Jesse Ventura in Don't Start the Revolution Without Me!, by Jesse Ventura
On Principles & Values:
Enlisted in Navy SEALs during Vietnam
I ended up getting talked into enlisting. It was Sept. 11, 1969. My mom was especially upset about it. My dad opposed it, too. I think one of the driving forces, subconsciously, that led me to enlist was that every other member of my family was a war
veteran.My father had 7 Bronze Stars for battles in WWII. He fought in Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, came up through Anzio in Italy, and finished in Berlin. My mother Bernice was an Army nurse in North Africa. My brother Jan was in Vietnam.
Not that any of my family would have cared, but I must have wondered how I could sit down with them at the dinner table: three veterans and one non-veteran. Especially in a time of war.
The Navy SEALs were created by Pres. Kennedy. SEAL stands for
Sea-Air-Land, an elite team trained to carry out clandestine missions abroad. Basic training is called BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL). It lasted 22 weeks. It's set up so that, literally, only the strong survive. There was an 80% dropout rate.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 10
Apr 1, 2008
On Principles & Values:
Met wife Terry while working as a bouncer in a bar
I was working as a bouncer at the Rusty Nail, a bar in a Minneapolis suburb. Terry showed up on a Ladies' Night. She was voluptuous, with long brown hair and the most amazingly beautiful eyes and smile. She'd already been carded by a cop at the door, and
now she was headed my way. I had to say SOMETHING to her."Can I see your ID please?" I blurted out.
"But I just showed HIM," she said, pointing at the cop.
"I don't care how old you are, I just want to know your name," I said, feeling kind of
proud of such a good line. Well, she went through her purse until she found her ID again, presented it to me without a word.
Terry: "This was the first time my girlfriends & I had ever gone to a suburban bar. When I first saw Jesse, he appeared to be
the biggest thing in the entire place. I couldn't get that fellow at the door out of my head. Finally I said, 'I'm going upstairs.' My girlfriend said, 'You're gonna go flirt with that guy and leave us down here; real nice.' But I couldn't help myself."
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 15-16
Apr 1, 2008
On Technology:
1998 "Geek Squad" pioneered political use of Internet
November 3, 1998, Election Night. I'd kept rising in the polls. That last weekend, the media had begun calling it a three-way horse race for the governorship. I knew I'd need some luck, that everything was going to have to fall into place.
But I'd never doubted whether I could win. Otherwise, I would never have run in the first place.Except we had an extra advantage called the Internet. My "Geek Squad" transmitted video clips and digital photos of all our rallies onto my Jesse
Ventura website as soon as they happened, along with up-to-date information on where we were headed next. This was the first time any politician had really used the Internet; some of the pundits later compared it to JFK's use of television during his
presidential race in 1960.
I had people coming up & telling me they hadn't voted in 25 years, but they were turning out for me on Tuesday. I still see the face of this kid who approached me in the little town of Willmar. "Jesse," he said, "you are us."
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 18-19
Apr 1, 2008
On Civil Rights:
We're losing our rights to the so-called War on Terror
We're losing our constitutional rights because of the so-called "war on terror." It reminds me of that line from the movie "Full Metal Jacket": "Guess they'd rather be alive than free--poor dumb bastards!"
Not me--once America is no longer what our country has stood for since 1776. We've gone backwards. When you look at how religious fanatics and corporate America are teaming up, we today are on the brink of fascism.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 2
Apr 1, 2008
On Principles & Values:
Taught "Wrestling Then Politics: The Perfect Preparation"
At Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in 2004, I called my class "Wrestling, Then Politics: The Perfect Preparation for Serving." People thought it was a joke but, when the class was over, they realized it hit the nail right on the head.- In
wrestling, you have to be able to ad-lib and think on your feet. In politics, you need to be able to come up with an answer that doesn't destroy you.
- You had to sell yourself as a wrestler. Well, in politics, you have to sell yourself similarly to
convince people to vote for you, & allow you to take their tax dollars.
- In both wrestling and politics, you travel a lot--especially to small towns. Wrestling is the only pro sport that goes to those places.
- Finally, the wrestler is often not in
public the same person he is in private, and I think it's the same with the politician. Was I really Jesse "The Body" Ventura, a guy who struts around with bleached blond hair, 6 earrings, and feather boas? Of course not. That's a total creation.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 25-26
Apr 1, 2008
On Principles & Values:
Chose stage name after Jesse James and California town
Pro wrestling had heroes and villains, and I'd already decided I was going to be the "bad guy". In a sport where Gorgeous George, Gorilla Monsoon, and the Crusher were some of the big names,
I knew that plain old Jim Janos wasn't going to cut the mustard. I'd always liked the name Jesse, maybe because of Jesse James. I looked on a map of California and my eyes landed on a highway that ran north of L.A. called Ventura.
Jesse Ventura, the Surfer. Now that had a ring to it.I paraded around while the people got what they came for: They hated my guts. I was earning between $35 and $65 per night.
In 1978, when an announcer started referring to me as Jesse "The Body" and the nickname stuck, I joined one of the bigger leagues.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 27-29
Apr 1, 2008
On Principles & Values:
Grew with sport of wrestling as "bad guy" character
I've often referred to pro wrestling as "ballet with violence." Yes, it's staged, as far as who's going to be the winner, but it's not fake. It's really an art form, and one that requires careful discipline. When you smash your opponent with a folding
chair, you've got to know how NOT to hurt him. When you get body-slammed, it's painful, no way around it. But you get used to it.In this particular dance, it's the bad guy who leads--and who gets to be the most creative. I developed a move called "The
Body-breaker," where I'd pick the other guy up across my shoulder and shake him relentlessly while I jumped up and down. "The most brutal man in wrestling!" I'd yell at the crowds.
Well, in the '80's, the sport of wrestling became huge.
Before long, we were accepted by mainstream America. The first WrestleMania, in 1985, sold out Madison Square Garden. I was called "wrestling Goldilocks" and featured alongside basketball superstars. My tag-team events were earning $3,000 a match.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 29-30
Apr 1, 2008
On Families & Children:
Hypocrisy to tell kids to abstain from sex
We--"the free love generation"--are now telling our children to abstain from sex? When I spoke at Carleton College, I told the young people: "Unless they were a virgin on their wedding day, anyone who preaches abstinence to you is a hypocrite."
Two weeks later, Ann Coulter showed up at the same school, and one of the students raised his hand and asked her whether she'd been a virgin! It made the papers--and made me laugh. You know what Coulter did? Attacked the kid and changed the subject.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 3
Apr 1, 2008
On Environment:
Driven off his family farm due to development
On the surface, farm country never seems to change. Driving down through southern Minnesota, it had all looked pretty much the same as a generation ago.But driving an interstate can be deceiving. Agribusiness keeps the big factory farms--livestock
operations with thousands of cattle, hogs, and poultry--just far enough off the freeway so you can't usually see or smell them. In the area closest to the feedlots, you can barely breathe even if you roll up your windows and shut off the outside air.
We'd bought a 32-acre-ranch in Maple Grove in the mid 1990's, because Terry wanted a place where she could have her horses on our own land, instead of boarding them. We hadn't been living there long when I had to fight the county tax assessors to
keep our farm status. They claimed I had another job. Well, many farm families have dual occupations.
The truth was, the government wanted to drive us out--because of pressure from developers. Eventually they succeeded.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 32-33
Apr 1, 2008
On Environment:
Entered mayoral race because of water drainage issues
I had no political intentions until I ran for mayor of Brooklyn Park, MN, in 1990. I did it because I was outraged about developers coming into the area where we lived then, aiming to make housing subdivisions out of the few remaining potato fields.
Rubber-stamped by the good old boys on the city council, they demanded that our neighborhood pay for curbs, gutters, and storm sewers through assessments--none of which we needed because we all already captured rain runoff in ditches. Where they planned
to put the runoff water only added insult to injury: Since pollution laws forbade the developers from draining it into the Mississippi, they decided to pump the polluted water into a beautiful wetland about a block from my house. This would have
completely destroyed the wetland.It was supposed to be a nonpartisan election. But the heads of the state Democratic & Republican parties came together and wrote a joint letter calling me "the most dangerous man in the city." I won, 65% to 35%.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 34
Apr 1, 2008
On Budget & Economy:
Entered governor race when legislature spent $4B surplus
Minnesota had just seen its first major budget surplus--and they spent it, about $4 billion! The governor and the legislature didn't care one iota. They had all this extra money and, by God, they could fund all these pet projects they'd dreamed of--they
were like kids in a candy store. I started explaining to people [via my radio show] how this represented overtaxation. I felt that money ought to be returned to the people.State budgets do not run on deficit like the federal government. If you had a
situation where you applied that additional money to a debt, maybe I could have lived with it more. As it was, I started complaining vehemently on the air about how wrong our supposed leaders were for doing this. After all, this is OUR money!
I
started stating that maybe I should run for governor. Well, it caught on like wildfire. I felt I'd boxed myself into a corner--if I didn't attempt to do this, I would lose my credibility. And in the world of talk radio, once that happens, you're finished
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 37
Apr 1, 2008
On Civil Rights:
Don't amend Constitution to outlaw flag-burning
Sometimes, of course, speaking my mind proved a bit controversial. I told the veterans gathered at an American Legion post that I opposed any constitutional amendment to outlaw flag-burning.
The point was that we have the freedom to do something like that in America, and the flag is only a symbol. Besides, I told them, flag-burners usually get the crap kicked out of them by construction workers, anyhow.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 43
Apr 1, 2008
On Corporations:
Media today: controlled by corporations & all about ratings
The media today are controlled by the big corporations. It's all about ratings and money. Believe it or not, I think the downfall of our press today was the show 60 Minutes. Up until it came along, news was expected to lose money, in order to bring the
people fair reporting and the truth. But when 60 Minutes became the top-rated program on television, the light went on. The corporate honchos said, "Wait a minute, you mean if we entertain with the news, we can make money?" It was the realization that,
if packaged the correct way, the news could make you big bucks. No longer was it a matter of scooping somebody else on a story, but whether 20/20's ratings this week were better than Dateline's. I'm not knocking 60 Minutes. It was tremendously well done
and hugely successful, but in the long run it could end up being a detriment to society.My major criticism of today's media is, they're no longer reporting the news, they're creating it. When that happens, you're in deep trouble.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 48
Apr 1, 2008
On Technology:
TV news stations are really entertainment stations
The thing about most of the media is that they want to reduce everybody to the lowest common denominator. They don't want people to have any heroes. I've got nothing against criticism of political figures, but that's different from a personal attack.
It's easier to do sensationalism and character assassination than focus on the real issues. And they're obsessed, it seems, with portraying the ugliest side of humanity--the dishonesty, hypocrisy, ego battles and fights. How dare Fox, CNN and
MSNBC call themselves news stations? They're entertainment stations.
A group of scientists came out and said unequivocally that global warming IS being caused by human beings. Did you hear that mentioned on the "news"?
No, that day Britney Spears shaved her head. People would rather hear about this than what's happening in Iraq? Or are we simply being dumbed-down to that point? The people of the US should demand more than this!
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 51
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
Oswald did not act alone in JFK assassination
Concerning the Warren Commission, I started to wonder. I started reading all the books I could about the assassination. It caused quite a stir when I told an interviewer from "Playboy" that I did not believe the official conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald
had acted alone. That was my first year as governor and, as far as I'm aware, I was the highest ranking official who'd ever made that statement. My most basic reasoning is this: If Oswald was really who we were led to believe--a disgruntled little
Marine private who got angry with capitalism and became a communist, tried to defect to Russia, came back and thought he'd make a name for himself in history by shooting the president--then why would any of the evidence need to be withheld and locked
away in the National Archives for 75 years because of "national security"? As a Navy SEAL, I had top-secret clearance. That was higher than Oswald's and I know a few secrets, but not enough to jeopardize national security.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 54
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
2004 class: Warren Commission was wrong on JFK
Teaching at Harvard in 2004, I decided to focus a class on the Kennedy Assassination. I knew that was a gutsy move to make at the Kennedy School of Government. I noticed there were people in my class that day whom I'd never seen before.
They were too old to be students. Their sole purpose in being there was apparently to debunk any conspiracy theories. They didn't completely disrupt the class, but they would speak out of turn and insinuate that is was un-American and undermining our
great country to bring up the past and question the integrity of all those great men on the Warren Commission. Never question your government, was the message. (Kind of like what the former president George H. W. Bush said at President Ford's funeral:
We know the Warren Commission is accurate because Gerald Ford said it was.) So where did these people come from? I suspect they were plants, sent in by someone in the government.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 56-57
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
Democracy cannot survive while hiding secrets
If I ever became president, I would push for opening up every document in the National Archives after a limited number of years, unless it was a case where someone's life might be in jeopardy. But the moment that person died, that document would
automatically become public record. I just don't like the idea of secretive government, and we're going in that direction more and more, by leaps and bounds. I do not believe that a democracy can survive when it's hiding secrets.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 57
Apr 1, 2008
On Civil Rights:
Only governor of 50 to not declare National Prayer Day
I was the only governor out of all 50 who would not declare a National Prayer Day. Why do people need the government to tell them to pray? Pray all you want! Pray 50 times a day if you desire, it's not my business! On the counter-side, if I declare
National Prayer Day, then I've got to declare National No-Prayer Day for the atheists. Instead, I declared "Indivisible Day" on 4th of July:- WHEREAS: the unique feature of this nation at its founding was its establishment of a secular Constitution
that separated government from religion; and
- WHEREAS: Our secular Constitution has enabled people of all worldviews to coexist in harmony, undivided by sectarian strife; and
- WHEREAS: Eternal vigilance must be maintained to guard against those who
seek to divide our nation along arbitrary lines of race, ethnicity, and religious belief or nonbelief.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I do hereby proclaim that July 4, 2002 shall be observed as: INDIVISIBLE DAY in the State of Minnesota."
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 58-59
Apr 1, 2008
On Homeland Security:
Muhammad Ali sacrificed for his convictions on Vietnam
The interesting thing about you, Terry says as my religious rant winds down, "is that your great hero in life is a Muslim." Muhammad Ali had been an idol of mine growing up.{After getting elected, we] set it up for us to go visit Muhammad on his
farm. We spent a whole afternoon. It was a dream come true for me to be sitting on a couch with the Champ, creating a friendship. His wife told me that he'd barely slept the night before, he was so excited I was coming. Muhammad Ali, excited to see me?
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 60-63
Apr 1, 2008
On Principles & Values:
Personal hero is Muhammad Ali, who also shocked the world
[On election night], I'd said this: "You know, it was back in '64 that a hero and an idol of mine beat Sonny Liston. He shocked the world.
Well, now it's 1998 and the American drama lives on in Minnesota cause we SHOCKED THE WORLD!" Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, had been that hero and idol of mine growing up. So I was ecstatic when Liston failed to come out for the 8th round.
I always remembered Clay screaming, "We shocked the world!" after the fight, and that's all I could think of when I went out for my acceptance speech.At the Capitol, a big gift-wrapped box [arrived]; inside was a pair of red Everlast boxing gloves
and, written in magic marker on one of them was: "To Governor Jesse Ventura--You Shocked the World. Muhammad Ali." I was stunned. Muhammad was watching TV the night I won.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 61-62
Apr 1, 2008
On Drugs:
Let states decide medical marijuana laws
Early in 2001 Bush stated that he was a strong believer in giving more power to the states, which I applaud. He was going to be, he said, an old-style Federalist president. I believed him.
Yet just about every move he's made since that day has taken power away from the states. Cases in point: 12 states have now passed laws to allow the medical use of marijuana.
The federal government under Bush says no way, it won't let the states do this. 2 states have voted for dignity in death. If I'm living in MN and terminally ill,
I could have the option of moving to Oregon and fulfill my wishes not to prolong the agony. Again, the Bush administration says, oh no, you can't.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 67
Apr 1, 2008
On Principles & Values:
2000: Offered to run as John McCain's independent VP
The Reform Party became eligible for almost $13 million in federal funding for the 2000 presidential election. I'd made a 4-year promise to fulfill my obligation to the state of MN. I didn't believe that, all of a sudden and for your own personal
political gain, you start campaigning for another job. There was only one person, I decided, that I would break my promise for. At the time, it was John McCain.When Senator McCain came to see me early in 2000, he had just begun taking on George W.
Bush. I was supporting McCain, because I believed then that a veteran, like him, and a moderate--which he no longer is today--was what the country needed.
I looked McCain in the eye and broached a possibility. "Senator," I said, "if you will quit the
Republican Party, I will break my promise to MN and I will run with you. You for president, me for vice president. And we will win the 2000 election."
He smiled and said, "Well, I'd love to have you on board, but I can't quit the Republican Party."
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 78-79
Apr 1, 2008
On Immigration:
Great Wall of China failed; so will the Great Wall of the US
I went to China on a trade mission, and climbed the Great Wall of Beijing. Which had sparked my contemplating the "great wall" that the US is planning to build between us and Mexico, as a supposed answer to illegal immigration. By the end of '08, about
670 miles are supposed to be completed along our southwestern border. Why is it we don't see that if you don't learn from history you're destined to repeat it? The Great Wall of China did not work. The most formidable barrier ever built by mankind--
and it failed! In 1644, the Chinese were overrun and now the Great Wall is nothing but a tourist attraction. At least their Great Wall is an architectural wonder that people built by hand, all day long, many of them living and dying there.
So I hope they end up making our "great wall" tourist friendly. I tell Terry that, when it gets built, I'm gonna find where it's on public land and I'm gonna cross it into Mexico, in protest. I don't want my country to be East Berlin.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 88
Apr 1, 2008
On Homeland Security:
CIA should not operate within the US, but they do
Sometime early in 1999, a meeting was set up for me in the basement of the Capitol. I was more or less being ORDERED to go down there. No one actually said that.
No, I was told, this was a training exercise for the Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA, and they wanted to know if I would be willing to participate.
I opened the conversation by saying: "According to your original charter from when the CIA was created in 1947, you're not supposed to be working directly within the US." Well, I got the hem-haw.
It wasn't long after the meeting when
I found out something else. I was stunned to learn that there are CIA operatives inside some state governments. I'm left to wonder why our Constitution is being violated.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 90-94
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
CIA plants operatives in state government positions
I was stunned to learn that there are CIA operatives inside some state governments. They are not in executive positions--in other words, not appointed by the governor--but are permanent state employees. Governors come and go, but they keep working--in
legitimate jobs, but with dual identities. In MN, this person was at a deputy commissioner level, fairly high up.The CIA person informed my chief of staff and me that only we would know of the operative's identity, nobody else in state government.
No one ever made me swear that I wouldn't talk about this. I could only speculate about other states, but I'm fairly certain that the same situation exists all across the country. It would seem odd that only MN would have CIA operatives.
Are they put there to spy? To see the direction that state government is going, what's happening, and report back--to whom? And for what purpose? Do they think there are traitors in certain states? I don't know. That part, I wasn't told.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 93-95
Apr 1, 2008
On Free Trade:
NAFTA reservations: Mexican labor conditions & US job loss
Since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, hundreds of factories called maquiladoras have sprung up. There they make goods on the cheap and ship them back across the border.President Clinton predicted this would be a
boon to everyone. It certainly has been for the corporations, which have cut back their labor costs and increased their profits. Thousands of workers from Mexico's poorest southern states make the equivalent of little more than $4 a day. But it's better
than having no job at all.
I'm a staunch capitalist, and I was a big supporter of NAFTA in the beginning. Today, I have a lot of reservations about what it's brought about. NAFTA has resulted in hundreds of thousands of job losses in the US, because
employers moved south of the border. Half of the people working in these Mexican maquiladoras are women, and there is also child labor, and long hours, with no right to unionize. They're really nothing more than sweatshops, in a lot of cases.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p. 99-100
Apr 1, 2008
On China Book:
Active role in bringing China into WTO
Interestingly, the University of Minnesota has the largest population of Chinese students of any campus in the US and, when I was governor, I met with a group of about 20 of them.
They'd told me that 80% of their people are still involved in agriculture, but that China's farmland is pretty much maxed out. I thought it would be great if US farmers, in MN and elsewhere, could sell their surpluses to China.
I became a big supporter of bringing China into the World Trade Organization (WTO), something that was also one of President Clinton's foremost concerns.
They'd moved from strictly command economy to one where market forces were playing an increasing part, and it was definitely time to break down the remaining trade barriers.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.102-103
Apr 1, 2008
On Free Trade:
Active role in bringing China into WTO
Interestingly, the University of Minnesota has the largest population of Chinese students of any campus in the US. They'd told me that 80% of their people are still involved in agriculture, but that China's farmland is pretty much maxed out. I thought it
would be great if US farmers, in MN and elsewhere, could sell their surpluses to China.I became a big supporter of bringing China into the World Trade Organization (WTO), something that was also one of President Clinton's foremost concerns.
They'd moved from strictly command economy to one where market forces were playing an increasing part, and it was definitely time to break down the remaining trade barriers.
Clinton's administration encouraged me to take an active role, and I'm proud
to have been a part of the effort that resulted in China being admitted to the WTO in December 2001. That's how I ended up spending a week in China on a trade mission early the next year. First in Beijing for several days, and then Shanghai.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.102-103
Apr 1, 2008
On Foreign Policy:
Questions why we still need Cuban embargo
I grew up in fear of Fidel Castro. I was young in 1959 when his revolution in Cuba took place, but I remember the propaganda.I questioned Pres. Clinton about why we continued to have an economic boycott against the Cubans. At the time, I was smoking
cigars, and I said that I was sick and tired of having to feel like a criminal every time I wanted a Cuban cigar. Clinton talked about how Cuba had shot down an American plane that strayed over its air space, and allegations of human rights violations,
as justifications for why the boycott had to continue. Which still didn't fly much with me.
In 2002, a MN trade mission to Cuba came about after a few of the sanctions dealing with food and agricultural products had been lifted. This provided us an
opening to seek deals with the Cuban government, for humanitarian purposes. Pres. Bush did not want me to personally go. Being there reaffirmed my position that the American sanctions are wrong. You realize that these are only hurting the Cuban people.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.107-110
Apr 1, 2008
On China Book:
We embraced China but not Cuba because Castro nationalized
I always felt, in looking at the Cuban situation, that it was wrong. And I now know why. It came to me one night. China is communist, the same as Cuba, and yet we have no problem trading with China. In fact, today we can't get over there quick enough.
The difference is simple: China welcomes our corporations. Cuba threw them out. It's a basic decision of corporate America: We will punish Cuba because Castro stuck it to us by nationalizing everything after he came to power.
What other reason could there be? China is far more powerful but we now welcome them into global trade with open arms--as we should--while we continue this bitter, hostile policy towards Cuba.
It must be because there are still people alive in the corporate world who got hammered by Fidel's revolution.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.111
Apr 1, 2008
On Corporations:
We embraced China but not Cuba because Castro nationalized
I always felt, in looking at the Cuban situation, that it was wrong. And I now know why. It came to me one night. China is communist, the same as Cuba, and yet we have no problem trading with China. In fact, today we can't get over there quick enough.
The difference is simple: China welcomes our corporations. Cuba threw them out. It's a basic decision of corporate America: We will punish Cuba because Castro stuck it to us by nationalizing everything after he came to power.
What other reason could there be? China is far more powerful but we now welcome them into global trade with open arms--as we should--while we continue this bitter, hostile policy towards Cuba.
It must be because there are still people alive in the corporate world who got hammered by Fidel's revolution.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.111
Apr 1, 2008
On Principles & Values:
Co-starred with Gov. Schwarzenegger in two action films
I played alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the sci-fi movie "Predator." Kill the alien: that was the basic premise of the film, which ended up making about $60 million in box office in 1987. I was part of the commando team in pursuit, chewing tobacco
and carrying a machine gun into the bush. Even though the alien bumped me off halfway through the movie, it wasn't long before I uttered a famous line that Fox Studios even made T-shirts of: "I Ain't Got Time to Bleed." That also became the title of
my first book. The best thing about doing "Predator" was becoming good friends with Arnold. Who would have imagined then that we'd both end up as governors?We enjoyed each other's company so much that Arnold made sure I got a part in his next
project, "The Running Man." This time, I played Captain Freedom, an egomaniac ex-wrestler who's doing color commentary for a sadistic game show in an American police state in 2017. Some of that hit a little close to home.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.134-136
Apr 1, 2008
On Corporations:
Treat Indian gambling monopoly same as MLB baseball monopoly
In 2004, I appeared on TV ads in California opposing that Native American gambling casinos pay 25% of their revenues in taxes. That's at a time when corporate taxes in California were, I believe, at 6% or 7%. To me, the politicians had granted Native
American tribes the rights to exclusive gambling and then, when they realized how much money it generated, they wanted to change the game.Gov. Schwarzenegger's argument was that the Indian tribes can be taxed as much as we desire because we give them
a monopoly. Then why isn't it being done to baseball? The ballplayers and the owners are making millions every year, and they're granted an antitrust exemption.
So, I sided with the Native Americans.
Here you had the Caucasians ticked off at the Indians, because the Indians are making all this money--through an agreement that the Caucasians made with them! There we go again, breaking our deals, just like we've done to Indians for the last 200 years.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.137-138
Apr 1, 2008
On Tax Reform:
Cut fees on only some watercraft, as unconstitutional
I'd run into problems over wave runners. When I became governor, I happened to own four of the personal watercrafts. The legislature had placed a separate tax on them that applied
to no other boat, to hire police to keep the people who used wave runners in line. I was getting nicked $50 apiece, $200 a year, for this new surcharge that was, in my opinion, completely unconstitutional.
It was the equivalent of putting a tax on all red sports cars. So I managed to have the surcharge repealed.
I was accused of getting laws passed to benefit myself or my friends. Well, my view is, what else can you govern by except personal experience?
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.145
Apr 1, 2008
On Tax Reform:
Remove "license tab fees": a hidden sales tax
I did my best to correct what I felt was a 10 year sales tax masquerading as something called license tab fees. You already paid a sales tax when you purchased your car.
But, to be able to get your license plates, you also had to pay an additional fee to the state--a percentage based upon the price you paid for the vehicle.
I happened to have brought a new Porsche in 1990 and, just to drive my car, it cost me upwards for $4,000 in license tab fees over the course of 10 years.
How can you have a licensing system based upon the street value of the car? If you're going to do something like that, then base it on the weight of the car--that's what tears up the streets!
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.145
Apr 1, 2008
On Environment:
Pushed for light rail in Twin Cities
Back in the early 50's, the Twin Cities had probably the best mass transit in the world. That is, until the automotive, gasoline, and tire industries lobbied successfully to destroy it.I pushed for light rail because I saw it as playing an important
role in the future. I went to Denver to study their light-rail system. It's the old wagon wheel concept; all the spokes lead to the city center, and those are your trains. The busses connect to the trains.
[For the Twin Cities], the idea was that the
system would run for 11.5 miles, connecting the Mall of America to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to downtown. I found out that 60% of the people who live [along the route] can't afford to own a car. They'd now have the ability to get downtown or to
the mall, and find at least an entry-level job.
I took abuse from talk radio show hosts who called the light rail plan "the big boondoggle" or "the train to nowhere." Their notion was, we have our cars, MN doesn't need mass transit.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.148-151
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
Bingo Saga: allow Bingo from somewhere in 1,000 law volumes
[This is] what's gone down in MN legend as "the bingo saga." In the secretary of state's office was a massive wall filled with what had to be close to 1,000 books. I inquired, "What is all this?" And I was told, "Those are all the laws for the state of
MN." I sat there a moment and thought: They tell us that ignorance of the law is no excuse. In other words, we as citizens are supposed to KNOW all this? That seemed pretty absurd.My solution? I wanted to change the system so that every 3rd year, the
legislature couldn't make new laws. They could only come back and repeal old ones. Trim down the size of those bookshelves in the secretary of state's office a little. But in order to do that, I'd have to revise the state constitution.
However,
I'm pleased to report my success in repealing one law. MN had it on the books that elderly people living together in nursing homes were only allowed to play bingo twice a week. The law even dictated what the prizes should be.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.154-155
Apr 1, 2008
On Tax Reform:
Base property tax on services needed, not on value of home
One of the major issues that inspired me to run for governor was Minnesota's complicated property-tax system, which I'd vowed to change. In my first State of the State, I said: "Let's face it. We've lost any logic to this system.
Property taxes no longer are tied to the services that are delivered. We have created a so-called progressive tax based on the value of the property.
It punishes people for doing the right thing. If I keep up my property, my value and taxes go up, even though
I don't need as many local services as the property that has been allowed to deteriorate and needs more inspections, fire protection, or police patrols."
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.164
Apr 1, 2008
On Tax Reform:
Replace property-tax-funded schooling with general funds
[Property taxes came] down to taxation without representation. You may have heard about MN being the "land of 10,000 lakes." A lot of people like myself live in the city, but own a little lake cabin to spend their weekends in. That's a tradition
engrained in MN. You don't vote in the area where you own a 2nd home, yet the local bureaucrats could still raise your property taxes to pay for public education. Whenever they needed money for their school district, they'd dump it onto the cabin
owners--who were, unfairly, footing the bill there, as well as where their own kids attended school in the fall.So, in 2001, I came up with a plan for the state to start paying the full costs of public education out of a general fund, rather than from
local property taxes--which would then become smaller, simpler, and fairer. To help pay for this switch, I proposed adding a sales tax onto many services that weren't subject to it--but, at the same time, lowering the overall sales tax from 6.5 to 6%.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.164-165
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
Unicameral state legislature would be more democratic
I pushed for MN to move to a unicameral legislature. I proposed that our House and Senate be combined into a single body of 135 members, down from 201. That way, I believed government would be more accountable and responsible. The state would also save
about $20 million a year.The only state to have a unicameral legislative is Nebraska, and for 80 years, they have never been forced into a special session to reach a budget conclusion. That speaks volumes. In a unicameral set-up, you don't have two
separate houses holding each other up! Unlike MN, where the last several years of legislative sessions haven't finished on time because of a budget deadlock. At the federal level, yes, we need the check-and-balance of different make-ups in a House and a
Senate. But [not] at a state level.
I wanted at least to get this on the ballot, so Minnesotans could vote one way or the other. Well, I couldn't even get the legislature to bring this to a floor vote. I called them "gutless cowards," and I meant it.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.171-172
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
Term limits in Congress would limit lobbyist power
Term limits, in my view, would be a damned good idea. Maybe politicians wouldn't then be quite so beholden to the power of corporate lobbyists. The only lobbyists I ever knowingly met with as governor was one
I used--to try to get a floor vote on a unicameral legislature. Otherwise, I told my staff from the beginning: lobbyists and special interests did not elect me, so why do I need to talk to them now?
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.173
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
States should not be in business of building sports stadiums
The state wasn't in the business of financing a new stadium. The Minnesota Vikings' owner, a Texas billionaire named Red McCombs, wanted a new stadium. Red came in with no plan whatsoever. He simply said, "I need a new stadium, governor."Playing dumb,
I said, "Well, Red, build one. What do you need to see me for?"
Red said, "Well, I can't do that without some participation of state money." Maybe he was just used to getting what he wanted, with his holdings in oil and TV stations.
I said, "If you
raise your ticket prices $10 a seat and you keep selling out, that's $640,000. Do that over 10 games, it's $6.4 million. I don't think $10 a seat, or even $20, would upset the apple cart that bad."
Red replied, "I can't simply just put this on the
backs of our most loyal fans."
I responded back, "Red, my wife couldn't care less about football. My wife pays taxes to the state of MN. So do a lot of people who think just like her. And I have to represent all of these people."
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.174-177
Apr 1, 2008
On Civil Rights:
Equal state benefits for gay employees and partners
The Christian right wing in America is a polarizing force when it comes to gay rights, abortion, and patriotism. To me, these aren't "issues," they are matters of individual freedom of choice. But the militant Christians especially don't like anything
beyond their idea of the "normal"--like the percentage of our population who happen to be gay.To me, gay rights is simple: it's about equality. We're all supposed to be equal under the Constitution, which doesn't say anything about the "Hetero
States of America."
I fought hard as governor to get equal rights for state employees who happened to be gay. We were losing some of the best and the brightest to the private sector, simply because they were gay and not receiving the benefits that
should be provided. In 2001, I finally achieved this for gay people. The benefits didn't last long beyond my time in office, though. When the contract came up for renegotiation, the new governor proposed a pay freeze--and a cut in benefits for gays.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.180-182
Apr 1, 2008
On Civil Rights:
Civil unions for gays AND hetero couples
As for gay marriage, a woman I met at Harvard said, "Governor, solving the gay marriage question is simple. Government should not acknowledge marriage at all. Government should only acknowledge civil unions." That way, when you fill out the consent form,
your sex doesn't even have to be asked. From that point on, you allow the church--a private institution--to choose whether or not to recognize gay marriage. But when two people are forming a civil union, whether you are heterosexual or homosexual doesn't
matter. The government is off the hook. With all the bickering and fighting over gay marriage, that's as simple as it needs to be.I'm proud of the fact that in 2006, "Lavender"--the top gay magazine in MN--put me on the cover and said I was the best
governor for gay rights in the state's history. I find it interesting that distinction would come to a heterosexual Navy frogman. Even though I'm sure that the Christian right's opinion would be that I'm completely out of line.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.182
Apr 1, 2008
On Abortion:
Illegalizing abortions won't stop abortions
My views on abortion come from my mom. She was a nurse in surgery for her entire adult life, and used to tell me how terrible it was before Roe v Wade--when back-alley abortions often placed the woman's life in danger. Today, some people live under a
false premise that, if the government makes something illegal, it will go away. But then the illegal activity is simply controlled by an underground or criminal element. And, in the case of abortion, you will not receive the safety and precautions
necessary.Running for office in 1998, I'd been asked to fill out a questionnaire for the Minnesota Family Council. I said that, without question, I opposed any ban on partial-birth abortions. But I also stated at the time that, while
I wouldn't promote any legislation calling for a 24-hour waiting period, I'd sign it if the legislature passed it.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.182-183
Apr 1, 2008
On Education:
Evolution for science teachers & Creation for Sunday school
Another of the religious right's scams is marching into public science classes and trying to mandate teaching of "creation science," as opposed to evolution. Somehow, they put evolutionism and creationism in the same category--believing that one makes
the other impossible. But aren't these two separate systems of knowledge? One is a scientific theory, the other is a religious doctrine.
It's kind of like comparing the law of gravity to the Sermon on the Mount. Evolution doesn't pretend to disprove the Bible's version of creation, or the belief in an all-powerful being as "prime mover" and measurable.
It's open to all possibilities, unlike creationism, which is a closed book. So leave evolution to the science teachers, and creation to the Sunday school of the parents' choosing.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.186-187
Apr 1, 2008
On Crime:
Opposes death penalty because DNA proves too many mistakes
Given how many convicts awaiting capital punishment have been cleared because of DNA evidence, I no longer support the death penalty. Minnesota doesn't have this on the books, so
I'm thankful for that, as governor, I never had to face the decision of whether to execute someone on death row. Again, I simply don't believe that government has the inherent right to make those kinds of choices.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.187
Apr 1, 2008
On Education:
Requiring the Pledge of Allegiance brainwashes students
When the MN legislature passed a Pledge of Allegiance bill that would have required public school students to recite the Pledge, I had my veto pen ready again. That was the way my 4th and final, legislative session ended. Let me expand on my reasoning a
little bit. Take the "under God" part of the Pledge. If there is a child in school whose parents are atheists, why should there be a reference to God that they are forced to say? Yet what kid won't do so, rather than face that pressure from their peers
if they refuse?Especially at these young ages, I call it brainwashing to make it mandatory to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. If a teacher wants to make this part of the classroom, all they need
to do is simply say, "You know, I'm very patriotic. And every morning when you come into class, I'm going to stand up and say a Pledge of Allegiance to my country. You're welcome to join me if you'd like."
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.187-188
Apr 1, 2008
On Drugs:
Treat marijuana like we treat alcohol and tobacco
I wish that Canada and Mexico would legalize marijuana, because that would put the US on an island. You'd have two countries proving, like the city of Amsterdam has, that making drugs legal is not a negative formula, but the best way to deal with the
problem. Making something illegal doesn't mean it goes away, it just means criminals are going to run it.Why not treat marijuana in the same way as alcohol or tobacco? It's so widely used, and it has medical purposes that are denied by the US Food and
Drug Administration. Numerous doctors and private studies have clearly shown that medicinal marijuana is a painkiller that can help cancer and AIDS patients and can also be used to treat glaucoma.
The fact is growing hemp for industrial purposes would
make it a very useful plant. It can be a fiber for clothing, a source of paper, even an alternative fuel. Canada is already using hemp this way. I simply don't see that cannabis grows wild on earth just so humans can eradicate it.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.189-190
Apr 1, 2008
On Technology:
Unplugging TVs when off would save 3800 gigawatt-hours
When we aren't watching our televisions, if we would simply unplug them, there would be no energy shortage in the US. We have about 220 million TV sets. All of them use stand-by power. But have you ever had a manufacturer tell you that, even if you're
using a remote to turn them off, they're still using units of power and draining energy?When I started unplugging all three of my TV sets, I watched my power usage drop by an amp and a half. I was amazed. Before you push the "on" button, all that's
required is a few seconds to walk over and plug in the TV. By the time you've gone back to your chair, it will have warmed up enough to have your picture. Think of how much energy this small gesture could be saving!
If all the televisions in America were unplugged for eight hours a day, the energy savings would be more than 3,800 gigawatt-hours.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.201-202
Apr 1, 2008
On Homeland Security:
Bush administration knew 9/11 was coming
When it comes to the question of "what did they know and when did they know it," as the old Watergate phrase goes, my B.S. detector antenna goes sky-high. Consider these facts about the summer of 2001:- July 26: Attorney General Ashcroft stopped
flying commercial airlines because of a threat assessment.
- Aug. 6: Pres. Bush received a briefing titled: "Bin Laden Plans to Attack Inside U.S.", which made clear a plan was imminent that might include the hijacking of commercial planes. The briefing
made specific mention of the World Trade Center.
- Aug. 27: A supervisor at the FBI stated just before the attacks that he was trying to keep a hijacker from "flying a plane into the WTC"--by seeking a warrant to search the computer of Zacharias
Moussaoui, the 20th hijacker." He was taken to task by the FBI for notifying the CIA. This was pre-9/11!
- Sep. 10: A number of the top brass from the Pentagon suddenly canceled their travel plans for the next morning because of security concerns.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.210
Apr 1, 2008
On Homeland Security:
Official story of 9/11 WTC collapse just doesn't add up
Many people have raised questions about just how the WTC buildings collapsed. Could it have been not the impact of the planes, but a controlled demolition from inside? Something about the official story doesn't add up.Two witnesses [described]
explosions inside and heard the popping sound of what they believed was demolition--but their statements to the 9/11 Commission seem to have been stricken from the official record.
Strangely enough, they supposedly never could find the black boxes from
the aircraft--which are generally thought to be indestructible. Some reports later from firemen said actually they were found.
So is this another whitewash like the Warren Commission? The 9/11 Commission politely informs us that "conspiracy theorists
[who] propagate outrageous notions that Kennedy was assassinated by the CIA, or some shadowy secret society of the rich and powerful." Outrageous notions? I find it outrageous that these commissions allow themselves to become part of the cover-up.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.210-212
Apr 1, 2008
On War & Peace:
FDR needed catalyst for WWII; maybe Bush wanted catalyst too
Is [the 9/11 Commission Report] another whitewash like the Warren Commission? I want to believe that bin Laden and al-Qaeda were responsible for the 9/11 attacks, but now I have doubts. If they were responsible, I am beginning to think it was not without
some knowledge of those impending attacks on our side.There are historical precedents for this occurring. Some evidence exists that FDR and Churchill were privy to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but needed a catalyst to bring America into WWII.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.212-213
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
Term limits for politicians AND for political press
NY Times, Feb. 25, 2001: "The governor decreed that reporters covering him would have to wear a jackal press badge. On the front is the governor, in a finger-pointing, Jesse-Wants-You pose, and beneath that is the reporter's name and organization, and
the words "Official Jackal." On the back is a warning that the governor can revoke the credential 'for any reason.' The governor's office says the new badges are meant to enhance security and accountability. Many new organizations object.
They say what started out as good-natured fun has become demeaning and unprofessional."Even more important than placing term limits on politicians, I believe they should have term limits on Capitol reporters. It would be a good policy, on the part of
newspapers, to do a rotation. In the end, they, they don't take an objective point of view. They start feeding into their own stories what they want to see happen. They get overrun, I think, with the feeling of power--just like career politicians do.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.220-222
Apr 1, 2008
On Technology:
FCC indecency fines are an unelected dictatorship
At a recent Super Bowl, Justin Timberlake ripped off Janet Jackson's top in front of the TV cameras. The FCC fined CBS half a million dollars, and Fox a million dollars. When the networks write out these checks to the government, where does the money go?
That $1.5 million in fines went into the government's general fund. This is taxation without representation. The FCC consists of APPOINTED officials. If you, as the public, disagree with them, you have no means to remove them. This is the government's
ability to levy fines anytime they want, because the FCC holds these stations hostage. If they pull a station's license, they're out of business. So I find this a clear case of dictatorship, in the world of communications and free speech. You're guilty
if the FCC deems you so.
Some people will say, yes, but we don't need little Johnny hearing any bad words over the radio. My answer is, trust me, there's nothing little Johnny hasn't heard already on the street. And you can always turn the dial.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.223-224
Apr 1, 2008
On War & Peace:
Opposed Iraq War from the beginning and on the air
I don't know (after only 5 episodes of my TV talk show) how much of a factor the Iraq War was in the MSNBC'S getting rid of me. Maybe they'd hired me thinking that, as a Navy SEAL and Vietnam vet, I was probably a right-winger who would automatically
be for the war. I wasn't. I opposed it from the beginning. Nobody was being allowed on the air who was questioning our invading Iraq.I was a few months out of office when the invasion of Iraq took place in March 2003. Had I still been governor,
I might have been the only one who opposed it. It had to do with the fact that we were lining up our military against that country as an aggressor and an occupier.
But, thinking back to the months prior to the Iraq War, nobody in the national news media was questioning the policy.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.242 & 259
Apr 1, 2008
On Principles & Values:
Taught a semester at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government
From the Kennedy School of Government, came a letter asking if I'd like to become a visiting fellow at Harvard. They offered me as little as a week or as much as the entire semester. I was dumbstruck. Harvard had produced 5 American presidents and 43
Nobel Prize winners. And they wanted me?! I was even to be given a stipend, and they'd provide living quarters. Amazing! Terry and I agreed that I should go the whole semester.So I went off to college. I parallel this to only a few other times in my
life. Becoming a Navy frogman. Driving off from Minneapolis to become a pro wrestler. Getting cast to do "Predator" with Schwarzenegger. And winning the governorship.
I'd been to Harvard once before, more than 4 years earlier. After getting elected
governor, the Kennedy School had invited me to speak at a "Pizza and Politics" evening.
I'd expected Harvard to be a stuffy, arrogant place. But when I got there that day and saw how bright everyone was--what could be better? I loved it.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.245-246
Apr 1, 2008
On War & Peace:
200,000 contractors: Iraq is most privatized war in history
When America entered WWII, FDR said: "I don't want to see a single war millionaire created in the US as a result of this world disaster." Today , a whole lot of people are cashing in on the "war on terror."
Iraq is the most privatized war in American history. There are as many as 200,000 private contractors over there--a number greater than our 160,000 military troops! You might call it "rent-an-Army."
Halliburton, Dick Cheney's old company, was ready to roll when the war began. They've since been found to have wasted millions of our dollars in overbilling and shoddy services.
It's amazing, but these companies have zero accountability. Only ONE of those 100,000 contractors has been accused of any violations, or been indicted for any crimes.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.261
Apr 1, 2008
On War & Peace:
Iraq war drains resources from social programs
Prior to invading, Donald Rumsfeld said that Iraq's oil would pay for everything. So much for that big idea. The fact is, this war is not only draining America's resources, it's likely to eventually bankrupt us. And who is paying the biggest price?
When you realize that the new Bush budget also cuts $66 billion out of Medicare payments to the elderly over the next 5 years, and another $12 billion out of Medicaid for the poor, it's kind of a no-brainer. The NY Times recently noted that, for what
the war is costing, we could've instituted universal health care, provided nursery school education for every 3- and 4-year-old, and immunized kids around the world against numerous diseases--and still had half the money left over.
At the same time,
shortly before we turned over supposed control to the Iraqis, the US Federal Reserve sent over, on military aircraft, the biggest cash shipment it's ever made--more than $4 billion, amounting to 363 tons of dollars on these huge pallets.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.263
Apr 1, 2008
On War & Peace:
Bush has no Iraq exit strategy; he plans on never leaving
I noticed how the History Channel is now portraying Saddam as the new Hitler. That's what going to be set down in our history books--that Bush saved the world from this Hitler wannabe? Sure, he did some terrible things, but this is ludicrous.
Hussein gassed the Kurds, but where did he get the gas from? He got it from US. But no, let's not tell the truth and reveal that, at one time, Saddam was one of our biggest allies in the Middle East, and shaking hands with Donald Rumsfeld.
Revisionist history troubles me deeply. I fear textbooks being written with a "government seal of approval." Nothing appears to daunt these people. Why are we building permanent bases in Iraq? Remember when we heard there was no pull-out strategy?
That's when the light went on for me--what if there never WAS one? Why have an exit strategy if you're not planning on leaving? I believe that's part of the scam. Bush simply says we've got to "stay the course."
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.265
Apr 1, 2008
On Homeland Security:
Wartime draft would stop Iraq War and prevent future wars
At the end of the Vietnam War, I was actively involved in the Stop-the-Draft movement. I've done a full 180-degree turn today. Around the time the Iraq War was getting underway an ultra-hippie, ultra-anti-war guy looked at me and said: "We've got to get
the draft back. That will stop the war," he said.It hadn't dawned on me until then. As long as we have a professional military, it's not going to touch that many Americans whose attitude is, "Well, they all volunteered, they're there because they want
to be." The fact is, a professional military is now the strong arm of our president and corporate America. It creates an atmosphere where the majority of the fighting men are poor people. The rich kids, even a great majority of the middle class kids, are
not serving.
I'm okay with a professional military during peacetime, but the moment a vote to go to war occurs, the draft should automatically be reinstated. We need to make war as difficult as we can to declare. You've got to bring war home.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.268-269
Apr 1, 2008
On Homeland Security:
Require Congressional family members to go to war
If I ever became president, I'd push with every ounce of power I had for Congress to pass something else into law: Every elected federal official must pre-designate an individual in their immediate family who has to begin military service--
the moment that official casts an affirmative vote toward going to war. This could be a grandchild, a niece or nephew, but someone. It doesn't mean they necessarily go to the war zone.
What it does mean is that they and their family experience some personal discomfort because of this decision. Going to war should bring difficulty, especially to those who are the orchestrators or the authorizers. Right now, it's far too easy for them
to go on TV with their bleeding hearts and give standing ovations to our service personnel. War should not be laissez-faire. If you're not willing to send someone from your family, how can you be so willing to send someone else's?
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.270
Apr 1, 2008
On Civil Rights:
I'd rather face the terrorists than lose my civil liberties
The Bush administration hasn't uncovered a single al-Qaeda "sleeper cell" yet inside our borders. The only terrorist convicted since 9/11 is the shoe bomber--even though, in the name of prevention, thousands of Arab & Muslim immigrants have been singled
out for registration and detention.I would rather face the terrorists than lose my civil liberties. If protecting our safety means taking away our Bill of Rights, then could I be so crass and bold as to scream "Give me liberty or give me death"? Once
freedom is gone--the bedrock foundation that built our country--what's left to stand for and believe in?
The Patriot Act was rushed into law in those first scary weeks after 9/11. Its official title: United and Strengthening America by Providing
Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act." Hence, USA PATRIOT Act. In 1933, Hitler pushed through legislation equally quickly called "The Law To Remove the Distress of the People and State." That has an eerily similar ring to it
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.271-272
Apr 1, 2008
On Civil Rights:
The Patriot Act guts the Fourth Amendment
The Patriot Act alters some 15 different statutes, most of which got passed after abuses of surveillance power by the FBI & CIA came to light in the mid 70's. It's almost as if somebody had it all ready to be unveiled, but just had to wait for the right
moment--a Pearl Harbor type event--to make it a reality.What does the Patriot Act enable? Oh, things like a secret court that meets whenever it chooses to approve undercover surveillance on both foreigners and Americans. Violations of various parts of
the Bill of Rights, like illegal search and seizure, indefinite time in jail without a trial, seizure of private property. And when the Patriot Act came up for reauthorization in 2007, the Democratic Congress fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
Some aspects give the federal government even broader power than before. The homes, offices, and phone records of Americans can now come under surveillance without a warrant. We can be spied on overseas. The 4th Amendment is basically gutted.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.272
Apr 1, 2008
On Homeland Security:
Starting war under false premises should be impeachable
Bush did everything he could to ensure that the American people were misled [about Iraq]. What's gone down here is 10 times worse than happened between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Yet the Republican House successfully impeached Clinton over his
personal conduct. I want to know whether, if George Bush cheated on Laura and then lied to Congress about it, that would rise to the impeachment level. Yet sending a country into war under false premises does not?
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.274
Apr 1, 2008
On War & Peace:
Bush violated Constitution by misleading US into Iraq War
George Bush violated the Constitution by going to war under false premises. He and others in his administration did everything they could to ensure that the American people were misled. What are the Democrats going to do now, nothing? For fear of being
unpatriotic?By the time he leaves office, Bush will have spent more than a trillion dollars on his military adventures. While more than 20 retired American generals have come out strongly opposed to what we're doing in Iraq, our veterans are receiving
shameful treatment. In the course of this war, more than 20,000 soldiers have been discharged with so-called "personality disorder," meaning that they're often being denied disability and medical benefits.
Now, I ask you: Who are the real dysfunctional
personalities here? Maybe a president who thinks he's getting messages straight from God? Or a vice president so delusional he believes we can "bunker-bust" Iran's supposed nuclear sites without opening up a whole new front in this madness?
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.274
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
Get rid of elitist, bankrupt Electoral College
Our federal electoral system is bankrupt. I see Florida as having been stolen by the Bush people in the 2000 election. My biggest beef about the 2000 election, though, was this: Half a million more Americans voted for Al Gore to be President. In any
other election in America, if you get the most votes, you win. How can we continue to justify a concept that you can win the presidential popular vote and LOSE? This shows that the Electoral College is a controlled, elitist system. It was set up when
the elected officials were still riding on horseback to Washington. Why still hang onto something that's completely irrelevant?What I wanted to see happen in 2004 was the exact opposite result of 2000. I wanted Bush to win the popular election and
John Kerry to have the most votes in the Electoral College. Then maybe these two groups of elitists would get together and say, it's time to get rid of the Electoral College. If I ever became president, that would be one of my top priorities.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.278-279
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
ATMs offer receipts and so should electronic voting machines
The electronic voting machines are a disaster. There is strong evidence that Ohio and possibly some other states went for Bush in 2004 only because somebody tampered with these machines. What astounds me is that they don't provide any paper trail.
You wouldn't go to an ATM machine that didn't offer you a receipt. Whether you want to keep it or not is your choice, but you still have a right to push the button and get 1. But not with these new voting machines. No receipts!
How can you have an election where there is no mechanism for a recount? All you hear about today are computer viruses, but we're basing more and more of our entire election system on computers that can be hacked into--with no means of detecting it!
The results of our first two presidential elections in this century have been, to say the least, questionable. I laugh when I hear the US accuse other countries of voter fraud. Shouldn't we clean up our backyard before we point fingers at anyone else?
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.279
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
Limit campaign money to one publicly-funded source
I think our elections are fraudulent today simply in how the system operates. Campaign finance "reform", that so-called bipartisan McCain-Feingold bill, is a sham. The 2 parties simply found loopholes and started cheating the very first year.
I cringe when I hear how many millions the 2008 presidential candidates have raised in campaign contributions.
I'm not big on socialism, but maybe it's time we limited the campaign money to one publicly funded source so that every candidate's share is equal.
If that's unconstitutional, then why not remove all limits and go to full disclosure? At least that way, you know who is buying the influence.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.279-280
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
Get presidential debates out of the hands of the two parties
The presidential debates have to get back into the hands of a neutral party. Up until 1996, all presidential debates had been under the jurisdiction of the League of Women Voters. In 1996, Congress took them away from the League and formed another
bureaucratic layer of government, the Federal Debate Commission. It so happens that the commission's members are not elected, but appointed, by the former heads of the Republican and Democratic national parties. In fact, two of the appointees were
THEMSELVES the former heads of the two parties. They now determine who you get to hear in the debates.Now whether or not someone can participate in debates is based upon an arbitrary polling figure. You have to be polling nationally at 15%.
If that criteria had been applied in MN, I would not have become the governor. Because at the time of the primary, I was only polling at 10%. But I was allowed to debate, and I proved that you could be at 10% and still end up winning.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.285-286
Apr 1, 2008
On Government Reform:
1996: Dole & Clinton conspired to limit presidential debates
In 1992, when Ross Perot scared the pants off the two parties by getting almost 20% of the vote, that entitled him to nearly $30 million of our tax dollars if he chose to run again in '96. Shouldn't that entitlement--and the fact that he received one out
of every 5 votes--also have automatically qualified Perot to take part in any '96 debates?Well, that wasn't allowed. That year, it was Bill Clinton running for reelection against Bob Dole. Dole did not want Perot in the debates, because he felt it
would erode his conservative base. Clinton did not want debates at all because he was so far ahead. So, the two of them made a backroom deal. They would eliminate Perot if Clinton was allowed to say how many debates there would be, and when. They took
this to the Federal Debate Commission and, of course, it was rubber-stamped. That's how we were denied seeing Perot take part in a spirited 3-person debate. That year, the only two debates were held--by design--at the same time as the World Series.
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.285-286
Apr 1, 2008
On War & Peace:
Withdrawal from Iraq should start on first day of presidency
Setting a timetable for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq is not complicated. It should start happening the day the next president takes office. Which, he added, may well be him."In defiance of Congress, and against the will of the American
people," Ventura said, "President Bush has continued to wage an illegal war in Iraq--a war launched under false pretenses that has now resulted in the deaths of more than 6,000 American troops and more than one million Iraqi civilians."
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.306
Apr 1, 2008
On Principles & Values:
Supports libertarianism with a small "l"
Describing himself as a libertarian with a small "I"--liberal on social issues, conservative on fiscal issues---ex-Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura today set forth an independent platform that included ending the "so-called war on drugs" by
legalizing marijuana and bringing home all American troops from military bases around the world--"unless these countries want to compensate us for guarding their borders."
Source: Don`t Start the Revolution, by Jesse Ventura, p.307
Apr 1, 2008
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