30 years ago in reason

"So delicious was the taste of [Jim] Jones's born-again Marxism to the upper crust that the congressional 'fact-finding' mission, commanded by the late Rep. Leo Ryan, was convinced that their tour revealed universal happiness. After checking every nook and cranny, Congressman Ryan concluded, 'This is a beautiful place.'"

'"Thomas Hazlett, "Pleading Jim Jones' Case"

"Rather than coming to grips with the reasons for this country's fall from grace, the government's principal reaction has been saber rattling."

'"Robert Poole Jr., "On the Decline of U.S. Power"

"The trends of the times are simply the extended trends of the past. The so-called Imperial Presidency is not the triumph of an office at all. It is the triumph of a great corporate endeavor, of an American collectivism that has been foisting itself on us for generations."

'"Karl Hess, "Make Believe Presidents"

'"July 1979