The Jonestown legacy, first and foremost, is about honoring the victims of that horrible tragedy deep in the Guyanese jungle on November 18, 1978, including Maria Katsaris. But no less important is keeping the tragedy in front of our eyes as a reminder of the intimidation, fear, lies, and stifling of human freedom that are needed to keep a communist dictatorship alive, no matter how small. Jonestown was a repressive regime on a microcosmic scale, no matter how hard naysayers try to make Jim Jones the victim. Most importantly, as if we needed a reminder, Jonestown demonstrates once again that such regimes feed off the destruction of the family, the foundation of a free and peaceful political community.

https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/the-enduring-lesson-of-jonestown