Customer Reviews

Don't Start the Revolution Without Me!

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've never read a book by Jesse Ventura, and while I followed his term as Governor of Minnesota with some interest, I never really delved into his political philosophy. To put it bluntly, Jesse Ventura is a No-B.S., straight shooter who has a genuine concern about our recent loss of the virtues that made our country great. When I say "virtues," I'm not talking about the pseudo-morality that masks fundamentalist zealotry these days, I'm talking about American Virtues like freedom of speech, freedom of thought and the right to be left alone to live your life without the government telling you what to do. In an entertaining and thought-provoking manner, the author explains his experiences in office and exposes the two-party system for what it is; Corrupt and Rotten to the Core. The idea of voting Republican or Democrat gives us the illusion of choice without meaningful difference or informed debate. Jesse Ventura proves that you don't have to be a political insider to make a difference in this country. If you're tired of the status quo in American Politics, pick up this book and get a breath of fresh air and a jolt of motivation to make a difference. I'd give it ten stars if I could.

Jesse is rested, refreshed, reinvigorated, ready to handle the "media jackals" (his phrase), and it sounds like he's ready to make a run. His wife has recovered her physical health, and the family has now survived a mayorship, a governorship, and all the public clamor and whatnot that sticking to true independence brings. He's the greatest political maverick of this generation. You may not agree with a lot of what he says, but he will fight you most gracefully and graciously. He's no crybaby, and he's ready even to "play the bad guy" if that's what it takes to get some true debate going again. HE KNOWS HIS STUFF!! I think he would make a fantastic president -- if he's not assassinated first. He's laying his life on the line here. Are we ready?

The book is a great page turner as Jesse rocks and rolls from one controversial subject to the next. He's assisted in his writing by acclaimed environmental and investigative journalist Dick Russell (o.k. I'll use "ghostwriter). And wife Terry gets to insert pages from her journal throughout this work, very effectively. It's wonderful to see a real team marriage, a couple who have nothing to hide.

I'm plugging this book everywhere I go!

This is my first Jesse Ventura book and I am deeply impressed. This man is the real deal, honest, straight-up, with plenty of common sense. His ideal running mate is not John McCain or Robert Kennedy Jr. but rather the star of The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen. I would gladly serve these solid citizens in a staff capacity.

The book lacks an index, while offering plenty of balanced outrage. This is a serious person who sees all that is wrong with America, and who would have no problem agreeing with the authors of Running On Empty: How The Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It; or Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders.

A few of my notes from this captivating book and personality:

+ "Special interests have a stranglehold on our reality. Nobody is being told the truth."

+ Castro told him JFK assassination was an inside job. See Someone Would Have Talked: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the Conspiracy to Mislead History for confirmation--CIA trained team of Cuban exiles in revenge for Bay of Pigs

+ Reform Party was bogus, Perot let his ego run away with his brain

+ Buchanan hijacked the Reform Party and looted its treasury to pay off his old campaign debts

+ Both political parties are gangs

+ Organized religion is a business milking people like cows for their milk (money)

+ Down on NAFTA

+ Bush-Cheney passing federal laws that prevent states from protecting their own citizens properly from corporate predation

+ 9/11 Commission a cover-up, just as the Warren Commission was--government lies to the people (e.g. Gulf of Tonkin incident, simply cannot be trusted

+ CIA has embedded case officers within state and local governments

+ Positive on Ralph Nader as an honest person bringing up issues the two criminal parties will not raise

+ Properly faults Bush-Cheney for ignoring intelligence and privatizing war while bankrupting the Nation---if not impeachable, should at least be commitable to an insane asylum (see my lists on impeachment and holding Dick Cheney accountable, at least take a look at Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency

+ There IS a ruling class, not sure of its composition, we have to take the country back from them

+ Electoral college is long overdue for termination.

+ O'Reilly, all of those talking heads are scripted, media is about generating cash through entertainment, not about informing the citizenry

+ FCC fines broadcasters and others but they are appointed, not elected, and not accountable for their subjective definition of what is obscene

+ "Revisionist history troubles me deeply." page 265. This is the point where I decide this guy is a serious and qualified candidate to be our president.

+ 27 years of Bushes and Clintons, time for an independent party nominee to win and lead

+ National Guard should stay home.

+ Citing Mussolini, fascism is the marriage of corporations and religion. We have that here, now.

+ Need term limits on reporters, not just politicians. Reflects a profound disdain for Minnesota reporters.

I put the book down at the end of a very long very rainy day feeling good about this author, his independence of mind, his integrity. In combination with Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History Is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beau; Society's Breakthrough!: Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People; The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All; and Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace, I have a very strong feeling that the national immune system is going to kick in and finally out these frauds that pretend our elections are honest and meaningful.

It's a real shame Ralph Nader does not play well with others. I'm going to get in touch with Jesse Ventura and urge him to form a Transpartisan Sunshine Cabinet that can create a balanced budget by the 4th of July 2008. He does not have to run for President, all he has to do is set the standard by which we can judge the fradulence of "the system" candidates. For those enchanted by Barack Obama, as I was until I saw his dishonest advisors, see Obama - The Postmodern Coup: Making of a Manchurian Candidate.

Rarely is there a book written, and I read hundreds of them, that is more fact-filled or interesting than this one. He is very thoughtful of his wife and her problems which is to be greatly admired. It's a book that is hard to put down for sure. It's good to see someone of his status very concerned about the United States and what is happening as many of us are! Politics such as it is now I can't recommend or discourage him from running for president. The first battle is to get an honest voting system sad to say. I think he would be good no doubt. Blessings and best wishes to you and your family Jesse in whatever you decide to do.

This book is REQUIRED READING for serious Americans. Rarely does a politician as unique as Jesse Ventura gain access to the real corridors of power. What he has to say about it is something every individual who cares abouth the future really needs to hear and understand. In many other countries, an option on the ballot at every election is None Of The Above, which is a vote of No Confidence by people who do care about their country enough to vote, but not for the available candidates. They could not allow that in the US because None Of The Above would win most of the elections and force the entire system into question! Only a virtuous rogue warrior like Jesse Ventura could beat that choice. Read this and learn why!

This is a very fun book. Whether you love him or hate him, Jesse is an interesting fellow with lots of interesting points of view about politics and life. Here he talks about his days as Governor of Minnesota and after, looking back from his perspective while driving into semi-retirement to Baja, Mexico. Using that as his platform he talks about his political points of view and his thoughts on politics and politicians in today's society. He of course strongly advocates for a third party system and is rankled by the monopoly the Democrats and Republicans have on the democratic (or undemocratic?) process in America.

This an interesting book from an unconventional politician (or former politician at any rate).

In this book and in Jesse's corporate media interviews he has said openly what most Americans are now realizing. The official story of 9/11 does not make sense, and defies the laws of physics. We have been lied to about 9/11, Ventura courageously states.

He says he was first awoken by a documentary called "Loose Change - Final Cut" when his daughter insisted he watch it.

Another author, a New York Times best selling novelist, Steve Alten, has recently come to much the same conclusion. You can google "Week of Truth" to learn more about Alten's media statements.

Steve Alten was also joined recently by country Icon Willie Nelson and comedian Margaret Cho who also agree we as a nation have been lied to about 9/11. The evidence is against the government and corporate media version, and what Ventura points out about the WTC collapses is being researched by professional architects and engineers (Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth), who over 300 now all are convinced we've been lied to about what happened on 9/11.

Thank you Jesse for speaking out.

This book is currently #84 on the Amazon list. Amazing. That should be an indicator of how many people are fed up with the sham that is the two party system and are looking for some other option.

The book has a lot of typos and the sentence structure is awkward in a few places, but overall it's a great read because he has some interesting and colorful stories to tell.

He has some big brass ones for sure, since he covers topics that will anger a LOT of people with thin skin and who can't think for themselves. It's a smart move to include all of his warts and blunders in here if he's going to run for office again. It's all old news and he can say "you can read about it in my book" = more book sales and more $$ for him.

Ventura needs to run for President. The two party system needs a "body-breaker".

America is in a U.H.F. television renaissance. For example, political discourse prevalent on A.M. talk radio and network television has sunk to the level of old U.H.F. programs such as HOT SEAT, where antagonistic host Wally George ranted and raved about topics of the day. Professional wrestling, another U.H.F. mainstay, has become so popular that many of its stars are as well known as the big names in Major League Baseball and the National Football League.

But I don't say that to disparage Jesse Ventura, formerly both Minnesota Governor and pro wrestler, as his candid book DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME! presents a man working for a citizen's renaissance. Maybe he gained fame through the "fixed" sport of pro wrestling, but as a politician and political commentator Jesse Ventura lets no one choreograph his moves.

One DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME! story underscores the irony of the ex-wrestler who, in the political arena, is not following a script. General Electric-owned M.S.N.B.C. television hires author Ventura to host a show but, when he won't tailor commentary to please the weapons manufacturer, removes him. Ventura winds up collecting $5 million from M.S.N.B.C. for not appearing on television - not even on U.H.F.!

As I write this in May 2008, it appears Jesse Ventura will not seek the presidency, an idea he floats in DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME!, which came out in 2007. As the book title implies, perhaps the author is waiting to see more Americans rise against the corporations and the two major political parties they control. Ventura even asks, "When will someone do something?"

To answer the author, the grassroots movements are out there; it's just that you would not know people are doing something if your information comes from corporate media such as G.E.-owned N.B.C.; Viacom-owned C.B.S.; the many "news" organizations Rupert Murdoch owns; and so on. Attend a protest against the Iraq occupation, for example, and see what kind of media coverage it gets.

The revolution is under way, Mr. Ventura. Please join. Better still, help steer it. Even if the corporate media still won't cover it, your leadership will make recruitment easier and hasten the end of the injustices so many Americans suffer.

In DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME! Jesse Ventura describes himself as a moderate. I don't accept the premise of that argument, as the world's power struggle was never left-right; it's always been up-down, the wealthy stealing from and exploiting the poor.

As he details in DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME! Jesse Ventura governs as a citizen, "moderate" label notwithstanding. Winning office as an independent candidate, there are no political party rules he follows. Further, the author does not reward those who helped him win office with jobs and other political favors. Even if you disagree with his actions or words, Jesse Ventura lets the people and his own conscience guide him.

While it looks as though Jesse Ventura will sit out the 2008 elections, DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME! won't be the last time he weighs in. No one with credentials such as Navy S.E.A.L., professional wrestler, actor, Minnesota Governor, talk show host, and author stays off his feet for long.

Lets do CONs first:

What bugged me straight off the bat was the number of spelling and grammatical errors, it really annoyed me, I thought Mr. V would have edited better!

I think Jesse is a bit naive, part of it being the soldier side of him. How could he have liked McCain or the Clinton's?! Those folks are evil. I don't take well to his bashing Christianity but again, I suppose the organized Christianity out there no longer is Christianity. His beliefs are strong and they tower over you, some of which I could contest with, but...

...with that said, this is an insightful book and worth the admission. He has great stories to tell. Even with the disagreements, I think he'd clean up shop nice given the chance. Overall, you get the sense that Jesse is truly an honest and humble man. You gotta love that and his sense of humor. Finally, toward the end his analysis gets tougher and his warnings all too true of the state we are in. He got out in time, I hope some of us can.