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Jesse Ventura on War & Peace

Former Independent MN Governor; possible Presidential Challenger

 


Withdraw our military from the Middle East

The Libertarian party has selected a presidential ticket headed by former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. Johnson's latest is that he said he will work with Congress to withdraw our military from the Middle East. That's my position completely and I couldn't be happier over it. I hope that the people of this country will wake up and listen to Gov. Johnson. Vote for him, so that we can start implementing new policies, and pull out of the Middle East. Let's end all our problems abroad.
Source: ORA.TV Off The Grid on 2016 presidential hopefuls , Jun 1, 2016

We attacked Saddam for the same WMDs we have in our arsenal

US Capabilities in Chemical and Biological Warfare: The transcript of this House Subcommittee in terms of the R&D going on at the same time and how "innocently" we were using herbicides in Vietnam. You won't see Agent Orange mentioned, but clearly that's what they're talking about.

It's just appalling to know that we have this capability to use as we so desire. It is truly survive-at-any-cost, where we have no moral high ground on anything? That seems to be the mind-set here: we have every weapon imaginary at our disposal but nobody else is allowed to be that way. I find it kind of ironic that the very thing we attacked Saddam Hussein over, we'd maintained in our arsenal for many years! The hypocrisy would be laughable if this weren't such a serious matter.

Source: 63 Documents, by Gov. Jesse Ventura, p. 56 , Apr 4, 2011

Al Qaeda will end by politics, not military

The Rand Corporation has been around forever, it seems, doing policy analysis for the government on all kinds of things. Well, in 2008, Rand came out with a major study titled "How Terrorist Groups End," looking at data on all such between 1968 and 2006.

Abstract of the Rand report: How do terrorist groups end? The evidence since 1968 indicates that terrorist groups rarely cease to exist as a result of winning or losing a military campaign. Rather, most groups end because of operations carried out by local police or intelligence agencies or because they join the political process. This suggests that the United States should pursue a counterterrorism strategy against al Qa'ida that emphasizes policing and intelligence gathering rather than a "war on terrorism" approach that relies heavily on military force.

Source: 63 Documents, by Gov. Jesse Ventura, p.295-296 , Apr 4, 2011

1980: Carter's failure on Iran hostages let Reagan win


The Incident:
On the same day that Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president, January 20, 1981, Iran released the American hostages it had been holding in our embassy there for 444 days.
The Official Word:
The timing was coincidental.
My Take:
Reagan's people had cut a deal with Iran to keep the hostages beyond the presidential election, to ensure that President Carter's negotiations with Iran failed and that he lost to Reagan.
Source: American Conspiracies, by Jesse Ventura, p.104 , Mar 9, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We need Saddam as the bad guy in oil disputes

I can tell you the reason why we keep getting into scuffles with Saddam Hussein: We need him. The fact that we’ve kept him in power and haven’t taken him out is intentional. We need a bad guy there. We need a reason to keep our military personnel on the pulse of the world’s oil reserves. We put him in there--do you think we couldn’t have taken him down by now if we had wanted to? And he knows it. That’s why he misbehaves!
Source: Ain’t Got Time To Bleed, p. 35 , Jan 1, 1999

Other candidates on War & Peace: Jesse Ventura on other issues:
Former Presidents/Veeps:
George W. Bush (R,2001-2009)
V.P.Dick Cheney
Bill Clinton (D,1993-2001)
V.P.Al Gore
George Bush Sr. (R,1989-1993)
Ronald Reagan (R,1981-1989)
Jimmy Carter (D,1977-1981)
Gerald Ford (R,1974-1977)
Richard Nixon (R,1969-1974)
Lyndon Johnson (D,1963-1969)
John F. Kennedy (D,1961-1963)
Dwight Eisenhower (R,1953-1961)
Harry_S_TrumanHarry S Truman(D,1945-1953)

Religious Leaders:
New Testament
Old Testament
Pope Francis

Political Thinkers:
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Milton Friedman
Arianna Huffington
Rush Limbaugh
Tea Party
Ayn Rand
Secy.Robert Reich
Joe Scarborough
Gov.Jesse Ventura
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Page last updated: Oct 27, 2021