Welcome to Minnesota, where prostitution could soon be legal, and the hog farming crisis may be solved by a hearty crop of hemp!

At least, that's what Minnesota's new WWF gubernatorial-elect, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, suggested, sorta. Of course, that was before his stunning November 3rd victory. You know how politicians always seem to know just what to say before an election.

Regardless, I am absolutely thrilled that the same man who once treated Rowdy Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan to whup-ass by the gallon will now be shaping Minnesota state policy.

Okay, so he has no staff and no real plans for what he'll do. Picky, picky. Can't a man be spontaneous anymore? And being a member of the Reform Party,there are plenty of rules to break. Isn't that what being governor's all about?

To find out, I surfed the Net for Ventura tidbits, and found a few choice ones. A poorly-designed site listing the top 100 wrestling quotes of all times, cites JV:

"Win if you can, lose if you must, but ALWAYS cheat!"

Better still, a religious site likens the Ventura victory to the rise of another famous figure--Jesus Christ!

"Jesse followed the plan of Jesus: he spent no money, had no staff, no drama teams, dance teams, or music teams with which he deliberately set out to deceive the seekers. There was no bait and switch: what you see is what you get. Wouldn't that work in religion?

"Isn't God's grace genuinely amazing? It takes people with no hope of heaven and makes them into children of God! And it leaves surprised onlookers slack-jawed with an unforeseen outcome. It's sometimes so astonishing that -- like Gov. Ventura on the morning after -- our biggest challenge is to believe it has really happened."

Um, Amen?

But perhaps my friend Ron says it best:

"How much of a difference is there between politics and pro wrestling anyway? In both arenas, the wrestler/politician creates a public image based on fictitious accusations, invented personalities and bluffing to create an environment of hostility toward any wrestler/politician who gets in the way or disagrees with him. In both cases, it takes months for a final vote/confrontation on disputed issues and the wrestler/politician has to keep support by getting on TV and lying his ass off."

Have you heard the news? Hulk Hogan, not to be outdone, is threatening to run for President. This could get really interesting.