I’ve always had a vague idea of what Jonestown was and know that’s where the phrase “drink the kool-aid” comes from, but I had never really looked into it before (it happened the year before I was born). Jonah Goldberg linked this yesterday, and I finally looked into it (well, checked Wikipedia) and found out it was all about Communism and Socialism (and also, it was Flavor-Aid they drank). Apparently, they tried to set up their own Communist state (and many liberal politicians were supporters of Jim Jones) and when the state was total crap they decided to commit suicide. I just assumed it was some guy saying he was Jesus, not Marx.
So why didn’t I know about this? You’d think it would be a bigger talking point for Conservatives when Socialism rears its ugly head.
Anyway, I guess the lesson of Jonestown is if someone wants to create a Communist or Socialist state, say no. And if they do anyway and it’s a total failure and they want mass suicide to teach everyone a lesson, also say no. Finally, never trust anything that comes from San Francisco.