If we accept the government\u2019s version of Jonestown, if we go along with the corporate media version of this incident, does this mean we are willing to ignore a mountain of evidence, facts and our common sense? Does that mean we are willing to ignore the lesson we\u2019ve been taught from childhood, not to accept just one side of the story? Is it easier on our psyche if we accept that one side \u2013 the government\u2019s side \u2013 of this event? If we are not willing to look beyond the obvious, to look a little deeper below the surface and really examine this horrendous event, we will never solve this mystery.<\/p>\n
Without questioning or a second thought, we are asked to believe that, for the first time in recorded history, more than 900 American citizens committed mass suicide. More than 900 men, women and children, who had a lot to live for, followed the suggestion of one individual, and one after another drank from a vat of poisoned Kool-Aid.<\/p>\n
If we only see the side of this story that fits our mind set, we won\u2019t look any further. But on its face, the government\u2019s version is so preposterous, so absurd, it baffles the imagination. Yet to admit otherwise would be like pulling back the covers on a relative and exposing the true parts of something we\u2019d rather not see.<\/p>\n
My personal theory of what actually happened looks at some of the main aspects of this case: Our government decided to deploy an aerial release of one of our most lethal chemicals weapons of mass destruction, configured to be used as an aerosol, spraying the commune that night with a chemical so deadly, one drop touching the skin or inhaled kills within seconds.<\/p>\n
I believe the government\u2019s rationale was, conducting this type of operation will solve many problems in one fell swoop, including gauging the effectiveness of this chemical with a live, in-field test and recording the results. At the same time, it sent a shock-and-awe message to any dissident or disaffected group: don\u2019t entertain any ideas of independence, and don\u2019t think of leaving the country, or you could end up like this.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at some of the evidence. Most of the people of Jonestown were women and children, poor, nearly voiceless. Yet they decided to make a sacrifice, move thousands of miles from the country of their birth, leaving families and friends, yet filled with hope of building a more just society. They worked and sweated, establishing one of the most successful agricultural settlements in Guyana. Why would they kill themselves\u00a0after<\/i>enduring the hardships?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s weigh a few other facts:<\/p>\n
\u2022 We do know, the people of Jonestown were considering defecting en masse to the Soviet Union, thus giving our Cold War adversary a propaganda victory.<\/p>\n
\u2022 We do know, much of the evidence from this event is still being kept secret by our government.<\/p>\n
\u2022 We do know, for this first time in our nation’s history, a sitting congressman was killed while on duty, yet much of the investigation into his murder has not been revealed.<\/p>\n
\u2022 We do know, more than 900 questionable deaths occurred, yet the government conducted only seven autopsies.<\/p>\n
\u2022 We do know, a self-confessed government agent, Michael Prokes, killed himself after reading a statement saying the government was heavily involved in the events of November 18.<\/p>\n
\u2022 We do know, the government diverted the bodies to an Air Force base on the east coast, even though most of the families of the dead lived in the west, and requested extra strong embalming fluid to be used on the bodies once they were returned to the States.<\/p>\n
\u2022 We do know, once the establishment media began painting the group as kooks, cultists, and religious fanatics, the one-sided suicide story could be sealed in concrete.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Once the government\u2019s involvement in horrendous tragedies proved a success \u2013 both in execution and in cover-up afterwards \u2013 it knew it could move ahead with other plans and manipulations. In my view, all of the tragedies of the past quarter century, ranging from 9\/11 to the D.C. sniper to the crisis in the Middle East deserve a closer look.<\/p>\n