In Don't Start the Revolution Without Me!, Jesse Ventura frames his “reflections and revisionings” of his years as Governor of Minnesota around his expatriate journey with his wife Terry to Baja, Mexico. Ventura's third book, co-written with award-winning writer Dick Russell, published in 2008, is a no holds barred essay on the current state of America in which the former pro wrestler body slams politics, religion, and the media. After blindsiding the two party system by winning the governorship as an Independent, the navy SEAL, athlete, actor, radio and television host, outdoorsman, mayor, author, visiting professor at Harvard, governor, and Statesman of the people, explains why he left politics and the country he loves behind.
In one of the most ironic twists of fate, Ventura discusses how since leaving office he has been living the American Dream, but that he has to do it in a country other than America. “In a way, here in Baja, I'm now living the life that many of us dream about—being away from the rat race. My life is far more spiritual....Down here, when it's dark I sleep, and when it's light I'm awake.”
In Chapter 1, he muses, “Today, the special interests have a stranglehold on our reality. Nobody is being told the truth. We've bought a bill of goods. I can't believe everyone is so asleep....Do I have to throw myself into the political ring again? And, if I do, is it worth the price that my family and I will have to pay?” “Is it worth it to put my family and me out there, to take on a force that most of the American people are willing to go along with?”
The force he refers to is the two party system which is really one, and the special interests that control the cash flow of American politics. Ventura questions whether a third party movement will arise. “The corruption of the Democrats and Republicans ensures that it will. I call them the Demo-crips and the Re-blood-licans. No different really than the...street gangs—except that these guys wear Brooks Brothers suits.” In an interview with Larry King, Ventura further stated, “I think the two party system is phenomenal. After all, it gives us one more choice than Communist Russia had.” In the closing pages of the book, he asserts, “It is time to break the stranglehold of the two party system. We no longer have any choice, if our Republic is to survive in the way the founders envisioned in 1776.” Terry says of her husband, “I think running for president would destroy him. I don't think that they'll kill him, but that they'll do the best job of character assassination they possibly can. And they're really good at it.” Ventura sums up the two party system this way: “It's like going into the grocery store and the only choices in the soft drink department are Coke and Pepsi. Depending on your taste buds, one is slightly sweeter than the other—but they're both colas!”
Ventura remarks on his inability to push through programs that the people of Minnesota specifically voted him in to do because of a hostile legislature on both sides of the aisle and pressure from Washington including CIA surveillance. He mentions that he and key people in his campaign and administration knew going in, what they'd be up against politically, but what caught him unawares was the biased agendas and self-serving sensationalism of the media. “We have allowed our media to be turned into entertainment, rather than facts, enlightenment, and knowledge.” He sadly attributes this phenomenon to the program 60 Minutes. '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 during the Walter Cronkite era was expected to lose money. The networks wrote it off, 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?” But once this realization was put through the corporate machinery, and the number crunchers, pollsters, ad agencies, spin doctors and psychologists weighed in, it became apparent that if the entertainment was reduced to its basest form, it would make even more money. “They're obsessed, it seems, with portraying the ugliest side of humanity.”
The long road trip from Minnesota to the border affords the Venturas the opportunity to expound on a number of topics affecting the future of our country, including the road itself. “The famous Route 66...doesn't get traveled much anymore. There's even grass growing over parts of it. John Steinbeck...in The Grapes of Wrath called Route 66 the “Mother Road.” As a kid, I remember Nat King Cole...singing about how you could “Get Your Kicks on Route 66.”...So the road became part of our auto culture mythology.” Route 66 featured the first drive-in restaurants and gave rise to the roadside attraction. “When we came to our first “Authentic Indian Trading Post, “ Terry got all excited. But when we pulled into the village, we..saw that all the “authentic” teepees were painted on plywood boards....After we'd driven by a dozen more of these “authentic trading posts,” I realized these were the McDonald's of Native Americans.”
Further down the road, Ventura observes, “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.” Terry: “When I was a kid, I thought the air in southern Minnesota was the most refreshing in the world. Today, the area where I grew up is so full of chemicals that I cannot go down there...without getting terrible allergic reactions....As First Lady, I tried to work on the problems of feedlots because I also think they only produce toxic food. How can something good come from animals living in severe stress, fed nothing but chemicals and antibiotics and who knows what? None of that kind of meat can have the amount of protein, vitamins, and minerals that animals raised humanely on a normal diet could yield.”
Ventura quotes musician and political maverick Kinky Friedman, “A politician looks to the next election, a statesman looks to the next generation.” With this in mind, Ventura speaks out on the “war on drugs,” the “war on terror,” 9/11, the Patriot Act, the IRS, and the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A few brief quotes will suffice to illustrate his opinions.
On drugs: “What infuriates me more than anything is that it's my generation that is now in charge....We're...the generation that experimented more than any other with recreational drugs. If anybody should understand how wrong-headed the “war on drugs” is, it's us. Marijuana should be legalized and regulated the same way as alcohol and tobacco....And yes, I have inhaled. Very few didn't who came of age in the sixties.”
On 9/11: “The breakdown in standard operating procedure on 9/11 was unprecedented, uninvestigated, and unaccountable....My doubts about the official story have grown steadily over the last couple of years.” Ventura goes on to explain his concerns over several pages and it should be noted that 9/11 occurred while he was the sitting Governor of Minnesota, and certain information should have been made available to him while the United States was under attack. Further, as governor of one of the 50 states, he was privy to protocols in place in case of emergencies.
On the Patriot Act: “The Patriot Act was rushed into law in those first scary weeks after 9/11....It's official title was: “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act.” Hence, USA PATRIOT Act....The Patriot Act is 342 pages long....It's almost as if somebody had it all ready to be unveiled, but just had to wait for the right moment...to make it a reality.” Again Ventura takes several pages to itemize the provisions contained in the Act. Martial law, internment camps [which are already being built by Dick Cheney's outfit, Halliburton], the naming of U.S. citizens as enemy combatants and America itself as a war zone, the use of the military for domestic police functions, secret courts issuing blanket surveillance, access to personal and financial information, and search and seizure warrants, indefinite detainment, rendition, torture and murder.
On Iraq: “Iraq is the most privatized war in American history....Today, a whole lot of people are cashing in on the “war on terror.” Not just Halliburton and the Carlyle Group [in which the Bush and the bin Laden family are heavily invested]. The big weapons makers—Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop, Grumman, and General Dynamics—are all reporting huge profits. It's been toted up that the defense industry's top thirty-four CEOs have collectively earned a billion dollars since 9/11....There are as many as 200,000 private contractors over there—a number greater than our 160,000 military troops!” At the time of the book's publication, the Iraq war had claimed the lives of 4,000 American soldiers, with 30,000 casualties. Civilian casualties in Iraq have been estimated at 650,000! The cost of the war at that time was in excess of 800 BILLION dollars.
And who is funding this war? We are, of course. And our children. And our grandchildren. And their grandchildren. Who makes sure the pounds of flesh get collected? Our friends at the IRS. “The IRS assumes you are guilty and forces you to either try to muddle through [an audit] alone against their professionals, or hire your own expert to defend yourself, if you can afford it. They freeze people's assets [without due process], they threaten you with fines [that in some cases can be greater than the tax liability], taking your house and property, and...even with jail.” The Venturas were audited twice while Jesse was mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Coincidence? I think not. Terry recalls, “Your mother lived with us then, and they wanted to know whether there was any chance she'd hidden some money in our backyard. It was ridiculous!”
As Jesse and Terry navigate the treacherous and often nonexistent roads of Baja Norte and Baja Sur, they are able to touch on a few more lessons learned including our educational system. “Revisionist history troubles me deeply. I fear textbooks being written with a “government seal of approval.” But he does find hope in the Cambridge environs. “When I first arrived at Harvard, I'd been concerned because I didn't see any partying as I walked around campus. I thought, this seems a bit un-American. I was made an honorary member of the Spee Club, the same one that JFK belonged to in 1938. I went to a couple of their parties, which renewed my faith in youth, in college, in America. Because let me tell you, they were partying!” He concludes, “Harvard did wonders for me in many ways. I'd become very cynical by the time I arrived. Being around the energy of the young people, their quick intelligence and enthusiasm, gave me a ray of hope again. It made me wonder, could this be the generation that doesn't repeat history?”
But how can an uneducated populace understand the laws that government requires them to live by? “One day not long after I was inaugurated, I walked over to the secretary of state's office. In there was a massive wall filled with volumes of books, twenty-five times the size of the Encyclopedia Britannica. I mean, there had to be close to a thousand books. I inquired, “Excuse me, but what is all this?” And I was told, “Those are all the laws for the state of Minnesota.” 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.”
“Traveling a meandering stretch of Highway 1, one of the most breathtakingly beautiful spots that I've ever witnessed appears suddenly from around a bend. It's called the Bahia de Concepcion. Conception Bay. It's vast, with a series of small islands in the middle. Looking across it, you see a mountain range—the southern end of the Sierra de Guadalupe....It is a calm day, no wind. Far below us, probably 200 feet or more, the tranquil, turquoise waters are so clear that we can see all the way to the bottom....Terry recognizes a frigate bird passing overhead. In the near distance, we think we catch the spouting of a whale....We emerge at a cove. We are alone. Alone on a glistening, white sand beach. Pelicans dove for fish. Fiddler crabs race along the shoreline.”
Ventura walked away from politics at the height of his fame, when a presidential bid, and even the presidency itself did not seem so far out of grasp. He readily admits to the allure of power. “There's an emptiness you feel. Because, all of a sudden, you're not the focus...anymore. I don't care what anybody says, it's very addictive to be the most powerful person in a state. There's no doubt in my mind why people do it.”
In the Epilogue, "A Glimpse of the Future," Ventura speculates on his bid for the White House:
Headline: LEADING PROTESTERS TO WHITE HOUSE GATES, VENTURA IS SHOT BY LONE GUNMAN
Late October 2008: Jesse Ventura, the renegade presidential candidate from Minnesota, was shot today as he led a throng of people estimated at close to 100,000 towards the gates of the White House. They were advancing on the heavily-guarded residence to protest [the President's] imposition of martial law, which has resulted in postponement of the forthcoming elections for the first time in U.S. history. Three shots rang out at 12:30 p.m., one missing the former Minnesota governor while two others lodged in his back and stomach.
I like and respect Jesse Ventura. I have friends who live in Minnesota and they say he did a good job. Although I have liberally used excerpts from the text, it has not been my intention to dissuade anyone from reading the entire book. For instance, I have not made reference to Jesse's visit to China, his revealing audience with Fidel Castro, his insights into the Kennedy assassination, the CIA's attempt to disrupt his lectures at Harvard, and his triumph in revising Minnesota's statutes on Bingo. In fact, it is my hope that this essay will encourage the reading of the book by giving an inkling into the vital observations, reminiscences and down to earth prose of Jesse and Terry Ventura. I personally do not think he will ever again run for public office. Will another independent David emerge to slay the two-party Goliath? Neither Jesse nor I have the answer to that question.
I end this review of Don't Start the Revolution Without Me! with Terry's opening dedication. She says, “To our son, Tyrel, and our daughter, Jade, and to all the children of the future: Your freedom is at risk. Be wary.”
I couldn't have put it better myself.
I couldn't have put it better myself.
For more on Jesse, visit Jesse Ventura--the Official Facebook Page
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