Fight for the Ideals and Character of a Free People!!

Over the past months, I have come to realize that the American dream is slowly slipping away, and if we continue to complacently sit back, we may lose it. I feel like we are in a struggle to preserve this great republic and I am ready to fight for it! I'm ready to fight, my friends. I've never felt more passionate about anything in my life. I often feel like the great prophet Nephi praying in his garden tower, lamenting the wickedness and blindness of his people. While I know that the majority of the American people are good and decent freedom loving people, I fear that freedom and privilege has led to unparalleled complacency never before seen. Are we willing to fight for liberty the way our forefathers did? Or will we allow the devil to lead us away into carnal security, whispering in our ears that all is well in Zion?! It's time to stand up and fight for what's right. I'm an American and I choose to fight! McCain gave a brilliant speech in Miami today. McCain wasn't my first or even second choice during the primaries, but I am increasingly convinced that he is the right man to lead this country at this challenging time. Here are some excerpts from the speech.

The response from Senator Obama and his campaign yesterday was to attack Joe. People are digging through his personal life and he has TV crews camped out in front of his house. He didn't ask for Senator Obama to come to his house. He wasn't recruited or prompted by our campaign. He just asked a question. And Americans ought to be able to ask Senator Obama tough questions without being smeared and targeted with political attacks.

The question Joe asked about our economy is important, because Senator Obama's plan would raise taxes on small businesses that employ 16 million Americans. Senator Obama's plan will kill those jobs at just the time when we need to be creating more jobs. My plan will create jobs, and that's what America needs.

Senator Obama says that he wanted to spread your wealth around. When politicians talk about taking your money and spreading it around, you'd better hold onto your wallet. Senator Obama claims that he wants to give a tax break to the middle class, but not only did he vote for higher taxes on the middle class in the Senate, his plan gives away your tax dollars to those who don't pay taxes. That's not a tax cut, that's welfare. America didn't become the greatest nation on earth by redistributing wealth; we became the greatest nation by creating new wealth....

What America needs in this hour is a fighter; someone who puts all his cards on the table and trusts the judgment of the American people. I come from a long line of McCains who believed that to love America is to fight for her. I have fought for you most of my life. There are other ways to love this country, but I've never been the kind to do it from the sidelines.

I know you're worried. America is a great country, but we are at a moment of national crisis that will determine our future. Will we continue to lead the world's economies or will we be overtaken? Will the world become safer or more dangerous? Will our military remain the strongest in the world? Will our children and grandchildren's future be brighter than ours?

My answer to you is yes. Yes, we will lead. Yes, we will prosper. Yes, we will be safer. Yes, we will pass on to our children a stronger, better country. But we must be prepared to act swiftly, boldly, with courage and wisdom.

I know what fear feels like. It's a thief in the night who robs your strength.

I know what hopelessness feels like. It's an enemy who defeats your will.

I felt those things once before. I will never let them in again. I'm an American. And I choose to fight.

Don't give up hope. Be strong. Have courage. And fight.

Fight for a new direction for our country. Fight for what's right for America.

Fight to clean up the mess of corruption, infighting and selfishness in Washington.

Fight to get our economy out of the ditch and back in the lead.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.

Fight for our children's future.

Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. America is worth fighting for. Nothing is inevitable here. We never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

Now, let's go win this election and get this country moving again.

Conference Weekend

So I met my best mate, Cory Neill at the conference center Saturday and we spent the entire day together, attending conference and talking to the protestors. By far, my favorite protestor is Ruben Israel, a painting contractor from Southern California. I've been following Ruben's proselytizing efforts for several years now, and though I don't agree with his assertions about Mormonism, I respect him for his courage to preach repentance every year amongst the revelers at Mardi Gras, Las Vegas, and other such places. He supports capital punishment and travels around the country to support the state sanctioned execution of murderers. He is also a strong conservative who stands up for Christian and American values. Though there are minor doctrinal points that may separate us, there is much more that brings us together in a common purpose to strengthen individuals, families, communities and nation through the teachings of Christ. Ruben's son recently graduated from UCLA, and he couldn't be more proud. Next time you see him at conference or anywhere else, stop by and say hello and thank him for his efforts. Click here for a video of him preaching in Las Vegas last New Year's Eve.

Cool Hand Luke

I gotta say I was shocked when I heard the news yesterday that my hero Paul Newman had passed away. Even though he was a lib, he was still a good man. I first became aware of this man at the age of 14 when I first saw my favorite movie of all time, "Cool Hand Luke". If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it.

I have to comment on this financial crisis. I am highly disappointed with our incompetent government, democrats and republicans, for allowing the credit markets to get so out of hand that there is no longer market value for mortgage backed securities. The root of this problem goes back over a decade, but most recently, the push to give out mortgages to everyone, regardless of ability to pay it back is the direct cause. I'm highly disappointed by the attempt by the majority party in congress to blame the minority party simply because their party is in the White House. It was the democrats who, in the name of compassion and equality, pushed to give mortgages to minorities at the lowest income levels. The administration has also gone along with this in the name of "bipartisanship" and for many years boasted of record home ownership in this country. It was all a ruse, and now everyone is suffering because of the political pursuit of power and money despite the risks to the country's economic well being. The finger-pointing and blame for political expediency isn't encouraging. This bill will pass in Congress this week and will be signed by the President, and it will be a national tragedy. Some say the taxpayers will make money on this bailout, but I say once the government gains a little power, it rarely gives it up. What scares me even more is what an Obama presidency would do with this increased power and money.

If the democrats gain the White House this November, and larger majorities in Congress, the blame should be placed squarely on the shoulders of the Republicans and the Bush administration for abandoning conservative principles in the name of bipartisanship over the past 8 years. They will have gotten what they deserved. I am still a strong conservative and still firmly believe that the democratic party is the party of Lucifer, but I'm also ashamed to call myself a Republican. If we do lose in November, it will be a long awaited wake up call for conservatism. It took a Carter to get a Reagan. Perhaps it will take a disastrous Obama to stimulate the rebirth in strong conservative principles. In 1999, President Gordon B Hinckley said "there is a portent of stormy weather ahead." I'm afraid he was right. This country doesn't realize the sore trials that await her. God help us.

Family Trial

Our thoughts and prayers are with my Brother Brian and his family at this difficult time. Check out their blog www.ourmagnumopus.blogspot.com for more details and updates on little Ezra Nolan McCombs.

Race Pics

Moments before the swim start. I think Brian had been eating powdered donuts.

The End of an Era?

After months of training and planning, we all took the starting line at Utah Lake in Provo, UT -- Monte Johnson, Brian, Geoff and Chris McCombs. I had been nervous all morning as my mind kept telling me to not start the race. When we got to Utah Lake State Park, Monte was looking strong and confident, and it made me feel much more confident about the race. We all setup in transition, got suited up in our wetsuits and walked down to the water. Brian and I swam to the starting line just minutes before the starting gun fired at 7 am. Right before the gun went off, Brian and I grabbed hands and wished each other a good race. Ahead of us was over 70 miles of unknown. How would our bodies respond to the rigors of this event? Would anyone have equipment problems? Would we all make it to the finish line? I think the unknown contributed to the fear and excitement. Here are the results from the day:

Swim:
Geoff McCombs - 38:41 Place: 57
Chris McCombs - 42:11 Place: 111
Brian McCombs - 44:47 Place: 147
Monte Johnson - 1:57:18 Place: 272

Bike:
Geoff McCombs - 2:35:46 Place: 57
Brian McCombs - 2:40:52 Place: 86
Chris McCombs - 2:47:47 Place: 127
Monte Johnson - no data

Run:
Geoff McCombs - 1:59:14 Place: 60
Brian McCombs - 2:03:43 Place: 80
Chris McCombs - 2:50:45 Place: 223
Monte Johnson - no data

Total Time:
Geoff McCombs - 5:16:48 Overall Place: 45
Brian McCombs - 5:32:19 Overall Place: 72
Chris McCombs - 6:25:00 Overall Place: 184
Monte Johnson - 8:38:02 Overall Place: 260

Brian had an impressive result for his first half ironman. He totally smoked the bike, passing Chris and was nipping at my heels by the end.

Chris struggled on the run due to foot injuries, but he still pulled through with a respectable time. He had an altercation on the bike when another rider accused him of drafting, to which Chris responded, "Hey, I have an idea - SHUTUP!"

I was 24th overall on the bike at the halfway point, but I flatted just after the turnaround and got knocked back 50 places.

But by far, the greatest story of the day was made by Monte. 340 people took the starting lane and 260 finished. Monte was the last one to cross the finish line. 80 people abandoned during the race, but Monte showed to have the strongest will of the day. He just would not quit. He got out of the water and had to convince the officials to not disqualify him. He headed out on the bike for a long lonely ride. The volunteers had all left and closed up the aid stations by the time Monte got on the course, but he did not give up. He finished the bike when most had already finished the entire race or were in the last few miles of the run and he did not quit. He headed out on the run with the very real possibility of finishing after the 3pm deadline. He kept going, and the volunteers kept the aid stations open for him. We awaited his arrival at the finish with great anticipation. When we saw him turn the corner and start down the last stretch, we all jumped to our feet and cheered him to the finish. His perseverence was inspiring to us all. Way to go Monte! You're a Half Ironman. Beat that, Johnson brothers!

While I was suffering on the run, I began to wonder if this race would mark the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. I start Grad School in 2 weeks, I'll be working full time, and there won't be much time to train. I'll run the Top of Utah Marathon next month, and then I'm going to hang it up for a while. While I'm looking to the future with optimism, I can't help but reflect on the past 6 years of racing. Here's my top 10 list:

10 - My first Half Ironman in Guerneville, CA

9 - Getting hit by a car on a training ride, flipping over the car and totaling my bike, yet not suffering any serious injuries.

8 - Blacking out on "corkscrew wall" in the World's Toughest Century

7 - Only 15 minutes away from qualifying for Kona at the 2003 Utah Half Ironman. My best result ever!

6 - Escape from the Rock Triathlon in which I swam from Alcatraz and had to pull out after the swim due to hypothermia. Thanks for rubbing the life back into me, Mom!

5 - April 2004: Ironman California, Driving a moving van to Nauvoo, World's Toughest Half Ironman, Salt Lake City Marathon...all in the same month!!

4 - Ironman California 2007 when my parents came to Oceanside, CA to support me and then attending Priesthood session of conference with my dad.

3 - Full Vineman Ironman, August 2003 with my best friend and mentor, Rick Bird

2 - Utah Half Ironman, August 2008 with Brian, Chris and Monte

1 - Hawaii Ironman World Championships, October 2007

Grad School Roller Coaster Ride

SO, I was accepted into the MBA program at the U a couple of months ago, but my acceptance was contingent upon my retaking the GMAT and scoring above a 50 percentile on the quantitative section. Evidently, quantitative is a fancy schmancy way of saying Math. Why don't they just say math? Anyway, I studied for a month, putting my Ironman training on hold to learn how to do algebra, geometry, fractions, and long division again. I didn't even touch the verbal material in my studies because all I cared about was getting a 50 percentile in math. I took the test on Saturday and scored 30 percentile on the math, 81 percentile on the verbal. I think I may have had a better result if I had studied the verbal and not touched the math. When I saw my results, I could literally see my hopes of getting my MBA go up in smoke. I wanted to cry, so I went out and killed my body for 2 hours on my bike to vent my frustrations. It made me feel much better, even though I threw up in my mouth twice and almost passed out from heat stroke, but I digress. After my ride, I emailed the admissions committee to tell them what an idiot I was for not doing better on the math and that I'd hope to see them before my 50th birthday. I also made sure to mention my high verbal score. :) Today, I got the best birthday present of all from the admissions committee when I received the following email:

Geoffrey,

The Admissions Committee has had an opportunity to review your circumstances and previous coursework. They feel you have much to offer the program and are willing to welcome you into the PMBA program on the condition you maintain a 3.25 GPA during your first semester. The GPA condition is in lieu of your quantitative results on the GMAT. I have attached a contract and ask you to return it by the end of the week. Please let me know if you have any questions.

University of Utah Admissions


Did you notice the part about me "having much to offer the program"? I wonder if they're referring to my fantastic leg shaving abilities.... Now if I can just figure out how I'm going to pay for this, I'll be in business. Anyone know how to count cards?