Final Word from Friday, June 6, 2008
Czechs tired of the uniformity of the local coverage of the U.S. presidential race might find pleasure in searching out video clips of Jesse Ventura. He's an eccentric former professional wrestler who became governor of Minnesota and now, as an independent, says there should be a box on the presidential ballot for "None of the Above." He blames the two-party system in the U.S. for destroying the country, which might interest Czechs fearful of a grand coalition. He also compares the invasion of Iraq to the Nazi and then Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia and says that this parallel particularly infuriates him because of his background. Ventura, born James Janos, is a Slovak who admits that for much of his life he thought he was Czech. He says that no matter who wins the U.S. election, it'll be the "samo samo." Unless, he suggests in jest, one of the two candidates picks him to run for VP.[Czech Republic Hungary Hungarian Slovakia Germany George]
Glossary of difficult words
Janoš - Ventura's paternal grandparents were ethnic Hungarians from what is now Slovakia; we are not sure that this is how they spelled their name; another possibility is János;
Jesse Ventura - also author of the current bestseller, "Don't Start the Revolution without Me";
eccentric - unconventional and slightly strange;
two-party system - Democrats and Republicans;
to infuriate someone - to make someone extremely angry and impatient;
the samo samo - (slang) the same old thing;
in jest - said or done for amusement (although he might have been serious).