(01-22-2013 06:38 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I was looking for Leo Ryan and the Jonestown investigation. I just finished reading A Thousand Lives, and it scared the hell out of me to think that a thousand people could follow such a nut case to their deaths.

Joe, the author gives Ryan's death as an assassination. Why do you disagree?

Laurie,

I didn't realize that it was characterized that way by the author. I guess I was not sure that he was "targeted" as seems to be the case with assassination; thanks for sharing the insight from the book.

Joe

Laurie, did the author make any comparisons to Masada?

No, she didn't, and all I know about Masada (which is very, very little) is related to Jewish history. Edumacate me please.

Zealous Jews in the first century, after the fall of Jerusalem, hide out in Masada, a desert mountain fortress built by King Herod (who is now dead)
It is supposed to be inpenetrable. The Romans build a seige ramp up to it, because the fortress is on a high mountain. The Romans bring up a battering ram to knock the gate down. The Jews inside know they can't win. Rather than be captured by the Romans, their families killed or turned into slaves, they committ mass suicide. Since they didn't have kosher kool-aid, several men are selected to be executioner, they slit their throats and everyone dies except for a couple of women and children (maybe 5). About 960 people died. They did a TV movie about it maybe 20+ years ago. True story.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsou...asada.html

Good comparison to Jonestown, but the Jews died to escape slavery. The followers at Jonestown were being turned into slaves by Jim Jones, who was preaching socialism and communism instead.

One person credited Lincoln with having a "fertile genius in devising language to conceal his thoughts." Who was this person?

(01-26-2013 04:41 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  One person credited Lincoln with having a "fertile genius in devising language to conceal his thoughts." Who was this person?

Stephen Douglas?

Yes, Mr. Douglas! Great guess. Mr. Douglas stated the essence of what has caused complete "misreads" of things stated by Lincoln.

Who is this man?

Dennis Hanks

You got it, Gene. Indeed that is Dennis Hanks.

You win two free tickets to Fred Smith's Wisconsin Concrete Park.

Ha! Take me with you, Gene!

This is the great time of year to visit. No lines!

Who wrote this sentence?

"I feel compelled to say that only by adoption of such a plan as this would I be satisfied that all danger of desecration be avoided."

Robert Lincoln ?