This section will give a general background on the various
people related to Song Mountain. No slander -- just extra information
than whatever else is on the site.
David (aka "Davyd") James Moerler & Jessica
(Reese) Moerler
Information on David is available throughout the site,
particularly in the school history section.
I introduced him to his wife, Jessica. Ironically, he
used my credit card without my knowledge or permission to buy her engagement
ring. She had no previous martial arts experience, and I can only
describe her as a survivor by any means necessary, and is spiritually strong
but chaotic. She may not as smart as she can be vengeful or vicious, but
I don't recommend getting on her bad side.
Sean Garbach
Sean met David in the Navy and became one of his most devoted
followers. When I invited him to Buffalo for a get-together of my
closest friends, he stayed, moving in with my sister Lori. They had a
child out of wedlock, named David James after the "grandmaster,"
which was shortly before she died from diabetes. "Baby David,"
as he was called for years, is the half-brother of my God-daughter who lives
with her aunt in Maryland.
Sean quickly adopted my "family" of friends as his
own, along with various traditions I had started over the years, including the
celebration of Little Christmas on January 6th. At first I thought he
was the senior student of David's, only to find I was supposedly of higher
rank.
Especially after Lori's death, he seemed to develop a sense of
rivalry or jealousy towards me, particularly in relation to David. He
tried unsuccessfully to hold classes many times, but could not handle the
responsibility. To quell his difficulty in accepting my authoritative
place in the system, David changed the ranking system and titles a number of
times. Once, instigated by a personal matter, he challenged me and later
backed out, under the pretense of brotherly peace. It is amazing I
trusted him after seeing how easily and often he pitted people against each
other, including my fiancée at the time and myself.
Even though he avidly plays with the arts, his ability comes
more from brawn than from skill. Having little formal training
(Japanese), he has a preference toward brute intimidation, and we still joke
that if it wasn't for having a crotch and a throat, he would have no way of
hurting us. In other words, if you're going to spar him, wear a
cup. Many people never made it in the school because of him. He
made a habit of being unnecessarily hard in contact activities, particularly
towards women, and took his time when someone tapped out.
His "skills" as an "apothecary" are
limited to what he has read since 1994, as David had nothing to teach
him. His herbal remedies can even be dangerous, although most are not because
they are common knowledge instead of home-brewed, uncertified
concoctions. Warning: anyone in Chinese medicine who has the
knowledge to give anything above basic advice or prescription is an actual OMD
(Oriental Medical Doctor) and would be certified by the State as well.
He has been known to push drugs (herbal) onto people, and has no formal
medical background. Even in real Shaolin, they have a university
degree for this sort of thing.
He also tried to play the philosopher and was always eager to
make judgments as to what religion or belief is better than another. I
have had to correct him endless times on points in Buddhism and Taoism, and
the schools aversion from Wicca and Paganism come from his own personal
experiences.
A couple of years ago, he married one of my previous students,
becoming involved before realizing he was one of the people I gave warnings
about. Trish is a wonderful woman, and I miss being in touch with
her. Although I would have wished her better, apparently she is happy
and treated properly, and that is of the highest importance. I hope this
never changes, but if it does, Sean will answer for it.
Pete Powell
Whereas I cannot say for sure whether Sean really believes
what he is doing in martial arts is real, I doubt Pete even cares. To
him, life is one big fish story, and he is a self-proclaimed expert in
anything and everything until he actually has to do it.
Like Sean, he met David in the Navy, and moved up to Buffalo
and in with Sean about a year after Lori died. He was known mostly for
being a loud, self-admitting "Masshole," wearing "Big
Johnson" shirts all the time -- unless he was in uniform, pretending to
be praying on his "prayer beads." He didn't seem to take sides
on anything, but in the end was always inseparable from Sean.
He had some experience in sport martial arts, but couldn't
have learned much from David because his skills were so weak and unrealistic,
many new students of his could easily take him.
Tony Fucina
Tony started studying with Nine Dragons early on when Pete
started teaching in 1995. He had actual training in kung fu before then
(7 Star Preying Mantis if I remember correctly), and it showed -- unlike Sean
and Pete, sparring him always made me work up a sweat.
He gives the school far more credibility than the school gives
him, and I do not believe he is part of the deception. He reminded me of
myself, trusting and eager to learn from anywhere he could. Of all their
students, I have highest hopes for him, and when he realizes the truth, it
will deal a great blow to the school.
Although he is no longer teaching at SUNYAB (his previous
college), they still keep reference to him on their martial arts club
site. A link can be found HERE;
a copy can be found HERE.
