Customer Reviews

Do I Stand Alone?: Going to the Mat Against Political Pawns and Media Jackals

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you've read Tom Clancy's Executive Orders and the recent Bear and the Dragon, you know that Clancy's main protagonist, Jack Ryan, is the President of the United States. And because he is not a political operator, other politicians, the media and even other governments try to tear him down. Reading Jesse Ventura's book, I was struck by an eerie sense of déjà vu. The stories he tells of the political sniping he has had to endure from the established body politic and the media are remarkably similar to what Clancy described of Ryan's experiences.

This book should be issued to all American civics classes in our schools. And the most important part, the part to be marked with the yellow highlighter, is the part that says that we, the voting public, must take back control of our government from the career politicians and spit-licking sycophants that surround them.

What hurts the most for me is the (justified) media-bashing that Ventura does. As a member of the media, I have seen first hand the petty bias that my profession is capable of. That's why I won't run for office myself, because I know what my "colleagues" are capable of. I'd apologize for their behavior, but I'm not high enough on the totem pole to make it stick. Hopefully, I can reach that high someday, because I believe the power of the press can be used judiciously and properly.

After reading this book, I remembered a line from the late Robert A. Heinlein's book, Time Enough For Love. To paraphrase; "If you are part of a society that votes, do so. If you don't know who or what to vote for, then at least know what you want to vote against."

If there was a space on the ballot to do so, I would write Jesse's name in for President. There isn't one, mostly because the career politicians don't want it there. Keep talking like this, Jesse, and we might just draft you for the job.

Do I Stand Alone? is a gem. Truly, it is a much-needed slap in the face of irresponsible, sensationalist members of the media and corrupt, out-of-touch career politicians, phrased in Gov. Ventura's signature candid manner, and it is clearly a "wake-up call" to the voting public. What truly makes this book shine, however, is Gov. Ventura's underlying message that we need to think critically about current events, public figures, the media, and our own beliefs. More than once, Gov.Ventura urges his audience to examine and evaluate evidence and claims, consider sources of information and their assumptions and biases, scrutinize one's own viewpoints carefully, and form reasonable, logical, independent judgments. This is precisely what educational researchers, philosophers, and teachers have been urging for years! And as someone who researches and teaches critical thinking, and a supporter of the Governor's, I hope strongly that this easy-to-read, absorbing, and lively book will make the importance of critical thinking evident to a very broad audience. Bravo, Gov. Ventura!

Governor Jesse Ventura's first book "Ain't Got Time to Bleed" told of his adventurous past and the circumstances that led him into politics. His new book "Do I Stand Alone" takes a hard look at the connection between politics and media along with many other societal issues. In a sense it could be described as a road-map for continuing democracy in the 21st Century.

Ventura's common sense style is well-suited to not only pinpoint the essential problems in our society, but also to offer manageable solutions. He provides an intricate appraisal of the Amendments to the US Constitution. It is a section that should be required reading for new age students who no longer study the roots of government in the United States.

It is not without a few flashpoints, probably the only ones that will be quoted on TV news shows. The Governor of MN takes some jabs at the two party system and returns a few salvos to the media -especially the local flatfoots who have done their finest to search for some disparity in his message. But this book is mostly a comparison between today's perceptions and the original intents of our country's founders.

All in all, it is less about individuals and more about the philosophy of governing. Combine that with Ventura's vision for a better America and this book should strike fear into the heart of the two party system, the corporate power-brokers, and the degenerative media. Jesse "The Mind" Ventura is here to stay.

If only we could vote for a guy like this ... Never in my 35 years of living on this planet/country did I ever feel a person running for public office worthy of my vote. I am truly amazed. Jesse Ventura mirrors all of my own thoughts and feelings.

This book was like a breath of fresh air to me. Mr. Ventura explains everything simply and what is amazing is that he helped me understand the political terms that I haven't been understanding for years. He is truly a man for the people and I really envy the people of Minnesota that they are presided over by a patriot in the truest sense of the word. I think our Founding Fathers would be proud of him. He is worthy of our respect and much more.

I must admit, being the avid reader that I am I did NOT read this book but instead listened to the three-hour audio book as I drove home from a vacation with my wife. I have a lot of collegiate training in the fields of philosophy. Ventura, who is quite impressive with his practical knowledge, is really just applying the laws of logic to political beliefs in his book. In the last quarter of his book (Side 2 of tape 2), he simply goes through the irrelevance of giving "ad hominem" ('to the man') attacks, "ad populum" (to the population) attacks, red herring (irrelevant) arguments and common fallacies of logic used by many in debates. He makes many points, giving examples of each kind of logical fallacy, and when he is finished all I could do was agree with him. I must say, with 7 years of university training in theology/philosophy Ventura is right up there with any famous philosopher. I especially enjoyed his insights on how the news media notoriously twists things around by making invalid points to "prove" something that is really just wrong. I would recommend this to anybody, especially those who are pursing philosophical training.

Governor Ventura's new book ranks up there with the works of Mr. Larry Elder and O'Reilly as a wake up call to a new generation of voters. In "Do I Stand Alone ?" Jesse "the Mind" Ventura states his position on a number of issues. His positions are all well thought out and based on fact. He also lectures on voter responsibilities and flaws of of current bi-partisan system with the gridlock and extremist positions that it produces. Governor Ventura also discusses one of my favorite issues, campaign finance. Overall I found this book to be a well written entertaining read that informs on both the Governors stand on issues and areas that he feels should be reformed in the government (both from the inside and the outside <voters>).

I read Jessie Ventura's autobiography, I AINT GOT TIME TO BLEED, as I was preparing to teach a class on state government. I found absolutely nothing worth sharing with my students. Despite Ventura's potentially interesting personal story, I found the book to be a fluff and puff. So I was reluctant when I picked up the audio book version of Ventura's next book, DO I STAND ALONE.

This book has considerable upsides. To begin with, it is more focused than the autobiography. That one briefly touched on different periods in Ventura's life, this one focuses on politics. Better still, Ventura doesn't gloss over state politics, or the fact that he is the governor of a particular state (Minnesota). The particulars are interesting, and his increased fluency in the ways of state government gives Ventura more credibility as a commentator.

Ventura writes in two modes - he writes to YOU about YOU, and he writes to "the people" about "them." He is stronger and this book is more useful when Ventura sticks to the former mode.

Ventura's philosophy of government is libertarian. He believes that many public problems can't be solved by government, but can only be truly addressed by the public. His conception of what "the public" is seems clear when he's in his "YOU" mode. "YOU" have to do this or that in order for US to overcome this problem. For instance, Ventura writes forthrightly about parenthood - laying the responsibility on the listener for choices he or she may make in this regard. "If you want something cuddly to keep you company, buy a hamster, don't have a child." This was Ventura's funniest line, and it embodies his "take responsibility" message.

This is rare for a politician - most seek to promise solutions to problems. Ventura outlines whole areas of public debate as being within the public's ability to solve, and not within government's. He's using his bully pulpit to challenge his listeners. He even raises a few tough issues, such as the important but often boring topic of unicameral legislatures. This is responsible.

But Jesse has two faces. He frequently stops challenging and starts blaming. In this mode, he writes about a faceless, seemingly monolithic "people" as in "We the people." As fare as I can tell, anyone who disagrees with Ventura is not part of "the people," but rather some sort of special interest. On the one hand, Ventura rails against the apathetic, but then he also rails against every manner of active citizens - the politically active, the partisan, the members of groups organized around shared interests. In this mode, Ventura spouts off unoriginal "new" ideas, often mistaking common sense with blind simplicity, and passes off old saws about politicians versus people. The nearly monolithic media is against the people, too. (Ventura's exceptions to the monolith include such paragons of journalistic virtue as Chris Matthews and Geraldo Rivera - I'm not joking).

Also weakening the book is Ventura's writing style. He often writes in generalities, which seem all the less interesting compared to his occasional specific examples. He names names early on when discussing certain state legislators and how they embody what he sees as the faults of the system - this is interesting. Yet he doesn't criticize one reporter by name in his entire chapter on the media (which he almost writes of as if the word were singular). Finally, Ventura's woe-is-me routine (hinted at by the book's title) gets very boring, very quickly.

DO I STAND ALONE works well as a book on tape. I suspect that the audio version is edited, but it flowed smoothly, and frankly I wouldn't have been interested in reading much more. Venutra's interesting voice also ads to the experience.

Minnesota Governor Janos' (Jesse Ventura's) first book "I Ain't
Got Time To Bleed" was both a fascinating autobiography and a
thoughtful political statement. In his second book, Governor Janos
describes his experiences as Governor. He also discusses problems
facing Minnesota and the United States, and his decision to leave the
National Reform Party.

Governor Janos' won his Governorship as the
Reform Party candidate, the highest electoral victory won by that
political party. Governor Janos' victory resembled that of former
President Jimmy Carter, an outsider who won upon a platform of
reforming the Federal bureaucracy. President Carter had limited
success reforming the Federal bureaucracy, and he had difficulty with
an unfamiliar national news media.

Governor Janos describes how he
attracted the best people from the Democratic, Republican, and Reform
parties to work in his Administration. His strong tripartisan
Administration has permitted Governor Ventura to reduce state debt by
"cutting the pork" from Minnesota spending. This spending
reduction makes him unpopular with some Minnesota legislators and
their allies in the news media.

In nearly half of this book the
Governor assumes a new role: educator. Governor Janos feels that the
issues affecting Minnesota and the United States are not discussed
openly and fairly. He discusses these issues plainly and he states
his opinions clearly. This is a *very* strong position.

I do not
agree with all of Governor Janos' positions. On page 163, Governor
Janos proposes having armed personnel working undercover in schools to
prevent events such as the shootings in Columbine Colorado. I
disagree with Governor Janos because I believe that an armed person's
first responsibility is to control his firearm. Armed personnel
wearing ankle holsters will get jostled daily, and gossipy students
will observe that these individuals are armed. *If* armed individuals
are required in schools, I believe that high visibility, uniformed
police officers should bear this responsibility. I also believe that
these officers should be rotated periodically back to regular duty,
both to keep them fresh and also to continue their professional
advancement.

On page 157 Governor Janos states "Drug addiction
is a consenual crime, it's a 'crime against oneself.", and on
page 158 Governor Janos proposes decriminalizing drug abuse. I do
*not* believe that drug abuse is merely a "crime against
oneself". Some recreational drugs (e.g., "speed")
cause violent or paranoid behaviour. Also, drug abuse financially
victimizes society by wasting money that could be used to feed,
clothe, house, and educate. I believe that the penalties for drug use
*should* be re-examined, but I also believe that the Government should
continue vigorously prosecuting large volume drug
suppliers.

Governor Janos is an interesting man. He writes clearly
and candidly, he discusses a wide range of important topics, and he
makes you think. I recommend this book.

Two things upon which Mr. Ventura elaborates are common knowledge: 1) Government is completely out of touch with "we, the people." and 2) The media distort, rather than simply report, the news; like the government itself, the media has become totally self-serving. However, Ventura's numerous examples from his own experiences reveal THE GIGANTIC EXTENT of the corruptedness, which is so shocking it's unbelieveable. A good example is how the media can completely slander someone's reputation using a complete fabrication, no sources even needed. However, this is permissible under the guise of "protecting the sources."

This book has fired me up so much for the hope that a socio-political revolution might take place within the generation.

Very few issues he discusses I disagree with. I especially support his anti-prohibition views (regarding prostitution, marijuana, etc.) and I get the impression most Americans, certainly of the young, open-minded generation, would agree. I admire him one thousand percent for being one of the few politicians who is vocal in his decree that the War on Drugs has failed, and particularly, in his call for marijuana legalization. He declares, I believe quite rightly, that less prohibition actually LOWERS crime, and he offers sound testimony for this opinion with his own personal account of his visit to Amsterdam's Red Light District, which he says has no more crime than the average white, middle-class suburban neighborhood. I've heard the same thing from other people who've been to Amsterdam (and purchased pot from the "Cannabis Coffee Shops").

Most important is his cry for the American public to break out of its current indifference. He reminds us that political corruption only flourishes when we lose touch with our system, thereby submitting our will to our officials' own ends.

I don't know how many others feel as passionately about this as I do, but I sincerely believe every American should read this book.