Michelle Malkin » Remembering Jonestown

Remembering Jonestown

By Michelle Malkin • November 18, 2008 11:25 PM

It’s the 30-year anniversary of the mass murder/suicide at Jonestown. The toll was chilling: more than 900 lives ended, including 305 innocent children. We should never forget the deadly consequences of the cult of personality. A memorial was unveiled today in Oakland:

On the 30th anniversary of the Jonestown disaster Tuesday, organizers of an annual memorial service displayed the first panels of a 36-foot-long stone wall that is to be inscribed with the names of more than 900 victims of the violence in Guyana.

In the years since, efforts to create a monument have dragged on for lack of funding.

But the Rev. Jynona Norwood on Tuesday pulled covers from two shiny black granite slabs on sturdy trailers parked at Evergreen Cemetery, where more than 400 unidentified and unclaimed bodies of Jonestown’s victims are buried in a mass grave.

Mourners gasped and tearful survivors scattered red and black carnations on the panels.

“Touch their names because touching their names is very healing,” said Norwood, who lost 27 relatives in the 1978 mass murders and suicides orchestrated by Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones. “Finally, they have a resting place.”

The work for the memorial, however, is far from complete.

Despite a $30,000 down payment, another $70,000 or more must be raised to complete the 7-foot-tall monument with an 8-foot red granite central panel bearing the names of 305 children who perished in Jonestown.

The crowd of almost 200—including temple survivors and relatives of the victims—was one of the largest since Norwood started holding services to honor Jonestown’s dead.

When Jones ordered his followers to commit suicide, more than 900 members drank cyanide-laced, grape-flavored punch. Others were shot by guards loyal to Jones.

In recent years, more survivors have been attending the service, as it has become more widely accepted that they were ordinary people betrayed by a charismatic minister who lured them to an integrated church with programs for the poor.

The carnage occurred after 15 members defected during Rep. Leo Ryan’s fact-finding mission to Jonestown.

Temple gunmen killed Ryan, three journalists and a defector on a nearby airstrip—and all of their names will be on the monument, Norwood said.

Here is a very interesting take on media apologists for Jim Jones. (Hat tip - Lead and Gold.)

See what others have said

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#1

On November 18th, 2008 at 11:31 pm, purplepeep said:

I remember how depressing it was to see them haul so many bodies out of that hellhole. And so many of them children. Awful images.
#2

On November 18th, 2008 at 11:39 pm, Flyoverman said:

History is heaped with the corpses of those who blindly depended on one person as their Hope.

See how much we have learned?

/sarc
#3

On November 18th, 2008 at 11:43 pm, CantCureStupid said:

An excellent and sobering read. Thoughts and prayers to the families of the lost.

I was just a kid when this happened, but reading that article, I couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that the media in this country has been corrupt for a lot longer than I thought. It’s as though they can’t be bothered with anything that doesn’t fit perfectly into their narrow little world view. Truly shameful.
#4

On November 18th, 2008 at 11:45 pm, feebiebabe said:

One, RIP to the Jonestown victims (especially children) and their surviving relatives.

The link to the article is wonderful. I never knew a lot of his connections (Willie Brown, Al Capone!!!)

Is there something hard-wired in children (and adult dumb f—-) that when someone screams at them long enough, they will do what they say, and believe anything, because the ones who didn’t believe and do what the group did, were taken out of the gene pool….?”

Kinda like, when people are instructed to go out there and “get in their [opponents] faces”?
#5

On November 18th, 2008 at 11:52 pm, feebiebabe said:

It’s as though they can’t be bothered with anything that doesn’t fit perfectly into their narrow little world view. Truly shameful.

The SFC/SFE have to be about the worst excuses for “newspapers” around…it would be laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous.

And we wonder why the majority of San Franciscan’s have succumbed to a permanent state of lemming-stupidity?
#6

On November 18th, 2008 at 11:56 pm, FamilyMan said:

Can anyone here think of a contemporary cult leader?
HMMMMMMMMMM!!!
#7

On November 18th, 2008 at 11:59 pm, ajmontana said:

Aside from the obvious….

Drew Carey?
#8

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:01 am, BlameAmericaLast said:

Through his connections in government Jones arranged to be appointed to several positions of power in Mendocino. He first approached the superintendent of the Anderson Valley School District located in Boonville some fifty miles southwest of Redwood Valley. A deal was struck in which Jones would enroll sixteen Temple children in the school district in exchange for a position teaching social studies to sixth graders in Boonville.

The district received thousands more in state aid and Jones received a paying job that was more important to his plans than has been previously recognized.

The meager salary Jones received from his teaching job could not have justified the cost of transporting sixteen children one hundred miles a day. He had several other reasons for teaching in Boonville. The Temple students were inner-city Blacks whose presence in the Ukiah School District was unique and disruptive. Jones defused a potentially difficult situation in his own back yard by transporting the Blacks fifty miles away in what might be the ultimate in forced busing. Mike Cartmell was the Caucasian leader of the displaced students and his instructions were to make certain that the Temple students did not socialize with the exclusively White Boonville children.

It was segregation and not integration that would keep the peace in Boonville. Jones taught there for about two years until June of 1969 when he resigned and withdrew the Temple children.

One report claims that he had a homosexual relationship with one of his students during this period. Jones counseled the boy after having been apparently responsible for his parents’ divorce. The two would spend weekends in San Francisco where Jones demanded a minister’s discount on the hotel room he registered under “The Rev. Jim Jones and Son.” Though there were no eyewitnesses to such activities, what really matters here is not how Jones recruited his sixth graders but that he was recruiting them. The timetable was perfect. Some eight years later, as Jones was moving his Temple to South America, his sixth graders had just graduated from Santa Rosa Junior college. They went on to join the ranks of the guards and medical staff of the experiment.
#9

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:02 am, BlameAmericaLast said:

My husband was a 3rd grader at that school when Jim Jones was teaching.
#10

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:11 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

…cult leader who led 909 followers to their deaths in Jonestown, Guyana, having them drink from vats of poisoned Kool-Aid.

Some of those under the age of about 40 may not have realized that this tragedy is the source of the phrase “don’t drink the Kool-Aid”.

It’s not a joke.

And neither is the fact that the Obamamedia acted like Jim Jones this election season and led millions of entranced followers like these to drink the Obama Kool-Aid.

Obama’s own words and actions lead me to the opinion that:
1) Obama is not a Natural Born citizen of the United States
2) Obama is a Jihadist Muslim whose goal is to apply the values of Sharia law to our society and “bring an Empire to its knees”.

But my journey is part of a larger journey - one shared by all who’ve ever sought to apply the values of their faith to our society. It’s a journey that takes us back to our nation’s founding, when none other than a UCC church inspired the Boston Tea Party and helped bring an Empire to its knees.
#11

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:14 am, AlohaGuy said:

And neither is the fact that the Obamamedia acted like Jim Jones this election season and led millions of entranced followers like these to drink the Obama Kool-Aid.

Scary. All you young people out there - no human is the answer…
#12

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:14 am, Prime Director said:

Willie Brown said:

what you are about is what the whole system ought to be about!

Jones is gone, but a new charismatic demogogue hopes to fulfill his promise.
#13

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:18 am, nlebou said:

Some of those under the age of about 40 may not have realized that this tragedy is the source of the phrase “don’t drink the Kool-Aid”.

Two of my co-workers di not know where that phrase came from. I told them to google Jonestown 1978. Needles to say they were horrified.

I was 20 ans had just had my first son.
#14

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:30 am, Jet Jaguar said:

Well, I am glad that Jonestown could never happen in the good ol’ USA! …oh, wait… what was that about history repeating itself?
#15

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:49 am, taylork said:

The cult awareness headline is over-reactive. Careful MM, you’re treading on ODS territory
#16

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:51 am, taylork said:

I’m sorry but this is a stupid comparison.

I don’t like Obama as much as the next GOPer, but how about we let him make policy before we start going nuts.
#17

On November 19th, 2008 at 1:02 am, simcoe said:

No need to grieve for the innocent ones. Rather, envy them. In Jesus’ presence they are eternally better off and happier than we can imagine right now, and have no remembrance of this life.
#18

On November 19th, 2008 at 1:03 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

taylork,

Have you seen the Fascist Dictator Checklist?

Are you aware that Obama “Family Friend” Bill Ayers actively planned for the extermination of 25 million people?
#19

On November 19th, 2008 at 1:03 am, feebiebabe said:

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:49 am, taylork said:
The cult awareness headline is over-reactive. Careful MM, you’re treading on ODS territory

Careful?

So I suppose Charlie Rose, Jon Meacham & Evan Thomas also suffer from ODS?

Meacham stated that he was “very struck watching the stagecraft” of Obama and pointed out how Obama gave his victory speech by himself: “…[H]ave you ever seen a victory speech where there was no one else on stage? No adoring wife, no cute kid — he is the message.” Thomas went one step further in this vein: “There is a slightly creepy cult of personality about all of this.” Rose confronted him on his use of this phrase, and he explained that it made him “a little uneasy that he’s so singular. He’s clearly managing his own spectacle. He knows how to do it. He’s a — I think, a deeply manipulative guy…” Later, all three marveled about how it was “amazing” that Obama “watches us watching him.”
#20

On November 19th, 2008 at 1:13 am, aggiebc said:

On November 18, 1978, nine hundred people drank the Kool-Aid because their “messiah” told them to. On November 4, 2008, nearly 68 million did the same for their “messiah.”

I think Obama’s ~~coronation~~ inauguration should have been moved up to Nov. 18 in memory.
#21

On November 19th, 2008 at 1:24 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

In looking at the Wikipedia entry for Jonestown, I found evidence of a shocking connection that I had never heard of before…

Jones purported to establish Jonestown as a benevolent communist community, stating: “I believe we’re the purest communists there are.” Marceline Jones described Jonestown as “dedicated to live for socialism, total economic and racial and social equality. We are here living communally.” Jones wanted to construct a model community and claimed that Prime Minister Burnham “couldn’t rave enough about us, uh, the wonderful things we do, the project, the model of socialism.” In that regard, like the restrictive emigration policies of the Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea and other communist republics, Jones did not permit members to leave Jonestown.

Jones made frequent addresses to Temple members regarding Jonestown’s safety, including statements that the CIA and other intelligence agencies were conspiring with “capitalist pigs” to destroy Jonestown and harm its members. After work, when purported emergencies arose, the Temple sometimes conducted what Jones referred to as “White Nights”. During such events, Jones would sometimes give the Jonestown members four choices: (1) attempt to flee to the Soviet Union; (2) commit “revolutionary suicide”; (3) stay in Jonestown and fight the purported attackers or (4) flee into the jungle.

the Peoples Temple conducted frequent meetings with the embassies of the Soviet Union, North Korea, Yugoslavia and Cuba.

Jones stated before the speech that “For many years, we have let our sympathies be quite publicly known, that the United States government was not our mother, but that the Soviet Union was our spiritual motherland,” which was followed by extended cheers and applause from the Jonestown crowd.

Feodor Timofeyev from the Soviet Union embassy in Guyana visited Jonestown for two days and gave a speech… Timofeyev opened the speech stating that the USSR would like to send “our deepest and the most sincere greetings to the people of this first socialist and communist community of the United States of America, in Guyana and in the world,” followed by cheers and applause from the crowd.

Three high ranking Temple member survivors claim they were given an assignment and thereby escaped death… they were told to deliver to Guyana’s Soviet Embassy, in Georgetown. The envelope contained two passports and three instructional letters, the first of which was to Feodor Timofeyev of the Embassy of the Soviet Union in Guyana, stating:

Dear Comrade Timofeyev,
The following is a letter of instructions regarding all of our assets that we want to leave to the Communist Party of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Enclosed in this letter are letters which instruct the banks to send the cashiers checks to you. I am doing this on behalf of Peoples Temple because we, as communists, want our money to be of benefit for help to oppressed peoples all over the world, or in any way that your decision-making body sees fit.

The letters included listed accounts with balances totaling in excess of $7.3 million to be transferred to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

Found near Maria Katsaris’ body was a handwritten note signed by Katsaris, dated November 18, 1978, witnessed by Jim McElvane and Marilee Bogue, stating, “I Maria Katsaris leave all of the money in the Banco Union de Venezuela in Caracas to the Communist Party Soviet Union.”

Found near Carolyn Layton’s body was a handwritten note signed by Carolyn Layton, witnessed by Maria Katsaris and Annie Moore, dated November 18, 1978, stating, “This is my last will and testament. I hereby leave all assets in any bank account to which I am a signatory to the Communist Party of the U.S.S.R.”

I had always thought Jonestown was a religious cult. I never realized until know that it was also a Communist cult.
#22

On November 19th, 2008 at 1:26 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

“until ~~know~~ now“
#23

On November 19th, 2008 at 1:33 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

Obama: “Spread the wealth around”.
Jones: “Spread the wealth and the death around”.

Bill Ayers was planning 3 decades ago to kill 25 million people.

I think that if the overwhelming majority of Obama’s records were not sealed, you would find that Bill Ayers is the reason Obama transferred to Columbia (probably to be mentored by Ayers), and that Ayers had influential friends write letters of recommendation for Obama to get him accepted to Harvard Law. Then Ayers ghost-wrote “Dreams From My Father”.

What makes Ayers and Obama different from Jones?
#24

On November 19th, 2008 at 1:46 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

Is we allow a Socialist/Communist takeover of our government,
as this election has gone a long way towards enabling, we face
both mass slaughters like Jamestown and sharia law …

Moscow prosecutors say they have warned the
Russian-language edition of the Newsweek magazine
for allegedly insulting Muslims.
#25

On November 19th, 2008 at 2:33 am, traveler49 said:

I have a friend who was an early member and lost several close loved ones at Jonestown. They felt strongly that it was a pure socialist society they were creating. Never mentioned communist but it sure ended up to be just that. He was a dictator with a goon squad to enforce his will. Some of the high uppity ups in San Francisco that enabled him are still around. It was just another example of what socialism will bring. The young indoctrinated amongst us will never learn of this tragic example and all they have to do is google it. They will never believe that this was socialism and cover their ears so as not to hear anything that would reject their failed philosophy.
#26

On November 19th, 2008 at 2:45 am, Bob Mc said:

Keep drinking that Kool-Aid, Obama supporters.
See where that gets you.
#27

On November 19th, 2008 at 2:50 am, Prime Director said:

I had always thought Jonestown was a religious cult. I never realized until know that it was also a Communist cult.

Yes, Jones called it apostolic socialism, a variety of (wait for it)…

… liberation theology.
#28

On November 19th, 2008 at 5:28 am, graysonret said:

I heard it wasn’t Kool-aid, as we know it. It was some sort of local brew, that was used. Anyway, I remember well, when the news broke. It is still unsettling on how cult mentality can influence so many people to give up their lives. It can still happen today. We see mob/cult mentality in the news everyday, especially from the radical left, thinking they run the country now.
#29

On November 19th, 2008 at 6:04 am, gridlock said:

One can understand the tendency of the MSM and politicians to rehabilitate Jim Jones if one remembers that he was a Communist first, and a religious leader second.
#30

On November 19th, 2008 at 6:56 am, zorro said:

May God forgive them and rest their Souls.
#31

On November 19th, 2008 at 8:28 am, tre said:

I was 12 years old when that happened. I remember reading stories where mothers would fill syringes with the poison and squirt it into their babies mouth. Some people who didn’t want to drink it would be held down by others and have it poured down their throats.

It’s still a world record for mass suicide.
#32

On November 19th, 2008 at 8:31 am, madmonkphotog said:

Jim Jones was a community organizer.

And see what happened?
#33

On November 19th, 2008 at 8:38 am, Simon86 said:

When I was in college I took a class called “Anthropology of Cults”. It taught us all the tell tale signs of cultism. Since that class I have seen many examples of cultism, some subtle, some over the top. College age kids are the #1 target for recruters.

There are seveal things to look for in cults. The most important is a blind devotion to the leader. Can anyone cite an example today
#34

On November 19th, 2008 at 8:45 am, hayroller15 said:

I like the way you think RedPill.Keep speaking the truth.
#35

On November 19th, 2008 at 8:46 am, On-my-soap-box said:

How Obingo Got Elected

Question 13. Who made over 900 people drink poison laced Kool-Aid perpetuating the largest mass suicide in history?

Liberal idiot: Palin
#36

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:04 am, MerryMaven said:

For anyone who’s interested in learning more, the best book on Jim Jones has finally been reissued. It’s called “Raven” by Tim Reiterman. I read it many years ago when it first came out and it’s by far and away the most comprehensive book on the whole wretched story.

http://www.amazon.com/Raven-Untold-Story-Jones-People/dp/1585426784/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227103208&sr=1-1

And on a lighter (?) note, does anyone remember the miniseries they made about this story? I’ve never been able to watch Powers Boothe in anything since then without being completely creeped out.
#37

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:07 am, md1964 said:

Let us remember… Jim Jones was a Socialist Community Organizer…

…let’s hope we have a different outcome for we the people of America, under the control of another Socialist Community Organizer.
#38

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:17 am, torabora said:

Hey if all the people who voted for ~~Jim Jones~~ The One drink the Kool aid who am I to stop them? Everything goes in a rainbow world, right?
#39

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:23 am, cicerokid said:

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:51 am, taylork said:
I’m sorry but this is a stupid comparison.

“I don’t like Obama as much as the next GOPer, but how about we let him make policy before we start going nuts.”

At which point, taylork, should we “start going nuts”?

70B bailout, 700B bailout, 7T bailout?
Unpunished with a pregnacy, Unpunished with a newborn, Unpunished with a child, Unpunished with an adult?

Spread a little wealth, spread most wealth, spread all wealth?

Negotiate with our sworn enemies unconditionally, Invite our sworn enemies to join ranks with us, financially support our sworn enemies’ agenda?

Personally, I don’t want to wait around to see how far this nutball just elected will go with his socialsist agenda. He is an extremist leftist, pure and simple. Extrapolate.
#40

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:26 am, cicerokid said:

On November 19th, 2008 at 1:13 am, aggiebc said:
“On November 18, 1978, nine hundred people drank the Kool-Aid because their “messiah” told them to.”

The infants and young children did not commit suicide, they were murdered…
#41

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:33 am, On-my-soap-box said:

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:26 am, cicerokid said:

The infants and young children did not commit suicide, they were murdered…

Just part of the model for a socialist country. We have been doing it for decades and too many people have turned a blind eye just because our children haven’t breathed yet.

Just freaking sick.

Now Obingo wants to roll back partial birth murder and embryonic stem cell research and libtards think that is not a socialist agenda. Stupid people are easily fooled.
#42

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:46 am, rooster said:

And now the cult of odumbo where millions have drank from his kool-aid.
#43

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:03 am, thetoysurgeon said:

Sheeple of blind faith following an upstanding leader with a very dark inner self. Remind you of anything?
#44

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:05 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:33 am, On-my-soap-box said:

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:26 am, cicerokid said:

The infants and young children did not commit suicide, they were murdered…

Just part of the model for a socialist country. We have been doing it for decades and too many people have turned a blind eye just because our children haven’t breathed yet.

Of course, some of those murdered or left to die in this country WERE living, breathing, innocent babies…

Born Alive Truth

Obama can claim that knowing when life begins is “above my pay grade”, but there can be no doubt that a baby born alive, completely separated from the mother’s body, is alive.

Obama’s defense of the murder of these children is indefensible. As a state Senator, he argued that this was about “the decision of the mother”.

Yet it has nothing to do with the mother’s life or the mother’s body.

This is not a “women’s rights” issue,
it is a “human rights” issue and a moral issue.

Barack Hussein Obama is against, not for, Biblical morality in this country. Yet the media was complicit in spreading the lies about Obama being a “Committed Christian”.

You don’t have to be a Christian to be elected President of the United States.

But you can’t call yourself a Christian if you can’t/won’t confess with your mouth:

Jesus is Lord.
#45

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:08 am, pabarge said:

Regarding the link to Tom Kinsolving’s blog … Tom Kinsolving is an unrepentant and notorious victim of GWBush Derangement. As the son of a journalist who reported on Jim Jones, Tom Kinsolving’s opinions about Jim Jones are certainly interesting.

But, given Tom Kinsolving’s derangement with our President, he should be regarded skeptically.
#46

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:11 am, thetoysurgeon said:

Well Obama could easily let the power go to his head and become the next JIm Jones. We already know koolaid has been given out. According to one of Ayers’ meetings way back when. They stated that 25 million of hardened Conservatives would have to be eliminated. Marxism is coming folks, with attacks on free speech ( Fairness Doctrine & political Correctness), Far left media preaching a stance, Gun rights under attack. The first and second amendments are under attack and therefore the Bill of rights and the US Constitution are under attack. I want to know how long will the complacency last until people in this country draw the line. You would think we learned something from Jonestown!!! Not
#47

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:11 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

On November 19th, 2008 at 9:46 am, rooster said:

And now the cult of odumbo where millions have drank from his kool-aid.

And if Ayers has his way, millions will die.
#48

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:12 am, wighttrasch said:

I saw the miniseries, MerryMaven. Powers Boothe was a great choice for the part of Jones.
And yes, I’ll always remember him for that part, although I’ll always think of him in ‘Red Dawn’, which is another story altogether!
#49

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:13 am, CleanGuy said:

A sobering reminder for everytime I hear a talk show host say to liberal callers, “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid”…
#50

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:24 am, bluesoc said:

MM has jumped the shark.
#51

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:35 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

Personally, I don’t want to wait around to see how far this nutball just elected will go with his socialsist agenda.

Obama hasn’t been elected yet.

The Nov. 4th elections did NOT elect Obama for President.

The Nov. 4th elections elected ELECTORS to the Electoral College.

There will not be a President-elect until the Electoral College meets, votes, and that vote is certified by the United States Congress.

Those Electors, Senators, and Representatives all a sworn duty:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

The Constitution of the United States explicitly states:

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President

This is not “innocent until proven guilty”,
this is “ineligible until proven eligible”…
just like you have had to prove your eligiblity as a U.S. Citizen before you could start any new job since the 1986 Amnesty bill.

Obama is not eligible to the Office of President until HE proves that he is eligible.

The burden of proof is on Obama, not his critics.
#52

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:36 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

Again,

Obama is not eligible to the Office of President until HE proves that he is eligible.

The burden of proof is on Obama, not his critics.

And this story, which has been raging for months, and has several lawsuits in progress all the way up to and including the Supreme Court, has FINALLY started to receive at least minor MSM and Drudge Report attention.
#53

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:58 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

On November 19th, 2008 at 10:24 am, bluesoc said:

MM has jumped the shark.

I wasn’t familiar with the term, so I looked it up. Wikipedia says:

Jumping the shark is a colloquialism used by TV critics and fans to denote that point in a TV show or movie series’ history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations, particularly for a show with falling ratings apparently becoming more desperate to draw viewers in. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have “jumped the shark” are typically deemed to have passed their peak.

No, bluesoc, MM hasn’t jumped the shark.

But you, bluesoc, have clearly drunk the “Messiah”’s Kool-Aid.
#54

On November 19th, 2008 at 11:00 am, bluesoc said:

ITookTheRedPill said:

Give it a rest already.

As to your claim that the certificate released by the Obama campaign was photoshopped, according to Newsmax, “the Obama campaign sought to put down the rumors by making available a computer-generated Certification of Live Birth, issued in 2007 by the State of Hawaii.” Link

So yes, it was created on a computer BY THE STATE OF HAWAII.

Please do us all a favor and keep your conspiracy theories to yourself.
#55

On November 19th, 2008 at 11:06 am, CantCureStupid said:

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:49 am, taylork said:

The cult awareness headline is over-reactive. Careful MM, you’re treading on ODS territory

This statement is a steaming pile of crap.

If you read anything about Obozo into the cult awareness headline, it certainly says something about you, but it says nothing about MM.

Your kool-aide mustache is showing.
#56

On November 19th, 2008 at 11:20 am, RabbidSquirrel said:

Your kool-aide mustache is showing.

So Bill, how are things going today? …. Yeh I just have a couple of sermons to attend today ::fills cup out of the trough:: No, no, not doing anything major this weekend ::smack, smack, licks lips:: Yeh, did you catch that congressman here yesterday? ::slurp:: The kool-aid is a little “tangy” today dont you think? Yummy though, I think Im going to get a refill now…..
#57

On November 19th, 2008 at 11:26 am, sandyb said:

nlebou said:
Some of those under the age of about 40 may not have realized that this tragedy is the source of the phrase “don’t drink the Kool-Aid”.
Two of my co-workers di not know where that phrase came from. I told them to google Jonestown 1978. Needles to say they were horrified.

Listening to local talk radio in Richmond the day of the Jonestown anniversary, a caller called to correct the supposition that “drink the Kool-Aid” originated in Jonestown. He said it dates back even farther to the Timothy Leary/acid days of the late ’60s and ’70s, when “drinking the Kool-Aid was a far-out trip.”

He cited a literary reference of that time period, but as I was distracted at the time, I didn’t catch it.
#58

On November 19th, 2008 at 11:32 am, RabbidSquirrel said:

He said it dates back even farther to the Timothy Leary/acid days of the late ’60s and ’70s, when “drinking the Kool-Aid was a far-out trip.”

What the???? Kool-Aid is from the 60’s? Seriously?

Was this kid reading Wikipedia again? They have seriously got to know that Wikipedia should not be a reliable historical source of real information.

Back when I was doing too much acid in the 60’s we used sugar cubes or just put it on our tounge….
#59

On November 19th, 2008 at 11:35 am, ITookTheRedPill said:

Conspiracy theory?

Conspiracy fact.

A Hawaiian Certification of Live Birth is NOT the same thing as a Birth Certificate, and Obama has refused to release the vault copy of his Birth Certificate.

Obama’s half-sister was born in Indonesia, yet she has a Hawaiian Certification of Live Birth. Several forensic experts agree that Maya’s Certification of Live Birth was photoshopped to produce the document Obama puts forward as proof that he was born in Hawaii.

Obama’s paternal grandmother says she was present at his birth… in Kenya.

Even if Obama was born a natural born citizen of the U.S., that citizenship was forfeited when he was adopted by his Indonesian step-father.

Barack Hussein Obama was registered as an Indonesian citizen when he attended school in Jakarta for several years. He presumably understands Bahasa Indonesia. Barack Hussein Obama allowed the Indonesian translation of his book “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming The American Dream” to be given the title, “Menerjang Harapan: Dari Jakarta Menuju Gedung Putih”. But that title is not really a translation at all, but rather a completely different title than the original book.

A correct translation of the title of Obama’s book would have been “Keberanian Harapan: Pemikiran Untuk Meraih Kembali Impian America” which translates into “Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming The American Dream”. However, the title for the Indonesian translation of Barack Hussein Obama’s book is “Menerjang Harapan: Dari Jakarta Menuju Gedung Putih” which translates into “Assault Hope: From Jakarta to the White House”.

Again, Barack Hussein Obama was registered as an Indonesian citizen when he attended school in Jakarta, and he presumably understands Bahasa Indonesia. Why did he allow his book title to express a Hope of bringing “Assault” “From Jakarta to the White House”?

An American expatriate who has lived in Indonesia for many years says:

The words “menerjang” (assault or attack) and “harapan” (hope or expectation) make sense when used separately, but used together, the term “menerjang harapan” makes no sense in Indonesian. But while the term makes no sense, it does however present a mental picture to the native Indonesian speaker, the imagery of a “hopeful assault” a “struggle for victory” or to put it more bluntly, a “jihad”, or as the Indonesians see it, Obama’s “jihad” for the Whitehouse. For the native Indonesian speaker, this figurative language creates a mental image whereas the translation of the book’s title can actually come to mean “Jihad: From Jakarta To The Whitehouse“.

In a post-9/11 world, we must take this very seriously.

Obama was conceived by two Socialists who were, at a minimum, sympathetic to Islam.

Obama spend several formative years living in the world’s most populous Muslim nation (Indonesia).

Obama has spent his entire life associating with, and being mentored by, Marxists/Socialists/Communists.

Obama is a “family friend” of a domestic terrorist who bombed the US Capitol, bombed the Pentagon, and called himself and his peers violent, Revolutionary Communists.

Obama is frequently referred to as “the one” and “Messiah”,
yet his concept of salvation is unBiblical and “collective”.

Obama and Jim Jones have more in common than you think.
#60

On November 19th, 2008 at 11:53 am, iowavette said:

I lived in San Francisco when Jim Jones was running his cult. He was honest-to-goodness the toast of the City. All the Democratic politicians of which most were and are, the Jewish and WASP socialites, it was disgusting. When the New West article came out, all of those individuals and the local media piled on. The article confirmed what most thinking individuals knew intuitively.
#61

On November 19th, 2008 at 11:55 am, wighttrasch said:

He cited a literary reference of that time period, but as I was distracted at the time, I didn’t catch it.

Yes, it’s called ‘The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test’ by Tom Wolfe. It is about Ken Kesey et al. I think it was published in 1968.
#62

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:05 pm, ITookTheRedPill said:

Jim Jones was a Communist and called his “final solution”
“Revolutionary Suicide”.

Ayers is a Violent, Revolutionary Communist. What is Obama?

Cult awareness, indeed.
#63

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:12 pm, ITookTheRedPill said:

Understanding Obama The Making of a Fuehrer

(Hat Tip Derak)
#64

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:15 pm, cubbiegal said:

I was eight when Jonestown happened.
My folks had subscriptions to “Newsweek” and “Time” and I just kept staring at the photos and re-reading the stories.
My third grade mind just couldn’t believe that there was that type of evil.
#65

On November 19th, 2008 at 12:56 pm, greenfairie said:

And on a lighter (?) note, does anyone remember the miniseries they made about this story? I’ve never been able to watch Powers Boothe in anything since then without being completely creeped out.

Yes, I did see that!

I was nine when this happened and it is one of those things I will never forget. 900 people dead–even little kids like me–just because some guy told them to kill themselves. It was really hard to wrap my mind around it. But it taught me something very early on in life…don’t put blind trust in anyone or anything.

Interestingly enough, the fallout from Jonestown was mostly focused on religious cults that gained popularity during the 1970s. Based on what happened later to the likes of The Temple of the Sun or Heaven’s Gate, it was for good reason.

But the radical leftist aspects to the People’s Temple church and its support from the liberal San Francisco elites were not talked about until fairly recently. This is unfortunate because they are key to understanding this whole tragedy.

BTW, “drinking the Kool Aid” originated with Jonestown. The expression means anyone who does something or believes something out of blind adherence to an ideology or person. It has nothing to do with LSD.
#66

On November 19th, 2008 at 1:27 pm, ITookTheRedPill said:

On November 19th, 2008 at 5:28 am, graysonret said:

I heard it wasn’t Kool-aid, as we know it.

In fairness to the makers of Kool-aid.
#67

On November 19th, 2008 at 2:14 pm, ITookTheRedPill said:

Saint Obama, or Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?
#68

On November 19th, 2008 at 4:28 pm, nlebou said:

does anyone remember the miniseries they made about this story?

Yes, Tales of The City.
#69

On November 19th, 2008 at 4:30 pm, Marc said:

I thought this thread was about Jim Jones! Gosh how we have gotten off track. BTW, I just looked at the NY Times from a few days after Jonestown in 1978 and sure enough, there was an article about Jesse Jackson blaming the crimes in Jonestown on “white racism”. Jackson was claiming even back then that Whites had turned Blacks into helpless sheep following a white master and that resulted in Blacks going to Jonestown with Reverend Jones. I wonder how many members of the MSM have ever called Jackson to account for that whopper.
#70

On November 19th, 2008 at 5:48 pm, 4USA said:

I wonder if Jim Jones had been from the south and headquartered in, say, Greenville, SC, would the media be pointing toward the ignorance of the population? Nah. They wouldn’t be that biased.

Fast forward and fill in the blank.

Our media is just a bunch of shameless hypocrites.
#71

On November 19th, 2008 at 8:36 pm, nlebou said:

opps. Wrong mini-series. Tales of The City had a charachter that lost family members at Jonestown but I don’t think that was the one refered to above.
#72

On November 20th, 2008 at 10:27 pm, combat18 said:

Don’t forget DiFi, who hates real Christians, but works with any kook who comes out of the woodwork and is a Marxist who supports “spreading the wealth around’. And the Obama regime who will impose Jones’ vision on all of us, just replacing Jones with the Koran. Be very very afraid.