Drink Up and Die

On this date in 1978, Jim Jones and more than 900 of his cult followers in Jonestown, Guyana, pulled the ultimate crazy-fratboy stunt and dropped dead of cyanide-laced punch.

And thus was born one of the greatest, most durable phrases ever invented to describe ideologues and partisan hackery: "They drank the Kool-Aid."

Thank you, Jim Jones. Because of you, we now have a succinct way to dismiss the far right and far left.

Sadly, however, the Jonestown Massacre has remained an unfair blemish on the refreshing and delicious good name of Kool-Aid. Flavor-Aid is what the Jonestown flock drank.










In this candid photo, Vice President Dick Cheney preps for a routine meeting of the White House Iraq Group. (KoolAP)