Ron Paul's counter-convention; Jesse Ventura takes over

MINNEAPOLIS -- The crowd cheered at Rep. Ron Paul’s daylong counter-convention in Minneapolis. As many as 12,000 disillusioned Republicans and independents, according to organizers, had showed up at the Target Center, an NBA basketball arena, to cheer for the former Republican presidential candidate who raised so much money and so few delegates.

Paul told the crowd that he was told by Republican National Convention officials that he would need to be chaperoned if he showed up at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

But who wants to go to a boring old Republican convention that goes on and on for days in St. Paul when you can spend nine eternal hours indoors in Minneapolis listening to a host of conservative and libertarian speakers preach the virtues of the Republican congressman's libertarian-type politics?

But then came former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. He suggested that there may be a government conspiracy covering up what....

...really happened during the 9/11 attacks.

“Aren’t you innocent in this country until proven guilty?” he said of Osama bin Laden.

Osama bin Laden?

“As distasteful as that is," Ventura said Tuesday, "he deserves the same thing ... Why is he not charged if he did it?”

Wearing a sports coat with a yellow T-shirt underneath, Ventura said the federal government never officially charged Bin Laden after Sept. 11, as they did after the 1998 bombings of the American embassy in Kenya.

“Why did we have a president who stonewalled any investigation of 9/11 for over two years?” he said. “All I’m saying is the truth lies with us. We are the people of the United States of America.”

Which is undeniable!

And means what, no one knows.

But that's why Jesse is called "the Body," not "the Brain." After his speech, the wrestler-cum-politician got a standing ovation when he said he might run for president in 2012.

On the other hand, the usually calm and erudite Ventura, who would never stoop to any political stunts when he ran for and won the Minnesota governor's office, hinted that he might run for president this year. That was good enough to get him on "Larry King Live" for a full hour one night.

But to run, fact is, Jesse would probably have to move back to the United States from his home in Mexico. Bummer. 

-- James Hohmann

Comments

[mb]

Mr. Malcolm,

I feel that you mis-characterize Mr. Ventura's statements regarding 9/11.

He did not point to a conspiracy. He questioned why the investigation and dissemination of information to the public has gone the route that it has and why it has been so anemic.

He did not draw any conclusions nor level kooky accusations. Myself, I do not suspect an "inside job" but I do have an increasing distrust in the veracity and completeness of information we have been given regarding the events of that day, and on illegal wiretaps, and a host of changes in the application of accountability to government.

This increasingly expanding cloak of secrecy around many important aspects of our physical, economic and social security is continuously making my responsibility as a voter booth harder to fulfill.

In the context of the rest of Mr. Ventura's speech, his statement you quote is not as "brainless" as you suggest. He is saying that we Americans need to recognize when there are holes in the facts and question why those holes are there and if they are healthy for our liberties.

[john]

The "yellow t shirt underneath" was a US NAVY SEAL shirt. As Ventura is a former special-ops guy and demolition expert, he has many friends in the business. He has said that all of them suspect 9/11 was some kind of inside job or false flag operation by certain factions of our own and/or foreign intelligence services, and the story foisted upon us is very suspect. The fact that the rarely-mentioned World Trade Center Building 7 was a 47 story building and collapsed at free fall speed into its own footprint is a good indication that explosives were used. The 9/11 Commission Report made no mention of this building or the anomaly at all. Educate yourselves about the evidence out there.

[Robert]

Why question our glorious leaders?
Nero burned Rome and blamed the Christians.

Hello, meet the new Roman Empire.

[bill whittakergmail.com]

if more people listen to jessie maybe things will change

[bill whittakergmail.com]

be rea to have our first lady vp im for her good nra memberdy we are going

[R Dujour]

Al Kida my Eyeda! . . . this newspaper printed an account of how the US military killed the number 2 Al Kida leader in Iraq twice!

The Iraqis caught two british special forces guys dressed like arabs trying to blow up mosques. The brits had to break them out of Iraqi jail with tanks.

Al Kida was founded by Zibby Baby Brazinski to spike the Ruskies. They work for the ISI which works for the CIA who work for the military industrial complex. Its the story of the tail trying to wag the dog to death.

The war on terror is a farce. The crazies are trying to start WW4 so why not put Jesse Ventura on national TV to debate his views of 9/11. He's a nut right? Should be easy enough to prove.

On SS-18 missle would take out the entire east coast of the United States. The stakes are that high. We desperately need brave journalists right now!

[WTF]

I'm growing very concerned about the heavy smacking of PROPAGANDA on Google News when I search "Ron Paul"-
I don't want to hear slick, sly little jabs at Ron Paul's lack of success in the voting system - yes, it is clearly designed to be against him (and all Americans), a fact reinforced by so many of these articles today that completely ignore his message and highlight trivialities. If you wanna talk numbers, let's talk about Ron Paul's record-setting internet fundraising. Let's talk about 10,000 people who are sending a LOUD message - a message *they* desperately want covered up -
So free people must be more of a threat than we think!

More of us are wisening up - and I tell ya, Mainstream media is NOT the real deal here, folks -
I don't want to be bombarded with all this bulls about Palin's knocked-up ho or WTF Obama thinks of McLame's fuckin' horrible commercial -
I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE REAL ISSUES THAT FUCKING MATTER, LIKE HOW WE THE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO RECLAIM OUR COUNTRY.

The ONLY way to stop them is to REFUSE to grant them power over you -
-research the facts yourself (beware propaganda, disinformation - start with naturalnews.com
-come to your own conclusions
-take action to protect your body, mind and spirit from BIG Pharma, Big AGRO, Big GOVT

Ron Paul and his supporters are STILL sending the message of FREEDOM, no matter how poorly you yellow journalists attempt to smear him -
HOW about you read his book?
Then see if you can paint him in such a negative light - he is on the side of our Creator and the Framers of the Constitution.
It is up to you to spread the word about Liberty because clearly the Official agenda is to keep conditioning us to eventually ASK for the NWO - No they CAN'T let Paul win ! - But we're at least sending the message that the true spirit of America has NOT died -

Human beings are amazing things - as IESU (Jesus) said - The Kingdom of GOD is WITHIN YOU.
You know what the truth is in your heart! Stay vigilant, free people!

[Seth]

Is it too much to ask for, honest reporting? Ventura did nothing more than ask why bin Laden hasn't been charged with a crime, which is, quite frankly, a damn good question. To allude to conspiracy mongering is blatant dishonest libertarian-baiting.

[Kendall Young]

Jesse Ventura takes over? All he said was that he would be willing to run IF he sensed that he was wanted. The Campaign for Liberty is a Ron Paul initiative. Te Rally for the Republic was sponsored by the Campaign for Liberty. Jesse Ventura did not take over. Get your facts straight, and don't spin them. We're watching!

[Richard]

If you did any research at all, you would have discovered that Jesse was on Larry King to announce whether he would run for US Senate, not President. It even says that much in the article you linked to. Sloppy!

[SK]

Mr.Hohmann its not the 12,000 ++++ supporters who are disillusioned, its you sir.

[SK]

Mr.Hohmann its not the 12,000 ++++ supporters who are disillusioned, its you sir.

[jenn]

It never ceases to amaze me the bias and crap that is rampant in today's journalism. Were you (the so-called journalist ) actually there or saw it on television? Because based upon your poorly informed article - it doesn't read like you did. What is this? heresay? Start reporting - REPORTING - the truth instead of manipulating what was said to back whatever you support. This article was ridiculous. I saw the entire rally - did you you? I highly doubt it

[Robert Mortellaro]

Mr. Hohmann,

Your glib commentary is a perfect example of why people are fleeing mainstream newpapers in droves. While gutsy, authentic reporters like Amy Goodman are arrested for trying to do a job increasingly infested with armchair pundits like you who don't take the time to find out any information on the people you blithely denigrate and slur. Maybe that's the reason political hacks like McCain and Obama--themselves merely fronts for, respectively, imperialist neo-conservative and neo-liberal power-elites--get nominated, while true patriots like Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich endure wave upon wave of unsupported character assassination. Jesse Ventura is a smart guy and a true Maverick, not a made-for-TV phony like John McCain. Keep it up. Stay smug, shallow and cynical. Keep churning out pabulum to an electorate starving for real knowledge and soon you won't be able to give your shriveling, increasingly irrelevant rags away.

[Curt Donnelly]

We can't blame the disillusioned Hohmann, he is nothing but a puppet to our propaganda pushing corporate media. He's simply a messenger. To bad they skipped the part where Jesse was talking about how media is dumbing down america. The media and there puppet reporters will not defend our liberty or inform the masses. It is up to us the free people to do so. "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. " Thomas Jefferson

Here's a quote from a couple of our "disillusioned" founding fathers:

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the disguise of fighting a foreign enemy. " James Madison

"The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them. " Patrick Henry

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." George Washinton

I guess true patriots have always been dillusional.... I think Prophetic is a better fit.

[Sandee]

I'd love to see James Hohmann say such disrespectful things to Mr. Ventura's face...oh yes, that would be worth checking out this blog again!