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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJonestown survivors including Jackie Speier will be on Dr Phil tomorrow, CBS
Just over 40 years ago, on November 18, 1978, the largest number of intentional American civilian deaths until 9/11 took place in the jungles of Guyana in an area dubbed Jonestown.
Over 900 followers of Jim Jones and The Peoples Temple were killed, mostly by drinking cyanide-laced fruit punch. Dr. Phil speaks with survivors who share their stories of survival. Congresswoman Jackie Speier was an aide to U.S. Representative Leo Ryan at the time. She and the Congressman flew to Jonestown with an envoy of concerned family members and journalists. They were there to investigate Jim Jones and his followers after concerned constituents reported family members were trapped in Jonestown by the cult leader. Vernon Gosney and John Cobb are also former members of The Peoples Temple who saw firsthand the unraveling of Jim Jones and the aftermath of the massacre and lived to tell their tales. All three survivors offer stories of strength and resilience.
https://www.drphil.com/shows/jonestown-stories-of-strength-and-survival/
mcar
(42,334 posts)I had had no idea she survived that massacre.
malaise
(269,057 posts)lunacy that was Jim Jones and Jonestown.
katmondoo
(6,457 posts)usually when Trump is reading from a teleprompter
malaise
(269,057 posts)Jones was and the Con is a cult leader.
samnsara
(17,622 posts)...so sad.
malaise
(269,057 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,611 posts)and Jackie said she was playing dead after being shot several times and had to stay lying all night on a Fire Ant hill and it was better than being discovered and killed. A lot of survivors have turned against organized religion in their lives since the tragedy...which is definitely what I would expect.
That bastard had tons of money from these people (and had it sent to secret bank accounts) and told them they were broke after taking all of their money. He basically made slaves out of them. The very old and young were forced to get up early and work in the fields in the hot, humid weather and they got hardly any food.
malaise
(269,057 posts)How did families buy into that madness? Humans are gullible.
What Jim Jones did to those people should never be forgotten. He killed them all to cover up his crimes.
Is the Con the new Jim Jones???
BigmanPigman
(51,611 posts)At the end Jones really got paranoid (he took drugs but his "people" didn't).
"Joneswho forbade recreational drug use among his followerstook amphetamines and tranquilizers, in both pill and liquid form, to provide significant boosts of energy, or else slow down his racing imagination and allow him to rest, writes Guinn. But the amphetamines contributed to Jones paranoia, and he started to believe the CIA and FBI were tapping the churchs phones with plans to infiltrate the the Temple with undercover spies.
https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/jim-jones-drugs-jonestown-control-peoples-temple
I think most cults have the same make-up and system to get people "hooked", whether they are religious or political. The moron is a con man just like Jones, if he is also abusing meds I wouldn't be surprised. Hitler did too.
Aristus
(66,388 posts)of a nuclear holocaust and that Guyana would be one of the places spared the horror. That how he convinced them to move there from San Francisco.
a kennedy
(29,673 posts)Please let us know what she said. Thanks.
malaise
(269,057 posts)but I will be watching this one.