On Saturday, November 5th at around 9 p.m., I fulfilled a life’s mission when I completed the 2011 Florida Ironman, a 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile bike ride and a 26 mile run…..all in just under 13 hours. When they scream out those words, “MATT WEIDNER, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN! that’s one helluva day!
It was certainly a grueling day and while the finish was certainly euphoric, my favorite part of the day was standing there at the shoreline at dawn and waiting for that cannon to go off……BOOM and then it’s a race into the chilly waters of the Gulf of Mexico, just me and 2,800 of the most dedicated, hard working and extraordinary people in the world. Young (18 years), Old (74 years), men, women…from all over the world….all setting out to challenge the impossible. The whole fraternity of people that congregate around these events really are incredible, can do, never say quit, supportive and TOUGH AS NAILS!
I’ve spent a whole lot of time over the last several months, staring at the black line in the swimming pool, crunching out the miles on the bike and just pounding down the miles on the run…and all that time is frankly where I get my best work done. Because when I hit the office after putting down those hours…I’ve got my day all figured out. My head is clear, my brain is tight and my mission list is solid. Likewise, as I pounded out the 140.6 miles out there on Saturday I had lots and lots of time to think about my job and be very grateful for the life’s work I have the opportunity to fulfill every single day.
With every crank of the pedal and every mile on the run, I was stoking up that fire inside me that compels me to fight this awful battle that’s raging all across this country….the fight to reclaim some bit of honesty, integrity and fairness in America. As every mile peeled away, I got angrier and angrier at what’s happening and what’s getting worse…..
I’m angry that I live in a state where the governor can violate Florida’s public records laws over and over and no one is even talking about. Press is no longer reporting on this, no lawmaker or organization is pursuing filing suit against these abuses….violations of which are impeachable offenses.
I’m angry that I live in a state where Florida’s Attorney General Pam Bondi can just walk away from the investigations of the foreclosure mills, the banks and all the parties that are responsible for Fraudclosuregate….and no one is talking about it anymore.
I’m angry that I live in a state where Florida Legislators, especially Kathleen Passidomo can introduce legislation, absurdly titled the Florida (un)Fair Foreclosure Act, and more legislators are not standing up to say they oppose and will fight this insult to the people of the State of Florida.
I’m angry that my state is for sale to the highest bidder and that more people are not willing to stand up and fight.
I’m angry that my friends, my colleagues and myself suffer attacks and persecutions because we dare to stand up and fight for the Rule of Law and for the American People.
I’m angry that billions of dollars are floating all around the globe, traded about by Bernake and Paulson and Geithner like it’s Monopoly money, stolen from the American people….and that no one has any grasp at all of where all the money is or why it’s gone there.
I’m angry that the corporations and the banksters have been permitted to corrupt our world so absolutely that they are immune from any punishment or consequence.
But I’m most angry because more Americans are not angry or willing to fight. They sit in front of their televisions, obsessing over football and Dancing With the Stars and distracted by the farce and joke that is our modern day political system yet they can’t be bothered to understand the treason or the crimes that are being perpetrated upon all of us by those in power.
It’s long past time for every single American to wake up and see the treason and the crimes and the destruction that lay all around us. It’s high time for all Americans to take up a post, get involved and start fighting. It’s up to every single American to determine what activism best suits their skill set and passion and put those skills to work.
You can no longer sit on the sidelines and yell at the TV. You can no longer passively support Occupied or any of the other protest movements. You can no longer give lip service to supporting political candidates without getting actively involved in their campaigns or working to defeat candidates that are destroying this country.
This country has a long and distinguished history of ordinary people standing up and doing extraordinary things. But right now too many people are soft, beaten, compliant and complacent.
That has all got to change. And it’s got to change right now.
This country is on the brink and every single person has got to believe that the fate of this nation rests entirely upon each person’s shoulders and their willingness to fight.
Take the charge, accept the challenge, get in this fight!
