Have any of you guys watched this American Experience? One of the better documentaries I've watched. It really makes you think.

Is this the right emoticon? Brutal. Absolutely brutal.

I remember the premiere of the made for TV movie with Powers Booth that came out I think in '79 or '80...my mother made us watch it. I was 9 and had never heard of cyanide before.

What about the gunmen? Who were they? Did they perish also?

Hell I remember seeing on the news! The gunmen were members of the cult and yes, they drank the Kool-aid too or shot themselves. I don't remember which. Very similar to the Branch Davidians in Waco.

Rabid Cougar said:

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Hell I remember seeing on the news! The gunmen were members of the cult and yes, they drank the Kool-aid too or shot themselves. I don't remember which. Very similar to the Branch Davidians in Waco.

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Except the FBI killed all of them

GeorgePlimpton said:

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Rabid Cougar said:

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Hell I remember seeing on the news! The gunmen were members of the cult and yes, they drank the Kool-aid too or shot themselves. I don't remember which. Very similar to the Branch Davidians in Waco.

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Except the FBI killed all of them

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lol...while you were posting this I found this:

JIM JONES WAS A CIA OPERATIVE CONDUCTING MIND CONTROL EXPERIMENTS

Sorry for getting political...

but reading through all the online details about this story, I'm struck by the overt Socialist ideals of the People's Temple. I even read that Jim Jones was really a Communist. Crazy, right?

Found his will online:

Quote:

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This is my will. I revoke all prior wills and codicils made by me. I am married to Marceline Mae Jones and I have the following children: Timothy Glen Jones [also known as Timothy Tupper]; Stephan G. Jones; Jim W. Jones Jr; Lew Eric Jones; John Moss Jones; Agnes Pauline Jones; & Suzanne O. Jones. To my son John Moss Jones, provided that he survives my death by six months, I give 10% (ten) percent of my estate. To those of my wife and children (except for Agnes Pauline Jones and Suzanne O. Jones [Cartmell] [brackets in original]), who survive my death by six months, I give equal portions of the remainder of my estate. I have intentionally omitted to make any provision for my daughters Suzanne and Agnes. In the event that none of the above for whom I made provision survive my death by six months, then I give my estate to the Communist Party USA. I appoint my attorney Charles Garry as my executor to serve without bond.
Signed on this Saturday the 6th day of August in the year 1977.

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I wonder if he even believed in God. Sounds like he was social justice warrior disguised as a preacher.

Corporal Punishment said:

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Sorry for getting political...

but reading through all the online details about this story, I'm struck by the overt Socialist ideals of the People's Temple. I even read that Jim Jones was really a Communist. Crazy, right?

Found his will online:

Quote:

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Quote:

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This is my will. I revoke all prior wills and codicils made by me. I am married to Marceline Mae Jones and I have the following children: Timothy Glen Jones [also known as Timothy Tupper]; Stephan G. Jones; Jim W. Jones Jr; Lew Eric Jones; John Moss Jones; Agnes Pauline Jones; & Suzanne O. Jones. To my son John Moss Jones, provided that he survives my death by six months, I give 10% (ten) percent of my estate. To those of my wife and children (except for Agnes Pauline Jones and Suzanne O. Jones [Cartmell] [brackets in original]), who survive my death by six months, I give equal portions of the remainder of my estate. I have intentionally omitted to make any provision for my daughters Suzanne and Agnes. In the event that none of the above for whom I made provision survive my death by six months, then I give my estate to the Communist Party USA. I appoint my attorney Charles Garry as my executor to serve without bond.
Signed on this Saturday the 6th day of August in the year 1977.

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I wonder if he even believed in God. Sounds like he was social justice warrior disguised as a preacher.

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Oh he was a complete socialist, borderline communist. Read the guys wikipedia page.

This was the first event that I ever remember, historically. I was 7 years old and I watched the news and saw the helicopters flying over the acres of dead bodies. It had an impact on me that I never forgot. It's a very cautionary tale about mass brainwashing, etc. Very similar to the Nazi psychology in those terms, but of course, politically aligned with the Stalinist version of communism.

The agrarian focus and dismantling of the family structure remind me of the Khmer Rouge flavor of communist society.

GeorgePlimpton said:

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Rabid Cougar said:

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Hell I remember seeing on the news! The gunmen were members of the cult and yes, they drank the Kool-aid too or shot themselves. I don't remember which. Very similar to the Branch Davidians in Waco.

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Except the FBI killed all of them

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Well, true in that aspect.... They should have listened to Jack Harwell.

GeorgePlimpton said:

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Rabid Cougar said:

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Hell I remember seeing on the news! The gunmen were members of the cult and yes, they drank the Kool-aid too or shot themselves. I don't remember which. Very similar to the Branch Davidians in Waco.

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Except the FBI killed all of them

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I live on the opposite side of the county of where that took place. It was a Sunday morning and I was drinking coffee, had CBS's Sunday Morning on and was reading the Waco Trib. I live about 1/2 mile from the local gun club and they were holding a pistol shoot that morning. I had the back door open and could here them like they were right outside. As i was reading a story about the Branch Davidians, the local CBS station broke in and was showing video of the initial raid as I was hearing the 9mms from the gun range and seeing pictures of the Davidians in the paper. Very very surreal.

Several days later that same week I saw FBI/ATS(?) agents in tactical clothing standing in line at the Walmart in Bellmead buying toothbrushes, toothpaste and underwear. They looked like they had been through hell.

Yes. One of the most disturbing things I've ever read about or watched.