Hi Jon,
I guess I agree with your points and really sympathise with your position, but yet, I am not so sure who you are pressing the case with after 150 posts?
There are those of us who dont have a lot of experience; they won't be able to judge anyway.
There are those of us who know what they do and are happy with what they do; they don't mind who they can defeat or not in mostly theoretical confrontations, much like a painter does not mind that photography produces clearer pictures. I actually see a potential for some wisdom there.
There are those who arguably don't know what they do and are happy with that as well. Unlike others, I feel no real need to reform them, though their statements do bug me at times.
There are those of us who have made up their minds that they want to train in a different way; they have made connections, got information, formed networks and started to work. Some have gone quite silent on the forums and my guess is you won't hear much from them for the next five to ten years or so.
There are those of us who claim they (well mostly: their teachers
) have always been able do what others cannot, who claim to always have been at aikido's full potential; they will think or say your training is deficient because of the questions you ask, and remain in their black box. We will never know how good they are, though we may make informed guesses -- or even be in for some surprises.
In a way, I think that battle has been fought over the last couple of years. Once the noise has subsided, there is quite a clear picture of some salient strengths and weaknesses on all sides, at least in my confused mind... And now we will have to wait.
Personally, I am getting more interested in questions like how aikido is going to be run politically in a few years, or how on earth one would have to go about strengthening the spiritual aspect of our practice. Meanwhile, some inverse breathing wont harm .... ☺