Transcript prepared by Fielding M. McGehee III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.
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Woman: —get signed on, and Lela Murphy just got out the same day that she passed, to get signed, and then, I don’t know if it was you, but uh, it seems like, the problem was caused at the hospital ‘cause there were being signed in front of the hospital people.
Jocelyn Brown: Um, was Lela Murphy, um— I think— I had Gloria take out— Gloria’s going to visit him, so I had her take the checks to him. And, what happened—
Jones: Okay, well, why why didn’t I— I’da left you alone, ‘cause you work good as a supervisor, and I’m a fair, loving person, you been away from your child. By God, you didn’t pay an ounce of attention tonight. You didn’t pay one fucking bit of an ounce of attention. (Angrily) I snapped my finger, and you kept on. You kept on ignoring me. (Pause) Now didn’t you?
Jocelyn: That’s right, Dad. That’s right.
Jones: That’s right. Distract everybody. Had Ruth Atkins— she tried to listen (Tape break-up problems for several seconds) take care of things, and still listen. (Tape break-up)
Jocelyn: I can take you— I (unintelligible word)— I— I— I can tell you— I can tell you some of the things you said.
General hubbub. Tape break-up.
Jones: Tell me, what clearances were, uh, added to the uh, IMF fund today.
Jocelyn: Uh, all— all I remember about that is that the United States is still held the highest, because if it wasn’t, the whole market would go racky.
Jones: Other currencies bolstered, yes, that’s right, that’s right. Now that— that’s right. (Pause) What’s the IMF?
Jocelyn: International Monetary Fund.
Jones: What’s the OECD?
(Another woman speaking off mike to Jones, probably a nurse taking his blood pressure)
Jocelyn: I don’t know.
Jones: 160 over 110, well, that’s down from what it was, anyway. Still too high, but—
Nurse, unintelligible
Jones: And then it goes back and forth like that, so that’s what it does, the blood pressure goes back and forth, it’s higher on one arm, and (Tape break-up) same way. Switch it back and forth. That’s the dangerous aspect of it. I shouldn’t be excited. I know that. I shouldn’t be put to pressure, but you still— you weren’t uh, paying enough attention, how am I— how— what is the percentage rate on the d— the US dollar? What high— What percentage is it?
Jocelyn: Twelve— twelve percent, um—
Jones: No no no no. Thirty-three per cent (Pause) What— what currency was dropped from the International Monetary Fund today? ‘Cause you’re a bright woman, I can expect you to know more. If you’d concentrate, you’d know all of this. ‘Cause you’re a bright woman. What cu— What currencies were taken out of the International Monetary Fund? ‘Cause they lost uh, value and uh, economic uh, respect. (Pause) Which is encouraging to the liberation forces of Africa. (Pause)
(Tape feedback and break-up results in silent tape for half a minute)
Jones: — that’s the way they stabilize the world from going into a depression. What Nigeria— What happened to Nigeria today?
Jocelyn: Um— They were— All right— it is— it backed something— What happened was, they— they— they were winning. They are winning, um—
Jones: Nigeria’s winning?
Jocelyn: Well. I guess not. I’m wrong.
Jones: Yeah. You don’t know what you’re talking about?
Jocelyn: No.
Jones: Nigeria’s one of the richest nations in Africa, it’s already won. (Pause) Nigeria. (Pause) What happened in Nigeria today?
Jocelyn: I don’t—
Jones: Anybody in that line know what happened in Nigeria today? No no (stumbles over words) I’m not— People up— All the people up there. Whobody knows? All you not here, listening, (unintelligible word) know. I said it was one of the most important events in the world news today. (Pause) What was another im— important event in the world news today, Jocelyn?
Jocelyn: Um, in It— um, in Italy—
Jones: That’s not the— I mentioned three basic important aspects of, of news in the world today. (Pause) Anybody in the line know? (Pause) See? This is disgraceful. This is utterly and completely, totally disgraceful. (Pause) You’d think that I was to— You’d think you were doing me a service to listen to this shit. I’m only trying to equip you for the day that I finally fall over with a stroke, and the movement has to continue without me. (Pause) And then you do that to me. (Pause) ‘Cause without knowledge, you cannot maintain a movement, without knowledge. We got people here that’ll see it’s maintained, in the transition. They’ll see that nobody causes you any shit. But you gotta have people with knowledge to maintain the movement. (Pause) I don’t have to go, but I will go, at this rate. (Pause) These small strokes, mor— norm— normal people don’t get warning. I have strokes, and— Hmm? (talks to nurse, fades in) — went down, it looks better. Well, give me just something to ease the pain, so I can think, (struggles for words) that’s the enormous pain, I don’t take hardly anything for pain, but— and you care— all you with the bright minds, sittin’ there laughin’, pussy-footin’ ass around. What— You tell me something that’s most important event in the world news?
Woman: In South Africa today, they um— it’s— it’s boarded all around, the planes— uh, a certain part of the land, it’s called Tickanagra, I think it’s Tickanagra, they’ve separated from South Africa, they—
Jones: Who?
Woman: I believe the part of the land that— that’s separated from South Africa, it— it has the enemies all around, it’s Tickanagra?
Jones: TransSky.
Woman: TransSky. And they— they don’t— they don’t care anymore, they’re just going to fight anyway, even though the planes can—
Jones: Didn’t know they was going to get any assistance at all, didn’t know whether— and how’d they get s— how’d they get some assistance to know if they’re going to eat for the next few days?
Woman: I believe that uh, Russia is going to help them?
Jones: (Talking to medical staff) Not the doctor. Could somebody else hold this mother fucker? Where is every— (struggles for words) It’s not uh, Johnny’s place in here. You people who ought to help, though, can take— everything here— (Voice assured) I like structure. I like organization. The movement stays alive by organization. You going to have to have organization that functions without me demanding it to function. (Unintelligible word) gotta function. You say, I don’t— what the hell am I gonna care about, when I’m dead? I’m trying to think of you. When I’m dead, I won’t know anything. It’s over with. (Talking to medical staff) I can get it, ordinarily, just have a little weakness when I have this pressure. (Sound of discomfort) Oh, shit.
Nursing staff talks low.
Jones: Anyway. Well, I got it— I— I’m ke— I want to keep functioning as long as I can. That’s why I want things to work for me. I’ll do better that way. Psychologically. (Sighs.) Okay, now what with three— (struggles for words). TransSky, that’s one of the major world events, yes. That’s a major world event. But who, who was it? Who was— anybody in the line? Who— what— what nation made it singularly possible today with stepped-up aid because— for two countries, they stepped up aid. An unsuspected source has stepped up aid. (Pause) That’s why they were able to— and how did they get that aid into TransSky, right in the middle of the Union of South Africa?
Youth: Wasn’t it Angola, one of them?
Jones: (Peevish) Now you guys aren’t listening. You— you’re guessing. Wasn’t a word said about Angola today. And you’re bright too. You— very bright people. No excuses. You’re way above the average of intelligence, all of you. Everybody in that goddamn line. (Pause) And don’t know shit. (Pause) Let’s try again. (Pause) Finland. Did you hear me say anything about Finland?
Few murmurs in crowd.
Jones: Finland’s for— prime minister [Taisto Kalevi Sorsa] went to Zambia, and giving direct food aid, direct economic assistance and— Zambia and Tanzania— Finland, prime minister meeting with the prime minister of Tanzania and uh— well, this cause my blood pressure to rise, just talk on this (unintelligible word) shit, keeping all this in my mind. Whew! Tanzania and Zambia, meeting— their prime ministers’ meeting with the prime minister of Finland, and Finland give them enough funding that they were able to take a great portion of their own food supplies and drop it by parachute in— with Russian planes. That’s the part of Russia. Zambia’s equipped with Russian planes. They dropped it into uh, TransSky. Now what was another significant (struggles for words). Anybody tell me what happened in Nigeria? Anybody in the line?
Few murmurs in crowd.
Jones: Yeah, how many out there know what happened in Nigeria? (Pause) (Disgusted) Ain’t this the shits? This is the miserable shits. This is the miserable shits. Some of them— the couple of coordinators, perhaps doing something that they shouldn’t been doing, were late. They couldn’t— They couldn’t hear it, but that’s— that’s the mistake. That’s what they all do. So they take advantage of it. They look around, they see who’s here. No— nobody out there knows. This is miserable. (Pause) Sixteen, seventeen people out of this entire audience that knows what happened in Nigeria.
Voice (nurse) talks out of range.
Jones: What’d you want to tell me?
Nurse: I just want to tell you, that—
Jones: (Angry) Don’t tell me nothing about the P.A. system. These people were under here, I tested it. I tested it this time. They can hear it. I don’t care what went off out there. This was a captive audience that heard this.
Voices in crowd too soft.
Man in crowd: — on down there.
Jones: It was on here. I don’t give a shit where it was not on. In here, it was on. And all that great body of ignoranimuses who want to stay ignorant because it’s convenient, didn’t hear a word. (Pause) (Calls out) You went up there and looked at the map. I— I mentioned it five, six, seven, eight times. And the people— the sisters pointed it out, brothers put their stick on it, and pointed out where it was. Nigeria. Anybody know what went on in Nigeria? (Pause) Okay. That’s about 21 hands. If I’m lucky. Let’s see again. Nigeria. Some— some of ‘em lying. I can tell the way you’re holding your hand, you’re lying. (Pause) What happened in Nigeria, Ronnie [Dennis]?
Ronnie: Ni— (Pause) (Confidently) President Carter came over to Nigeria to meet with some of the uh, the big businessmen, big businessmen there and uh, and as a disguise—
Jones: (Interrupting) That’s all he did. That’s what he did.
Ronnie: —as a dis— and as—
Jones: No no no. You— you— you’re telling the dis— oh, yeah, go ahead, I— go ahead, I hear it.
Ronnie: And as a disguise, you know, he, he came over there as, you know, as in peace, as for a, a peace thing.
Jones: Black majority rule.
Ronnie: Yeah, mac— black majority rule, and—
Jones: He met in Lagos, uh, the capital with the president of Nigeria [Olusegun Obasanjo, head of military government] —
Ronnie: Right. And he uh—
Jones: — saying he was over there on behalf uh, black majority rule.
Ronnie: Right. And the president found— the president of Nigeria found out, and he said—
Jones: That he met what?
Ronnie: Excuse me. I didn’t—
Jones: But you just told it. You just told that, what, that his true purpose was what you said. He met with the bankers and industrialists in a secret meeting in the uh, Nigerian Hilton Hotel. I had to get all the details of this shit in. I didn’t give you that, though.
Ronnie: Right. Right. And he said, he— he rejected, he rejected, um, Carter’s—
Jones: (Interrupting) Janitors— (unintelligible)— By the way, janitors of the hotel were members of the intelligence division, and the waiter and waitresses were me— members of the intelligence division of Nigeria. So they caught Carter’s ass smack drag out— caught him. Con— confi— confabbing with the— the power elite. You don’t like security? If they hadn’t had security, Nigeria would’ve been undermined.
Ronnie: That’s right.
Jones: Everybody was spying on everybody, and they caught their ass right in the hotel suite.
Ronnie: And by finding out this information, he— he rejected—
Jones: What was— What was Carter trying to really get done?
Ronnie: He was— He was trying to get the minerals, because, uh, the raw materials and resources of— of Nigeria—
Jones: Undoubtedly. But there’s something specific he was trying to get done this time.
Ronnie: The oil.
Jones: Right.
Ronnie: He was trying to get all of— Nigeria’s very, very rich country in oil. And—
Jones: And trying to get them to do what? About their oil price?
Murmurs in crowd.
Ronnie: They wanted the— He wanted them to keep the price— He wanted to lower the prices.
Yeah.
Ronnie: Excuse me.
Jones: ‘Cause uh, Nigeria’s in— in OPEC. And what is OPEC? Anybody know what OPEC is? (Pause) Okay, uh, Reb?
James “Reb” Edwards: All the oil tank nations.
Jones: Wh— What’s it mean? OPEC?
Murmurs
Jones: What is it? Say— say what?
Jackson: —importing countries.
Jones: Jackson?
Jackson: —importing countries.
Jones: Well, what is it? Who, who are members of OPEC?
Jackson: Uh, you— I mean uh, (Pause) Ven— Venezuela uh—
Jones: That’s right next to us, ten miles over here, right through the woods, here, ten miles.
Jackson: Nigeria?
Jones: Nigeria. Yeah.
Jackson: Uh, Saudi Arabia.
Jones: Umm-hmm.
Female voice in crowd: Iran. Iran.
General hubbub. Tape break-up
Jones: Yes, you may. (Pause) They trying to buffalo the, uh, Third World to gi— to lower the prices of oil. Trying to use the black man to be the patsy again, right?
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: Keep the prices low on oil. (Pause) And Nigeria didn’t fall for it. Okay, that’s Nigeria taken care of, in essence. And sure, Carter was trying to make other de— ge— deals that didn’t come to light in the press, didn’t come to light in the press. I don’t know what other deals he’s trying to do. But what did— what did the president of Nigeria te— do?
Ronnie: He said— he said that he doesn’t trust Carter’s regime.
Jones: That’s exact words. He doesn’t trust Carter’s regime, and that all accords reached last week — and we don’t know what they are — have all been canceled. (Summarily) All agreements between Nigeria and USA that were achieved last week have been canceled.
Man talks too low.
Jones: Nuh. It’s always high, so what the hell? Anyway, um— (Pause) Now what were the oth— what were the other significant world events? There’s two more— there was— there— there’s another one, highly significant event. Lew— okay, Ronnie, you showed you’re listening. Anybody in this line here know what it is— the other significant event. (Pause) (Calls out) Who else knows out there what the other significant event? Tom Kice.
Kice: Um, the Soviet Union has a device to knock out all satellites (hubbub overwhelms him)
Jones: How do we know it?
Kice: How do we know it?
Jones: Yeah, how do we— how— how were we told?
Kice: Okay, I wrote it down, but I don’t remember what—
Jones: Well, you did a pretty good job, you showed it in your writing, Tom. I’m im— impressed with your— on your planned uh— some of your plans uh, how to (pause) (Sighs) oh, deal with enemies. I’m— see growth in your comprehension of political knowledge was one of my encouraging things today. In the transition, as you said, if it was uh, I believe you said, no matter who is taking charge (struggles for words) you’d uh— whoever I left in charge, sonofabitch better not interfere with them. And I kinda like that kind of thought. There was several of you come up with that type of thinking, that nobody better try to disrupt uh, whoever, woman or man, I think you put it, didn’t make no difference, who it was in charge. Better not be no shit. And uh, that’s the kind of thing gives me some ease. ‘Cause you see, lot of you people think I’m trying to build something. I know I’m a dying man. (Pause) (Voice rises throughout following) I’m not trying to build anything, except something for you. I don’t mean today or tomorrow, but I’m— I’m over the hill. And if you let— follow the doctor’s advice and quit bothering me with a bunch of shit, and quit lying to me. Nothing gets me as you lie to me. Take me for a fool. You write up and say, I’m worried about my child, when it’s you (struggles for words) you— you’re the one that’s confusing your child. (Pause) You use your child as a weapon. Your own uncertainties and— and your own instability, and your own, uh, disillusionment. I’m disillusioned. I understand your disillusionment, but— but don’t get your child whipped into it. I had four or five examples of that today, through counseling. My child’s having this problem, my child’s having that problem. What basically is it’s you that’s having the problem. ‘Cause when you’re stabilized, your child will be stabilized. I guarantee you, if you get happy, you can make your child happy.
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: I know that for absolute fact, and don’t lie to me.
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: (Voice moderates) So you use your child to manipulate whatever in the hell you want. And— and I don’t like that. It upsets me when people take me for a fool, and lie to themselves and to the organization. ‘Cause I represent you, the will of the people. No, I don’t know that I represent the will of the people, I represent the best interest of the people. The will of the people probably be to destroy their fool selves. You still don’t realize that you’ve got nothing at all, unless you have solidarity, unless the people are united, to protect each other, you’ve got nothing. You’re doomed. Yes, uh, Lew, what was you going to say?
Lew: Yesterday night, that— you said that um, U.S., um, Air Force was getting ready for a nuclear war, but um, the rest— the rest of it, I didn’t get.
Jones: That’s right, that’s right, I said they might be, ‘cause they put their SAC forces in—where’d they put their SAC forces— their high— the Strategic Air Command forces, their first strike nuclear forces, they— where’d they land them? (Pause) Hmm? Yes, Joe.
Joe: Somalia.
Jones: Somalia. Somalia. Yes. You in aching and pain, body racked, and you remember. You— Every question, you’ve had your hand up. You know what’s going on. Somalia. Somalia. Why— what happened in Somalia? Damn near happened, would’ve been a success. (Pause) You— Ronnie, I like that, you got your hand up all the time. Some of you got your hand up all the time— but look at this, this is pitiful. (Complains) This is pitiful. Fifteen hands in the goddamn place. It’s pitiful. Sharon Jones?
Sharon: It almost became socialist today.
Jones: Almost became socialist, and how? [Mary Ann] Casanova? How? (Pause) I don’t know all your new names, don’t expect me to do remember, I’ll just have to call you with whatever I remember you last?
Casanova: I don’t remember how it was taken over, but um, it was stopped by the U.S. military force—
Jones: (World weary tone) CIA. CIA infiltration and money stopped it. But who— how did it almost happen? Mike?
Mike: They had a military coup, and 17 officers are now under arrest—
Jones: That’s right. Seventeen officers. Seventeen generals and colonels have been arrested by the Somalian officials who were socialists, who were trying to overthrow the government and unite Somalia and Ethiopia in one uh, united re— socialist republic. That was their aim. And they got— they lost. That’s kind of a good communist. They lost, but they’re— and then, they’ll die. The gallows will— will— they’ll be— that’ll be their fate. But what’s the difference? They did what was right. (Pause) Tomorrow somebody will succeed. Some tomorrow, down the road, Somalia can’t— Somalia won’t last. (Pause) Principle’s what’s right. You win some, you lose some. But you always know that what’s right is the important thing. Yes, uh, Mark? (Pause) Martin, I mean.
Martin: You also said— Uh, you— you also said that the um, that the Japanese and the um, West Germans took their um, took their um, their thing, um— their, um, their trade and stuff out from away from the USA.
Jones: Well, that’s yesterday. I said today, though, the Japanese— that’s good, that you even notice those things— there’s a trade war going on between Japan, Germany and the U— USA, particularly Japanese, because they’re the most successful. Why are the Japanese more successful? (Pause) Hmm?
Voice too low.
Jones: Yeah, somebody in the line? Carter? What is it?
Carter: They produce their, their um, items more cheaply and sell them more cheaply on the market.
Jones: They sell more than they buy. (Pause) In spite of being a small nation, they sell more than they buy. Little bunch of islands, and they sell more than they buy. And even so, capitalism’s faltering there. Unrest— what happened in Japan to show how much unrest there is, and how much bru— brutality by the uh, oppressive rich classes? What happened in Japan, just in the last few days? Yes, Carol, what happened?
Carol: Um, there— about the— the one thing I remember of Japan is about the airport?
Jones: That’s right. What happened?
Carol: The uh, people protested because, Japan, they took farmlands and made an um, an interna— national airport, and the peo— people destroyed the tower, so they put it out, they couldn’t use the air— airport because they—
Jones: (Interrupting) — the sound dangered the lives and hearing of people in the noi— in the uh, surrounding areas. And what happened?
Carol: The people, they um, they went and they tore down the uh—
Jones: What people? They were led by 6000 farmers led by what?
Carol: Led by the Red Bri— (stumbles for words)—
Jones: The Red Brigade’s in Italy.
Carol: The socialist— The revolutionary—
Jones: Ja— Japan— Japan, they calls themselves something else. Red something.
Voice in crowd: Red Army.
Jones: Red Army. They’re the ones that have m— successfully hijacked every plane they’ve ever taken. Japanese Red Army’s highly keen. They take a fuckin’ plane, they get their demands. Every demand they’ve made, they take a goddamn plane, hostages, they asked— the J— Japanese got more sense, or maybe a little more humanitarianism, I don’t know. But everything they uh, they— they demand, they asked, the last time, sixteen million dollars and 21 people released from prison, they got it. The Red Army knows what they’re doing when they take over a plane. Who— who were these two fools today that I told you about, uh, being afraid of sharks the other day, what happened to two fools afraid of sharks the other day? (Pause) Made a st— important analogy. Yes, Ron? What is it? What is it?
Ron: They’re being sentenced, sentenced to be hanged.
Jones: Yeah, gonna die on June first. And what— they had— they had that plane running all around through the Me— Mediterranean, and uh, they were offered sanctuary someplace. Where was it?
Ron: It was Cyprus.
Jones: Two Cypriot— Two Palestinian Liberation Front members, Arab members, and they were, uh, they were— they took over an Egyptian plane and killed a Egyptian publisher in uh, Nicosia, Cyprus. You better find it in the ah— out there, right in the Mediterranean, just above Africa. An island. And they took over the plane, and they run it all through the Mediterranean, where’d they try to go, uh, (unintelligible name— March?), where’d they try to go?
March: I didn’t— I wasn’t around (rest of sentence unintelligible)
Jones: I can’t hear you, whatever you said, but uh, okay. We’ll move on rapidly. What happened? They tried to land in Libya, they tried to land in all kinds of place, they couldn’t make it to Yemen, which is a socialist ri— oil-rich nation, they couldn’t get down there. Didn’t have enough gas, so they were offered some— one place they wouldn’t go. King. Teresa King.
Teresa: Syria.
Jones: Syria. Why wouldn’t they go? (Pause) ‘Cause it was backed by the atheistic Soviets. And they were Mo— They were Moslem socialist, right?
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: Uh— dumb ass Mohammedans, that believed in God, and uh, that— their belief in God got ‘em killed. Then the ch— the captain threatened to land the sonofabitch in the sea— (Pause) and they’d been better off ‘cause they could’ve taken off on a b— on some rafts and gotten out of it. Or at least they could’ve died in some dignity. Killed all the sonofabitches with them, they give— they gave— they gave the opportunity for a big White Night, to make a hero of himself. Who was he? I oughta kill that prick. I like the adventurous— I’d like to sh— see them all shot. Who was the big White Night?
Murmurs from crowd
Jones: The captain of the airline. He volunteered— he said he’d be able to outwit them— and— and he did, with their fears.
Voice from crowd: — took a buddy with them.
Jones: Take a huh?
Voice: Took a buddy with him, too, when he was—
Jones: Yeah, took a buddy, and said he left his wife home and— great big adventure, wild west s— story. He gets to win, ‘cause he’s too— (World weary) Wait, how did he scare ‘em? How’d he scare ‘em?
Woman: He said he’d go— He said he’d land in the water, and that they—
Jones: What’d he scare them about the water?
Woman: Sharks. Sharks.
Other voices: Sharks.
Jones: (Disgusted) Sharks. Any fuckin’ socialist afraid of sharks.
Woman: So he went— They agreed to go back to where they started from.
Jones: They went right back to the airlines, and the international pressure was put on Cyprus, and now they’re gonna— they’re gonna die by hanging on June first, and then, if they hadn’t been religious, hadn’t believed in God, and Islam, and all that Mohammeded shit, like uh, we knew the Black Muslims by— up next to us that’re now in the International uh, Muslim League. Imam Wallace Deen Muhammad. If they had not listened to that bullshit, they woulda been in Syria, safe, because the Prime Minister of Syria [Mohammed Ali Al-Halabi], that’s pro-Soviet, offered them sanctuary. But they don’t like the Soviet Union, because Soviet Union is communist and atheist. So let ‘em die. Let the fuckers hang. I hope they die. I hope they die slow. Any pricks that haven’t got no more backbone than that ought to die.
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: ‘Fraid of sharks. Take over an airplane and be afraid of sharks. But the Red Army’s afraid of nothing, in Japan. The Red Army, when it takes over a goddamn plane, it means business, and everybody in the world knows it means business. And when they say, by God, we want sixteen million dollars or twenty-six million dollars, or we want 55 people released from prison, that’s what they get. Maybe they’ll— if they threaten to burn the whole goddamn airplane up. They landed in Bangko— Where’d they land? I give you some news, not long ago. They landed someplace, and at the same time, there was a revolution taking place. (Pause) And they didn’t lose their cool.
Woman: Bangladesh?
Jones: Hmm?
Woman: Bangladesh?
Jones: Pakistan! They landed their goddamn airplane in Pakistan, the Japanese did, under hostage, and a sonofabitching revolution was taking place in Pakistan. Guns shootin’ and fire ragin’ and planes burnin’, and the Red Brigade just kept their cool. Anybody else woulda thought they were coming after them. Everybody fired on their plane, but they kept their cool. They never— they never got nervous about it, and made their demands and got— they— they got what they wanted. (Pause) I’d like to know more about the Red Army. I’ve s— They’ve— They’ve pulled off five successful hijackings that I know. And released a hundred and (pauses) sixty or a hundred and eighty some political prisoners, and have put in the coffers of— and the Red Army, the way— I love the way they work in Japan. Out of their— whatever they do, they funnel it through all other uh, revolutionary groups. Palestinian Liberation Front gets so much, this and that and the other, they work for anyone. (Tape break-up) group, I’d like to know more about those Japanese boys. They sure got (Tape break-up) million US dollars (Tape break-up) interest, and just demanding. Don’t you— They— They don’t let no civilians off the plane. They don’t let nobody. Say, babies die? Old people die. Give us the money. You don’t give a shit about the old people that are uh, socialist, you don’t give a shit about communist se— uh, children, so they all die. Don’t move. Don’t come near the plane. We’ll blow us all up. (Calls out) And, that’s the difference. Everybody knows when a person’s an atheist and a real true Red, a true communist. He means business. Don’t move against this plane. But you got all this uh, idealistic uh, morality and all this bullshit fear. You can’t pull off nothing. Lot of you won’t be able to stand, ‘cause you’re afraid. (Voice rises) What the hell you got worse than living? Life is a disease, and the only fuckin’ cure for it is death. And any form that it takes, the— the— the, cure, death, any form it takes will be better than the disease. And you don’t understand it, ‘cause you say, that’s right, about eight, nine people said, that’s right. I said, Life is a fuckin’ disease.
Crowd: Right.
Jones: It’s worse than cancer. It’s a disease. And there’s only one cure for the sonofabitchin’ disease. That’s death. And socialists can only take one form of death. What is it? Fight a goddamn war, or revolutionary suicide. If you don’t believe life’s a disease, then you’re dumb. (Pause) Very dumb. (Pause) You look at life and see how many times you’ve lost your momma, how many mommas have you lost, have many daddies have you lost, how many lost your momma or your daddy already? How many lost your brothers and sisters? How many lost husband or wife? (Voice quietens.) Everybody here’s lost somebody.
Crowd: Right.
Jones: How many been near death? (Pause) Hmm. Look around, and see those that’ve been blinded amongst us, by uh, capitalists. Look at those that are crippled amongst us. Hmm?
Single voice: That’s right.
Jones: Then look at ‘em, some of them, they can’t hardly walk, that will get every bit of the news, like Joe. (Pause) You think that’s a fair universe? Huh-unh. I didn’t make it, honey, I just try to keep it. If I’d known him when he was a baby, I probably could have done a lot of things for him, when the disease began. But he don’t— he didn’t ask for no favors. He’s holding on, and never once asked me for anything. (Pause) That’s right. Working. Typing. Was a guard— the best guard we had. Couldn’t get around. Best guard.
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: That’s true. Did his job. But I hate a universe like that, so I consider disease. I think it’s an accident. Universe is an accident. I don’t believe in any kind of de— grand design. There may be some mental insanity about threes, but I don’t believe in any grand, good design. Too much disorder. Too much pain. Too much suffering. (Voice rises to cry.) But there’s still too much religiosity and idealism in you people, because every time I talk on death, you’d think I was squeezing your tittie, or your dick.
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: Every time. Every time I do it.
Crowd: Applause.
Jones: Wish to hell you could get over that. Shift, please. (Pause) No way death came. No way that death came that wouldn’t be better than the disease. (Pause) That’s right. I got eight— I got five, six, “that’s right’s”.
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: Thank you. (Pause) Say, well, I want to fuck some more. Well, better fuck good tonight, because she may be fuckin’ somebody else.
Scattered voices: Right.
One woman: That’s the damn truth, Dad.
Jones: Better fuck him well. ‘Cause if you go to Georgetown, he’ll be with somebody else. Oh yes.
Same woman: That’s right, Dad.
Jones: So you better enjoy you— You say, I— I want to stay alive for a fuck. Would you like to fuck if you knew she was fuckin’ somebody else?
End of side one.
Side 2.
Jones: You thought she’d just take it and put up with it. Got anything to tell these brothers? She told you to get lost, ‘cause she’s back there with the doctor. Shit, she’s a fast operator, I didn’t— this is— this is— this is quicker.
One voice: That’s right.
Voices in crowd.
Jones: So you can tell some other body— person not to be a fool. Do you— Do you— Tonight, do you feel like life is a disease?
Male: Yes, Dad.
Jones: You’d like to die, wouldn’t you, tonight.
Male: Yes, Dad.
Jones: Well, that’s the way life is, son. You just be grateful, because you just found out the truth, ‘cause everybody thinks they’re in love tonight, next week, somebody’s gonna fall out with them. And the more you see each other, (knowing laugh) the less they love you.
Scattered voices: That’s right. Applause.
One voice: That’s true.
One voice: That’s right.
Jones: Everybody got all upset over the fuck house. All upset. Only way you’d like each other, if you had a fuck house.
Laughter.
Jones: You want to kill each other right now, and you’re killing each other, dying, living with each other 24 hours a day. You’d been better off if you had a fuck house, where (stumbles over words) we might be able to get on with the revolution better.
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: And, I don’t know, that’s probably why it’s better for some folk, that we don’t have fuck house, because you’re so goddamn anxious to get out, away from your husband or wife, that you’d fight a revolution.
Laughter. Applause.
One woman: (Shouts) That’s right.
Jones: I’m— I’m really impressed with people like uh, some of these people like Kice and others that said, I’ve lost it, I don’t give a shit about it. I’ve had it. Fuck won’t come no more. (stumbles over words) You watch, now, if I die with those people. (Pause) And all’s they got is kids left. It’s the only thing you have difficulty with, is killing his own kid. Now he won’t have to do that. He won’t have to do tha— He won’t have to do that. Most everyone won’t have to worry about killing your kids, ah, it won’t be that heavy. But there some folk around here today that found out the fuck, it ain’t there. And the fuck ain’t worth what it was, that they thought it was. So if I drop over, don’t start nothing. (Pause) Don’t start nothing. You may not want to listen to Mother, you may not listen to whoever you want— whoever— want to listen, whoever I put in charge. But you’ll listen. Mao— Mao said, out of the barrel of a gun, that gun’ll be right up your ass— right up behind your ass. (stumbles over words) —that night. (short laugh) Better not run that night. I’m doing you a favor, because the only thing that I can give you is that solidarity, because you run away— if you run away and go back, they’ll hound you all the rest of days, ‘cause they’ll— you’ll never explain why you stayed with this communist so long. (Pause) They’ll never get— let you die. They’ll never let you die. Elaine Brown did all she could do — sweet, pretty singer Elaine Brown — they’re gonna set her up in Iran, give her a place in Iran, so she’d be safe. Then she thought she was safe enough to take a musical engagement, to go around the world. (Pause) And what did the good US government do for her, after sweet Elaine Brown give them all the ammunition they needed to destroy the Black Panthers. She destroyed it for them. And then what’d they— How’d— What’d they pay her? How much money she get for it, honey? (Pause) How much? How much? Tell me, what— what’d she get paid? (Pause)
Voices in crowd.
Jones: Yes, Jan. What’d she get paid? How’d they pay her? What? They charged her with murder, because nobody trust anybody that could’ve been that— a communist that long. (Pause) They had to get her. And you think that you want to leave here. I’m doing you a favor, to tell you that people have their gun on you, if you ever— if I ever tried to— if— to have to pass over. I’ll avoid trying to pass over. I’ll take all their medication, and try to behave. Blow up now and then, which I don’t like to do. ‘Cause when I blow up, it does more good for my blood pressure. I’m a gentle person by nature. I don’t like for elitism to practice. Okay, we got the news. But it seemed obvious, that all of you shoulda been here. Now what’s the rest of you got to say? (stumbles over words) Every damn one of you ought to be here, ‘cause none of you knew the news. (Pause) Right?
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: We’re gonna have more news under this pavilion. The first half hour. We’re gonna have to do it. ‘Cause people are gonna have to get informed, and they ca— they’re not getting it over the P.A. system. Eh— I— I stood and watched the other day, because I followed different patterns today, I— I went out during early news— and it’s a damn shame. People just stand and talk when they don’t have to. Now I know people have to work, and sometimes technical work, you can’t get it, but they just didn’t pay attention. Blazenly. Boldenly. I was right under their nose, and didn’t know it. They didn’t pay any attention. Laughing. (Pause) Okay, what— what’s got to be said. Jocelyn, don’t let me down any more. Black leader like you, in the— in the fields, now you’re back in the fields, and you were g— in there, and you coulda done a better job. You gotta live with the guilt, like I live, with guilt, all the time. (Pause) And I trusted you to go in there and not be shitty. And not be argumentive. And I tore your husband up to pieces over the radio, and I tore, uh— at least he was there when I tore folk up to pieces. And I’ve torn him up, boy. You people say, well, this and that one carries a lot of weight and Karen, (stumbles over words) John Harris comes through and gets pissed at Karen, I tore Karen all to part. I tear her all apart all the time. But who in the hell will stay up 24 hours a day? Who does the staying up? Good ol’ blond, blue-eyed Karen. Her ass is in there, till she looks like she’s pale as a sheet. But she stays up, doesn’t she. She falls over the desk, she stays up. (Pause) Little arrogant, talks behind folks’ back occasionally. I jumped her about everyone she did that, I said I want this shit stopped yesterday, everybody was in that radio room, I raised hell, I said, I want this shit stopped. You can tell people to their face what’s bothering you. I jumped on Sharon for doing it, I jumped on (stumbles over words) Karen, I jumped on Prokes, I said, anything you got to say, say it to each other’s face. ‘Cause then people feel confident. When people are talking behind each other’s back, you don’t feel confident.
Scattered voices: That’s right.
Jones: No, no, you don’t know where you’re at. (Pause) And Sharon has saved us in some White Nights, but she’s too argumentive. She thinks she’s the only one that can interpret Father. But nobody’s capable of interpreting Father completely. (Pause) She even thought when Mother was with her, she’d— that she could interpret Father better than Mother could. She won’t take anybody’s word but mine, and yet, ninety percent of the time, she’s better than even Mother is in confrontation. (Pause) That’s true. But she had no right try to say she knows my mind better than Mother knows. Sometimes she’s wrong, and that— it only takes one mistake. You ought to appreciate me, pulling you out— but you ought to live up to this, Jocelyn, ‘cause you one I’ve counted on. You’ve been one I’ve really counted on.
Voices murmur.
Jocelyn: And I— I’ll make up with it in my work in the fields.
Jones: Next. (Pause) Do. ‘Cause that field’s in bad shape. Our production’s at an all-time low. And we’re gonna have to stop this— job committee’s gonna have to stop wo— alternating all these people that don’t want to do field work. (Pause) I— My blood pressure’d be cured— and I may have to go out in the field — and I damn well may — and somebody may just have to operate this shit, ‘cause I’d be out there, I’d get over this. This is mental tension, this is a trauma awaiting for a crisis of trying to work with personalities and their grating differences, and their little goddamn shitified games. (Pause) Like Ernestine Blair. She’s upset with (stumbles over words) with uh, Charlie Touchette. Why don’t you tell him what you’re upset about? (Pause) You wrote me a note— don’t write me these goddamn notes, tell him. (Pause) He isn’t immune. He not immune. Tell him what you’re upset about. All this shit just stacks in on me. You act like you don’t think you can talk to Charlie Touchette, but that— that— that’s a reflection on me. Talk to whoever you want to.
Ernestine: I’m upset with Tar— Charlie Touchette because he wanted to uh, fix up that— he didn’t want to fix—
Jones: Tell him like you told me.
Ernestine: He didn’t want to fix up that shed, like I asked, and I feel like it’s— it’s— it’s important that we have it fixed up. I asked for a window, I asked for it to be closed up top, to keep the— to protect the—
Male voice in crowd starts to complain.
Jones: Ernestine, you said— now that’s not the major thing you told me. You’re worried to death now. You worry the hell out of me. (stumbles over words) You’re talking mealy-mouth, and there’s somethin’— somethin’ worse, you worry the hell out of me, because one thing you haven’t even yet told him. (Pause) You said it was affecting your breathing.
Ernestine: Yes, I will get to that. (Stumbles over words)
Crowd reacts.
Jones: Well, I think it’s highly important.
Male in crowd: Tell it now. Right now.
Ernestine: Uh— I told— when I told you about my uh, uh, that my headache, that my, that my, it made my, I had a headache, you acted like it wasn’t anything.
Female in crowd: What about the breathing?
Male in crowd: What about the breathing. That’s what Dad—
Ernestine: And the breathing.
Jones: You say you didn’t give a goddamn, or something like that—
Ernestine: And he— he— that— you didn’t. You didn’t care. You acted like you didn’t care. And uh, when, when, what, what really happened when you sent, uh—
Jones: That’s one of the things upset me today. This kind of shit upsets me.
Ernestine: When you sent [Marshall] Farris over there to fix the place, you still didn’t tell him about the window. Farris asked me about the window, and I said, did— did Charlie tell you to put in one, and he said yes, and I said, well, put it over here. And I still— I didn’t— as a matter of fact, we need another one, we need two windows, because when that door is closed, there’s still no ventilation. (Pause) That’s one thing, and then another thing, you, ah— I asked for a chest. And I haven’t gotten a chest yet, to put— to put, ah, small items in. I have to raise that heavy top, every time I get a small item out.
Jones: Another thing I have a very little trouble with, Joyce, is uh— Joyce, is, you usually follow my bidding. Now, for three days, Joyce — and you people build up this, because while I expect a lot from you — and I expect a lot from you people. You can hurt me more than anybody. You people can hurt me more than anybody. I asked for the, the Parks girl to be moved (pause) for two goddamn days, and every time I meet the Parks girl, she’s not moved.
Marceline: (fades in) (Unintelligible name— Danielle?) I came to you the other night after the meeting, and you said it’d be done—
Jones: And I— I have my reasons for wanting something done. And when I— when I have to wait two, three day— what is it, Maria?
Maria: (too soft)
Marceline: I called her that night.
Jones: Uh, I want it done. She’s been very nice about— little girl hadn’t give me no trouble. She won’t even ask me about it. She been— In fact of the matter, she been better’n, better than her dad was, to— to enter in, she smiles when I meet her, she’s cheerful— you people worry about your kids, that’s a bunch of bullshit, what you’re really (laughs) worried about is your own ass, and you’re afraid your children will adjust.
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: ‘Cause if your children adjust, they’ll stand in your way from going home.
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: I remember very clearly. I remember very clearly, two— nice couple now, that’s very firmly here, they didn’t get to go home, because their children wouldn’t go home. They say, they gonna run in the jungle.
Marceline: Can I— Can I say this to you, Joyce?
Jones: Quiet, isn’t it, honey? Like I’m all on some of your toes now?
Scattered voices: Right.
Marceline: Your follow-through is not good. I— I— it— you know, before— I confronted you several months ago about that, about making lists and so forth. I— Everybody else knows I go back and ask, have you done this, have you done that— (Jones interrupts)
Jones: Her judgment and sense is good, but the follow-through, I don’t know—
Marceline: Your follow-through is bad. And I— I— Do I have to come and ask you every time after I ask you to do something if it’s been done? I will start that, if it’s necessary.
Voice too soft.
Marceline: Okay.
Sounds of mike being moved.
Marceline: I know you have a lot on you. I see the crowd around your—
Jones: Terrible.
Marceline: I see the crowd around there. But this is not new with you, Joyce. Your follow-through is very bad. Okay.
Jones: Ninety-nine percent of this fuckin’ organization’s follow-through is bad. Now Charlie’s follow-through is not bad, but his diplomacy stinks. (Pause)
Marceline: I told you even, that Dad told me to come to you.
Jones: Okay, okay. We ca— create problems for me. When I put a stress out, and I send a signal out, I got goddamn good reasons for it. Health, welfare, can be a catastrophe that can develop. (Pause) (Stumbles over words) Charlie. I want Charlie. Will you handle the black woman, Charlie? I don’t know whether— she may have been all wet in what she wants to get done there, but she— you don’t make yourself clear. You don’t make yourself clear. That’s a big problem.
Charlie: Well, that— that particular morning that she was talking, we was trying to get something thrashed out about this building over here, um— It all started off very calmly, and I was trying to explain to her about expenses and doing these different things she was asking for. I asked her— when it come to the trunk, I asked her to go next door and see what was going on in the warehouse, they needed these trunks over there, and—
Jones: Where’d she get the idea you didn’t care, then?
Charlie: I have— I have no idea, because I even— I even made the statement that, uh— and asked her to go— I made the statement before I blew up, I said, I been sitting here, I’ve been patient, I’ve been trying to rationalize with you, um— Maria—
Jones: C.J., now, there’s something wrong now, you— now, your wife just went through it and saw— (Stumbles over words) If you don’t see no fault at all, in yourself, then there’s something wrong.
Charlie: I did— I do see fault in myself, because I— I should’ve— I should’ve been— had more empathy with her over the windows. I was more concerned about the rain blowing in, than spending the expense of the windows. Um— Joyce, from the background, she— she made a statement which, in my own chauvinism, that pissed me off, and uh (Pause) then what I blurted out with, I said, “Joyce said we ought to take the whole situation to the Steering Committee,” and I said—
Jones: (fades in) —folks, it only takes one goddamn head injury like that, that child hit like a ton of bricks. (Unintelligible— name?), were you sittin’ there and let the child fall? (Pause) You gone kill me, I’m telling you tonight, now I won’t talk this way much, but you people gonna kill me if you don’t stop (Stumbles over words) start lookin’, I can’t hold every child in my hand. (Pause) You have to— you have to worry like I did over uh, the injury of Isaac Edward— if you— if you had to worry over Isaac Edwards like I did, and face what the hell that meant — and the doctors didn’t think there was any way in the goddamn world we gonna come out of that mess? — when he pointed out the serious ramifications of, of Rose? And Rose, you piss me off, too, the other day, when you come up and ask me if you want to— carry that stick. You pissed me off. I’m gonna tell you, that pissed me off, to ask me, when I’ve insisted you carry the fuckin’ stick, I know what I’m talkin’ about, I’m just going to air it all out. And you want— you didn’t want to do it. In fact of the matter, you jokingly said to somebody that came to me, he says, all Father said was carry it. You knew I didn’t mean carry it. You knew I meant you to (Stumbles over words)— then you stand up and say, it interferes with your walk. Well, it won’t interfere with you half as much, if you’re really walking with a stick, you’ll go slower, and you won’t run into a thing like that where you’ll get caught. ‘Cause a stick makes you slow down. And if I care enough about you enough to want you to slow down, then that shows love, because you won’t— you’re not gonna be able to produce as much, you’re not going to be able to run as fast with a stick. So I’m telling you all this stuff that compounds in on me. ‘Cause you were walking death. You were walking death. You weren’t walking. You were layin’ death. Paralyzed. Blind. God damn, what a mess.
Voice too soft.
Jones: Now I know you did say it, but you shouldn’t even asked me about it. Nobody should ask me no more about those sticks. You should walk on them, slowly, carefully. We don’t need any more head injuries. We don’t need any more blo— broken bones.
Scattered voices: That’s right.
Jones: Somebody— the American Customs has fucked up or s— completely stole our whole X-ray equipment. We can’t find it. Tonight they gotta get new X-ray, (Stumbles over words) the type that uh, Tschetter and uh, doctor agreed on, I want that to go over the radio, and get that shit. I don’t know how in the hell we’re gonna afford it, but they can not find that, that x-ray equipment. Hide nor hair. So I don’t need any breaks out here. When you had a break out here, you don’t know where in the hell you are.
Scattered voices: That’s right.
Male voice: A little girl in the hospital right next to Isaac, who had a skull fracture, she’s been in a coma for four weeks—
Jones: Skull fracture— mild, more mild fall than Isaac had. Isaac’s a walking miracle. And I’ve had him— I had one member of his family, one, to come up to me and personally thank me for me. (Shouts) One. (Pause) That pisses me off, too. Not because I want any gratitude. (Pause) How many members of the family here? Just one. How many Isaac— How many relatives does Isaac got?
Numerous voices.
Jones: Only one relative of Isaac Edwards?
Various voices, crowd over each other.
Jones: The goddamn hell. (Pause) I guess an uncle’s a relative, that last time I knew. (Pause) Never— No, I don’t want to see ‘em. (Angrily) No, don’t bother. Don’t you bother. It’s an inconvenience. Don’t blo— don’t bother. Don’t move out. (Pause) If I had somebody that protected my child— I wish I had had somebody to help me when they were scattered all over the road with a drunk. Kidney severed. Brain damage. All the shit that was going on. I wish I had had ‘em, when— the night that Sharon Jones and all, all of them— Kathy, all of them was scattered over the goddamn roadway. (Pause) I had to heal them. Nobody help— nobody could do that work but me. Nobody could enter into that realm of mind of paranormal, but me. I’m a lonely man in that world, ‘cause I know nobody can help me but me. I’d say thank you. I thank you. If I had somebody that had that kind of faculty, save a child, from mess that child was in, blind for days, hallucinating for days, he couldn’t see for days, honey, but I say, when he went out of here, he— he’ll see.
Scattered voices: Yes you did. Right. Applause.
Jones: And he left that hospital normal. With two major fractures across his skull splittin’, right over the major blood center that was puttin’ blood into his brain, you tell me how he comes out, I’ll tell you, I don’t know how it happens, but I did it. (Pause) And he said he had a dent like this in his head.
Male voice: (unintelligible) —wasn’t bad, I saw it myself, and I figured it wasn’t too bad, but Dad insisted that we get a hold of the, of the Ambassador [John Burke] and find a way to get him out of the country, find some, get expert care. Dad went to the hospital yesterday (Unintelligible)— skull fracture—
Jones: And the doctor said no, and I said yes. And if they hadn’t— if they hadn’t— uh, I— I hadn’t intervened, he would have been no— nothing left of him. He’d been a vegetable, or blind, or de— dead woulda been honorable, but wh— what’s so horrible about those kind of things is, he was hallucinating, he didn’t know, his mind was going incoherent. There was brain damage, as you’re seeing some, if you take a look around.
One voice: That’s right. That’s right.
Jones: From less blows than he got. Before they knew me— you can look around here and see some. There’s two, right in this camp. One of them was gnarled up into a ball, ‘s got out of that. Another one’s blind, and all c— just bla— just brain injuries. And that’s why you people letting children stand up on a seat, and let them go to sleep, that’s very cruel. It’s cruel to me, it’s cruel to the collective. Okay, go on.
Ernestine: Charlie, uh, what really burned me up— I had been asking you from time to time about those r— about uh, fixing the building, and every time I went to you, you put me off about expense. But yet and still, you were fixing other places that wasn’t as vital as that place back there, where all those (unintelligible word) are. That’s what really burned me up.
Jones: Well, now, spec— Now specify your case, specify your case, specify your case.
Ernestine: Oh, he fixed up physical therapy. He put three windows in there, and a door with a window in it. And I asked for a window, asked for that to be closed up so the uh, fertilizer and stuff would be kept dry, and naturally, when that top part is closed up, you need, um, more ventilation. And then, when— when you blew up at me, and I blew back at you, you had nerve to tell me about my attitude. (Pause) And you— and you did blow up when Joyce said, stay it to Steering, you threw a big fit then. (Pause) And also, also, you told me what I had to wait for, on what was going on in there— in the uh, warehouse, and I had asked for a chest long before all that shipment came in. And I had been promised one.
Jones: (Sighs) Oh, shit.
Charlie: As far as physical therapy goes, the building wasn’t even done— they did— (Pause) I mean, I made a statement in the Steering Committee one night about how that building got completely out of hand, and it did not go the way it was supposed to go, and I did not approve any part of the windows, the extension on that building or everything else that’s— I guess it’s much nicer the way it is now, Ernestine, but I had no part of that. I did not do it, and the— Marshall and I think whoever worked with him, did all that on themselves along with uh, with Nedra Yates.
Male: Yeah, but the question is, where were you at fault with uh, Ernestine whenever she brought that up to you?
Jones: Now I’ll tell you what the difference there, not— though you’re not responsible. Nedra Yates raises a lot of hell and gets things done. And that ought not to be the deterrent of what— the, the determining factor of what gets done. But unfortunately, that seems to be why some people raise a lot of hell, ‘cause they think they’ll— you— you can get things done. But that shouldn’t be the basis of it.
Scattered voices: Right.
Jones: They wo—
Voices unintelligible.
Jones: Yeah. Squeaky wheel gets the oil. That’s right. Raise a little hell, you get four windows, if you only need one.
Scattered voices: That’s right.
Ernestine: Well, the reason I didn’t raise a lot of hell, Father, I— I re— I realize the ex— the expense of (stumbles over words)—
Jones: I don’t think you should, honey. I don’t think you should raise a lot of hell. That’s (unintelligible word) what I was making the point. I’m making the point that some people raise hell and get what they want. Or act up and get what they want. Go apeshit and get what they want. Some people— other people have to go calm, all the days of their life and never get nothing.
Scattered voices: That’s right.
Ernestine: Well, thank you, Father.
Woman: Why did you—
Jones: Stand me in the damn war— Stand me in the sidewalk. Some people wouldn’t take it— they wouldn’t dream of doing it. You stop me— some people stop me, no matter what. From— itch in their ass to a toenail hurting.
Male: It’s true, goddamnit.
Jones: Particularly the itch in the ass. (Pause)
Charlie: After— After these situations happen to me, and I do blow up, I usually sit for long periods of time, and I think about what an asshole I was, and then— then things get done— like she says, she got the window, and there’ve been other cases where people have asked me for things and I— I blow up and I— and— because of the inconvenience and the construction crews and the different things they’re asking for, and then I sit and I think for a while, and I figure out a way that it can be done. It’s a shortcoming of mine, and I’m just gonna have to work on it and, and get over it, but it’s um— I’m— I’m—
Jones: I’ll tell you what’ll help, I’ll tell you what’ll help you, every time a black woman comes at you, think that there’s better than equal half time— half chance that she’s been raped as a child.
Woman: I’d like— I’d like—
Male in crowd: That’s right.
Jones: In ghettoes. Just that to begin with. Think of the color. Go ahead.
Woman: I would just like to know when he’s going to start.
Charlie: Immediately.
Another woman: I’d like to know why Joyce (unintelligible)
Charlie: At that— At that particular point, it’s one of those cases where you’re just at the boiling point, and my statement back to Joyce was that uh— fuck taking it to the Steering Committee, two people ought to be able to talk over about a trunk. That was exact— And that’s exactly the way I felt about it, and— all I was trying to tell Ernestine at the time was that— that Bev was stacked sky high, and that the warehouse was overflowing and I had— people tell me where to put these trunks back and forth, and that— and granted, she did ask for a trunk a long time ago. Now all these trunks that come in, when they do come in, they’re going into the medical department. And I don’t always have— even though I empty the trunks when they come in, it’s not my choice as to where they go a lot of times. And I try to— and I try to explain this to Ernestine, I even asked her to go next door and look at what Bev had to put up with back over there. We were walking over clothes, we were— there was things laying on the warehouse floor that was packed up to the gills, because of the shipment that came in. And all we— we were told that all the trunks that came in, duffel bags, anything that could have clothes put in it should be given to the warehouse at that time. And that’s— on a trunk, that’s— that’s exactly where it stayed, and as far as I was concerned, her and I, our big argument was over those trunk, because it was— she had asked for it, many, many times, that’s true. And then when— when the shipment came in, there just wasn’t any room to get trunks anywhere else but to the warehouse, so the warehouse could put the things away.
Marceline: I do think it’s generally true that everybody has a tendency not to look at the problems that some other department might be having. I’m not saying this necessarily to Ernestine, I can understand the frustration, if she’d been hunting for a trunk for a long time. But I think all of us need to be a little more empathetic with what somebody may be going through at the moment.
(Tape cuts off for few seconds)
Jones: (Tape cuts in on him) —chemicals can do health— health damage, that’s what worries me. Our physical therapy department don’t need— they didn’t need all the windows, from health standpoint, immediate standpoint, but uh, hah, if you get too much chemicals, then you have got some problems. I’m going to have to do the work then.
Voices.
Jones: I guess she got r— I guess she got what she wanted. Did you not?
Ernestine voice too soft.
Jones: Okay. Need another window. And if that’s the case, we’ll get you another window.
Voices too soft. Applause
Jones: That’s Farris?
Farris: (fades in) —a bottle of wine our neighbors brought up (unintelligible)
Jones: (Impatient) Ho, for— come on, come on, come on, come on.
Voices arguing over each other.
Male: Okay, hold it, everybody. Hush up. Farris (unintelligible because of Jones breathes too close to mike) — don’t have to defend yourself. Well, who’s next up here that got something to say?
Woman: I’d like to—
Jones: Well, don’t defend yourself. That’s one thing that annoys the hell out of me, because you’re a good man. You don’t need to defend yourself. If you made a mistake, you made an error. If he was in error, what’s the difference? He just was clarifying, he was not in on the goddamn windows. But one thing that tears the shit out of me, is to have people have to defend everything they do. They never can do no wrong. You’re not— There— You’re not much that way, Brother Farris. What I— What I was really upset about was, and people misread me, was, the microphone people wait forever to move towards a— a person that’s speaking. That’s what was really upsetting me. (Pause) It’s probably just my blood pressure. They— they do a good job most of the time. (Sighs.) Yeah, God.
Young speaker: Um, I was going to at least ask you, when you were talking—
Jones: And all the smart ass attitudes. Smiling ca— who the hell was smiling back at you, too? Let’s see how much socialist consciousness you got?
Young speaker: Melanie.
Voices too soft.
Jones: You— you always apologizing for your elitism. And you always continue with it. (Pause)
Another woman: I want to say, Carol, that you do have a very sarcastic and smart mouth, and Dad has also gone onto you before for sleeping on the sidelines. Half the time you want to stand out here and stand on the sideways— you want to come in here. And I really sick of your smart mouth, and your bad attitude.
Jones: What the hell were you laughing about, right in the middle of a serious piece of news, about the struggles of black Africa. What was— What was the laugh going on about? Who were you pointing out and making fun of, or what was it about? What was the fun being made?
Carol: Um, Melanie said that uh, she told me she was (unintelligible word) on Learning Crew, and I—
Jones: I can’t hear you.
Carol: Melanie told me she might get put on the Learn—
Woman in crowd: Speak up— (voices fades.)
Carol: Melanie told me— that’s true. Melanie told me she might get put on the Learning Crew, and I said, well— and I thought— I said, well— you know, I might be, me too, I don’t know. Wh— whenever, you know, it— it— I never know when I— I might get on too. I—
Jones: No, you don’t. That’s true. (Pause)
Carol: It wasn’t funny, and there wasn’t really nothing to laugh about.
Jones: And you can carry on all this conversation, while I— while I’m sitting here in agony, listening to my own voice. How much do you think a zero personality likes to hear their own voice? (Pause) Jesus Christ, it’s enough to have it go out once, without having it come back to you twice. I sit in here for only one reason, to see that everybody else will listen, and— sitting here isn’t enough, you gotta have a (unintelligible word).
Momentary lull.
Scattered voices: Right.
Carol: I’m too selfish myself, and I think about myself too much, to have thought about (unintelligible word), Dad.
Jones: You think of yourself too much, but what’s going to happen if you didn’t have an organization? You think you can go someplace? Where you gonna go? Even if you could go, wh— what the hell’s going to happen to you, a young woman that’s known that much about communism. What they gone do with you? (Pause)
Carol: Kill me. Put me in jail. Whatever.
Jones: Well, they’ll bleed your brain, give you chemicals, whatever they can do, until they’ve got all the shit out from un— from you, then they’ll put some little charge on you. They’ll never trust you. Can’t you people get in your mind, that when they— you have sat with a man that blew up trains. Don’t you know they know all that? All these goddamn people that, if some of them disappeared right now, that’s been in this conspiracy, they— we don’t know where they’re at. (Pause) They’re no— you— longer any use. They’re not going to trust you people. (Pause) How you ever gonna explain this system? The last breath I’m gonna do, is some of my documents is going to be revealed to prove conclusively, the most heroic thing I ever did. They’ll be revealed. So you’ll have to stay here and behave yourself.
Scattered voices: Right. Applause.
Carol: Also, I don’t— I don’t— I think I— I don’t follow through enough on my job, I have too much—
End of tape.
Tape originally posted May 1999