Last week, mainstream media aired segments that looked back on the top stories of 2013. Often, when people “look back” they don’t connect the dots. Here's a look back, looking ahead...

LAST WEEK, mainstream media aired segments that looked back on the top stories of 2013. Often, when people “look back” they don’t connect the dots. They forget that one set of circumstances is not an isolated incident, so they can’t prevent these circumstances from happening again. Or even worse, they somehow convince themselves that the issues are too big to change.

Pope Francis is one person I was surprised to see look back, realize past wrongs, and decide that when he looks ahead, he wants to see change. Though I don’t share his beliefs, I am astounded to see the face of one of the biggest and most influential religious institutions talk about accepting others as equals:

  • Pope Francis acknowledges the wrongdoings of priests and is looking to change the cultureof the Vatican.
Other than Pope Francis, no other pope has decided to live in a small guest house in the Vatican instead of the Pope’s private chambers. They say actions speak louder than words, and these actions lead me to believe that Pope Francis is more than just talk.

It’s wonderful to see someone give peace and understanding a chance. Pope Francis had the courage to speak about some of the biggest issues in Catholicism and he has inspired many people—including me—to think differently about this religion. Looking ahead, and I speak as an atheist, I hope to see great things from this man and his church.

As I look ahead and think of where we are going as a nation, I look back on our past, and I realize we are at a serious turning point in our country. When you look back at 2013, don’t look back as if the year is filled with some distant, isolated events.

Be like Pope Francis:

  • Look back with a critical eye.
  • Be critical of your government, but also critical of yourself.
  • Did you complain about the problems or were you part of the solution?
Were you on the phone day in and day out, calling your representatives to say enough is enough, stay out of Syria? Or did you just gripe about our foreign policy at the dinner table?

For those who continue to think “calling my representative won’t do anything” let me assure you, that attitude is crap, it’s laziness, and it’s marginalizing one of your most basic and powerful rights as an American.

Sometimes a phone call is the only weapon we have to hold our representatives accountable.

Congress received nearly 500 calls for every 1 urging against a military strike on Syria. And I am proud to say that this saved us from another expensive, useless war. So, when you look back on this one act of patriotism—this one act of not only questioning the government, but downright ordering them to do the right thing—you can’t look back at it as an isolated incident.

Looking ahead, you must remember Syria. Keep your representatives’ numbers on speed dial for the next time they recklessly try to put our sons and daughters in harm’s way. Yes, I am asking you to annoy the hell out of them!

Remember when we gave them an inch with the TSA? Look where we are now with the NSA—they’re stomping all over our Bill of Rights!

Another incident you should never forget is when Congress shut down our government. Two-thirds of Americans said the current Congress is the worst one in their lifetimes.Why? Because the lobbyists, the corporations, and the special interest groups own this Congress! Our elected officials have forgotten who they work for, who voted them in, and who can vote them out just as easily.

Congress only decided to put the American people first when it became obvious that their jobs were on the line! Sure, now we have a budget “compromise,” but what are they really telling us? They’re hoping we’ll look back on this government shutdown as a distant event today and forget about it tomorrow.

I urge you to remember who supported the government shutdown. Write their names down. Memorize them.Because 2014 and 2016 are election years and they’ll all be up for re-election. They’ll all claim they were part of the solution, the great budget compromise of 2013. They’ll all think Americans have the memories of goldfish. Don’t prove them right.Be a vigilant citizen and vote. Replace these DemoCRIPs and ReBLOODlicans with independent, free thinkers who aren’t bought by Super PACs and special interest groups and we can win our country back.

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I hope I’ve lit a fire here, and I’m just getting started. These are just some of the topics I will look back on in January during the first week of my new show “Off The Grid.” I will not only look back on the events of 2013, but I will help you to connect the dots, follow the money, and realize how these events impact our future, looking ahead. I know I’ll get a lot of heat from “them” for doing this, but I can’t sit by the sidelines and neither should you.

Peace,

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Gov. Jesse Venturalisten

IN HIS OWN WORDS: Jesse Ventura urges America to remember

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC its affiliates, or its employees.

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