3. Radical politics and the Peoples Temple

Laura Johnston Kohl grew up as an activist in Washington, D.C., and watched as many of her heroes were assassinated in the 1960s. She attended college in Connecticut and continued her commitment to work for change and to make a difference.  While exercising her civil rights to protest peacefully, she was tear-gassed while protesting the war in Vietnam.  After a brief marriage, a visit to Woodstock, and a stint working with the Black Panthers, she moved to California to join her sister. Soon after that, she was introduced to Peoples Temple and spent the next nine years in California and Guyana.

In this episode of Failed State Update, Laura will tell us how Jim Jones used radical politics and religious faith to trap people in his apocalyptic cult. It's a riveting history and an important cautionary tale.

Laura Johnston Kohl website: https://www.jonestownsurvivor.com/

Music by Forest Lawn: "Beyond the Gates," "A Sunny Day in the Graveyard," "Mausoleum Blues"

Forest Lawn on Bandcamp: https://forestlawnpsych.bandcamp.com/

End music by Frank Zappa: "Jonestown"

Joseph L. Flatley website: https://www.lennyflatley.net/

Joseph L. Flatley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley

Joseph L. Flatley on Instagram: https://instagram.com/lennysbookclub