Speaking of politics, Jim Jones had served as Chairman of the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission under San Francisco Mayor George Moscone.

Back to South America: Following Representative Ryan’s murder, on November 18, Jones ordered his Peoples Temple followers to drink poisoned Flavor Aid (not Kool-Aid, as usually reported). Jones died from a self-infliected gunshot wound to the head.

I vividly remember a joke circulating in the days following the events in Jonestown: “Why doesn’t anyone want to hear the joke about the Peoples’ Temple? The punch line’s too long!” Ha, ha, ha, very funny. I was ten, it was the start of my disgusted outrage at the insensitivity of my fellow alleged-humans. To this day, someone who “Drank the Kool-Aid” is someone who subscribes to a weird group belief, particularly one that may ultimately prove self-destructive. It’s a favorite expression of Bill O’Reilly, who, let’s be frank, drinks a lot of Kool-Aid.

Though it did not occur on U.S. soil, the Jonestown was still the largest loss of civilian life in a non-natural disaster in United States history until the events of September 11, 2001.

Photo from the Jonestown Institute at San Diego State University, via Wikipedia.