leaders didn't have the courage to face me directly, but nevertheless, didn't hesitate to take out the brunt of their displeasure upon my two less experienced and less independent friends. And so the seeds of oppression were sown against my YMD weed imbibing friends, which would bear fruit later - but that's yet another story, as I have already described in the comments sections in this thread here."
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