Jesse Ventura - King of Minnesota
by Stephan Hauser

During the ‘70s pro-wrestler Jesse Ventura came as a warrior.
Today he comes in peace. Ambushed by tj in the Japanese Garden of the five-star Okura Hotel, Jesse opened his heart while doing his lungs some damage with his trademark Cuban cigar.

With shaven head, standing there in the shade, Jesse cuts an imposing figure among the dinky little bonsai trees. No wonder they called him “The Body” back then when he fought another wrestler-turned-politician Antonio Inoki. “A great guy. I just saw him last night. First time I’ve seen him in 18 years. He looks terrific, like he hasn’t aged a day. Looks like he could climb back into the ring right now. Great shape.” Inoki: That giant with a nutcracker chin even Muhamed Ali wasn’t able to land one good shot on. Jesse only fought Inoki once. Who won that fight? “He did. Of course he did. He tired me out. He made me fly for 14 hours. You think he’s not smart? He knew how to do it. If he had flown to the States, I would’ve won.”.
Perhaps having a German mother (her maiden name was Lanz) makes Jesse fond of German cars. He is currently awaiting delivery of his third Porsche. “It’ll be the first Boxster S in Minnesota.” If governors were paid more money, perhaps more people would opt for office. To afford a Porsche, Jesse must be independently wealthy then? “No, I’m not rich. It’s an investment. You keep it ten years, and it’s still worth a lot of money. It’ll drop half the price, and then hold up forever.” Then how about other luxury stuff? I mean, jewelry is an investment, too. Any shiny objects on “The Body?” What is that on his right wrist? Looks like a kind of pinkish-purple, aluminum-alloy. A religious talisman, perhaps? “No, this is a “Missing In Action” bracelet.” Has he been missing in action then? “No, HE is. I have no idea who he is. There are many Vietnam veterans that have never been accounted for, and so many of us wear these in honor of those who are missing.”
Minnesota, home of the Dakota Indians and source of the world’s third-largest river, the mighty Mississippi, may be a landlocked state, but thanks to more than 10,000 lakes it can boast more coast than California. You may have never heard of its capital, St. Paul, but sure we all know of Minneapolis, its largest city. Next to tourism (just visit the Mall of America with an amusement park all under one roof) agriculture is big. So what does Jesse make of genetically modified food on the breakfast table? Is it bad? “No, it’s not bad at all. If you talk to the Food and Drug Administration or even here in Japan, they’ll tell you there is nothing wrong with it. People just need to be educated on it. They shouldn’t have any fear. It’s comparable to Y2K, that computer stuff. Everyone’s afraid of it, yet only because of ignorance. There is nothing to be afraid of.”

Perhaps having a German mother (her maiden name was Lanz) makes Jesse fond of German cars. He is currently awaiting delivery of his third Porsche. “It’ll be the first Boxster S in Minnesota.” If governors were paid more money, perhaps more people would opt for office. To afford a Porsche, Jesse must be independently wealthy then? “No, I’m not rich. It’s an investment. You keep it ten years, and it’s still worth a lot of money. It’ll drop half the price, and then hold up forever.” Then how about other luxury stuff? I mean, jewelry is an investment, too. Any shiny objects on “The Body?” What is that on his right wrist? Looks like a kind of pinkish-purple, aluminum-alloy. A religious talisman, perhaps? “No, this is a “Missing In Action” bracelet.” Has he been missing in action then? “No, HE is. I have no idea who he is. There are many Vietnam veterans that have never been accounted for, and so many of us wear these in honor of those who are missing.”
Isn't it about time to pay up?
Who do you think supports the United Nations more than anybody in the world?

We do!

Minnesota, home of the Dakota Indians and source of the world’s third-largest river, the mighty Mississippi, may be a landlocked state, but thanks to more than 10,000 lakes it can boast more coast than California. You may have never heard of its capital, St. Paul, but sure we all know of Minneapolis, its largest city. Next to tourism (just visit the Mall of America with an amusement park all under one roof) agriculture is big. So what does Jesse make of genetically modified food on the breakfast table? Is it bad? “No, it’s not bad at all. If you talk to the Food and Drug Administration or even here in Japan, they’ll tell you there is nothing wrong with it. People just need to be educated on it. They shouldn’t have any fear. It’s comparable to Y2K, that computer stuff. Everyone’s afraid of it, yet only because of ignorance. There is nothing to be afraid of.”

Talking of fear and ignorance, what about the attitude towards Cuba? Isn’t it about time to lift the embargo? “When you do an embargo like that, you don’t really hurt the leaders, you just hurt the people. And our agriculture is being used as a weapon. That hurts our own farmers, and I don’t think they should be used as a bargaining chip. I mean, one quarter of Minnesota works in the agricultural industry in one form or another.” Not that this makes Minnesota a country backwater. “In fact, we have more Fortune 500 companies per capita than any State in the United States.” Does Libya come in for a share of this new realpolitik? Should the Olympian superpower spare a few more of its thunderbolts? Be friends again? “Like anything, you have to meet them half way. So that would require them to do something too.” In short, Jesse is a peaceful man. He also prefers solar over nuclear energy, and he doesn’t care for nuclear weapons. “I mean, there is really nothing good about them, is there? I’ve never seen anything positive come out of dropping one.”

The United States has been defaulting on its membership fees to the United Nations to the tune of a billion dollars for years now. As a consequence it may soon lose its voting status, putting it into the same category as Iraq and Togo. Isn’t it about time to pay up? "Who do you think supports the United Nations more than anybody in the world? We do! I am very pro-American. And I’m not buying the fact that we owe anybody nothing. Because if we collected our war debts from World War II, then every country in the world other than Germany and Japan owes us money. And the only reason these two countries don’t, is that they were on the other side then.”

Clearly a man of strong convictions: What about the controversy sparked by his comments on organized religion in the Playboy interview? “It was misinterpreted. In fact, I was called a bigot by Geraldine Ferrara and one of the Presidential candidates. They shouldn’t use the word unless they know the definition of it. I am tolerant of all religions. I believe in all religion. I believe that there is a supreme spiritual being and that religion is a way that different people believe. I am not a bigot.” On speculation about a Presidential bid, he is very emphatic, perhaps too emphatic. “I’ve never said that I wanted to run for president. You see, this is just the press misquoting me.” But surely he has become some kind of an enfant terrible on the political scene, what with all those “other” quotes and much-focused-on quirks. “You see, that’s the difference between me and the guy who consults with the latest poll data and then adjusts his “opinion” accordingly.
I don’t have a team of suits that work out the most suitable and amenable statements and let me repeat them like a parrot. I am me. And I am saying it as I see it. And as a result you may hear all kinds of weird statements. My job is to ensure that the State of Minnesota has the best economic policy and the best livable conditions. That’s my job.”

Now, almost a year in office, does he think about re-election? “I’ll think about it in three years after consulting with my family. Because the Governor of Delaware, who is a veteran governor, told me the main thing to remember, when all this is over, you still have your family, you want to make sure that you
still have them.”

From elite war veteran, to pro-wrestler, to actor, to mayor, to governor -- did he make any friends along the way? “Lots of them. I did three films with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In fact, Arnold came to my inauguration. He gave me two beautiful eagles, a marble statue that sits on my desk. He’s a great guy. Were it not for Arnold, I wouldn’t know how to get my Cuban cigars. Hey, that’s another reason why they should stop that embargo against Cuba!”


HOME