Erwin Brewster

        The author was born in Guyana where the tragic event occurred. He learned of the incident through radio and newspaper reports and decided to commemorate the tragedy in poetic form. The writer was educated in Guyana, the United Kingdom and the USA. He studied law in England and the US and is a Counselor and Attorney at Law in Guyana the United Kingdom and New York. He married in 1964 and he and his wife had three children. His wife is now deceased. On returning from the United Kingdom he worked in the Sugar Industry in Guyana and in the Life Insurance industry in Guyana, Jamaica, the U.S.A and in Kenya before retiring. He now resides in Florida, USA. Apart from his vocation, the writer has been engaged in preparing a history of his ancestry, which he can trace back to 1525. He has also been involved in writing sonnets and other forms of poetry, some of which has been published.      

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All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. —Winston Churchill

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When fear pervades the body and the soul The slightest straw could now the mind control And take it to a climax with the hope, That anything could help them now to cope with despair, that had left them so inept That any lifeline they would now accept. This state of mind left them bereft of thought, And rendered any argument that sought To caution them to  think more carefully If what was promised could indeed be free. —From "Jonestown Remembered and Other Shorter Tragedies" by Erwin Brewster

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Justice - Motivational Video

Chapter 1 - Episode 1 My very first motivational video. "Justice" Check out my channel for more: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLslEHaQaonZZbonNb34zC...

Justice - Motivational Video

Watch the full video here: https://bit.ly/2EI4A2y Credit: CJ -Chan

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These New World voyagers would once again Clad in their hopes, their dreams, their fears, their pain, Forsake the old with bittersweet content As new horizons opended to give vent To virgin land, to unpolluted space, Full of life, brimful of primeval grace; Unblemised beauty, nature's last resort Which none would dare pollute and so distort The glory that such sacrifice would bring And put to rest their lifelong suffering. —From "Jonestown Remembered and Other Shorter Tragedies" by Erwin Brewster

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Life is not a matter of place, things or comfort; rather, it concerns the basic human rights of family, country, justice and human dignity. —Imelda Marcos

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The clever from among the faithful then Began to organize a church wherein Each new disciple would embrace his friend And love and kindness would to him extend. In his Utopia, his private dream He'd give to every man his self-esteem, Freed from the shackless of an oppressed mind, Obsequious fear and doubt to leave behind. He, with his neighbors in fidelity Could share their fruits in strict equality. —From "Jonestown Remembered and Other Shorter Tragedies" by Erwin Brewster

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Spoken Word: Justice

We are called to be leaders in the fight to end slavery. A leader keeps standing and won't bend. Watch this inspirational spoken word to inspire in the movem...

Spoken Word: Justice

We are called to be leaders in the fight to end slavery. A leader keeps standing and won't bend. Watch this inspirational spoken word to inspire in the movement to end slavery and human trafficking.

Watch the full video here: https://bit.ly/1G9KswA Credit: International Justice Mission

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He startled the entire audience With all the miracles he could dispense. Unmindful that all this was pre-arranged With helpers showing how they had been changed. That once they suffered an infirmity Now suddenly declared that they were free. Until one day the local press disclosed That all this was a hoax, and so exposed His claim that he could banish all disease And their discomfort easily appease. —From "Jonestown Remembered and Other Shorter Tragedies" by Erwin Brewster

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Knowledge, wealth and power without justice are the dangerous things to mankind. —Dr. T.P. Chia

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To street side pulpits his disciples came To fairs and farms they followed him the same. In every alleyway he sought them out In store fronts, side streets, malls and roundabouts. Like the Pied Piper he made his appeal To all and sundry who would cheat or steal, To all the bums and all the junkies bold; No heinous deed, no calumny untold Could exclude a human soul, turn away The homeless, a lesbian or a gay. —From "Jonestown Remembered and Other Shorter Tragedies" by Erwin Brewster

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He aimed to shape the world more to his view Than anything his followers ever knew. He used it to exploit his female aides, Impose himself on some reluctant maids Who felt constrained to follow his commands Convinced that they should yield to his demands. His success in this sphere was very good As none could claim she had misunderstood His aims, since he had made it clear that God Had ordained them as his amorous squad —From "Jonestown Remembered and Other Shorter Tragedies" by Erwin Brewster

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The Jonestown Massacre "Jonestown, Guyana was the scene of one of the most harrowing tragedies in American history. On November 18, 1978, at the direction of charismatic cult leader Jim Jones, 909 members of the People’s Temple died, all but two from apparent cyanide poisoning, in a “revolutionary suicide."

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When lesser stars that but a glimmer show Forsake their course and throught the heavens glow, They leave a trail that shining brightly first Illumes the night and then exploding burst; Their moments of true glory shortly spent To be the brightest in the firmament. So lesser mortals, reaching for the sky will oft eclipse the earth and passing, die; Their marks of high achievement grimly cast Their baleful shadows o'er the distant past. —From "Jonestown Remembered and Other Shorter Tragedies" by Erwin Brewster

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All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. —Winston Churchill

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This ruse he felt was just the kind of trick That he could play so as to have his pick of those who in their simple faith and creed Deferred to him to satisfy his need. And this was great, for he was sorely cursed Since boyhood days with craving and with thirst For power over men and women too, His biddling so he urged on them to do, That in beguiling ways, but seeming just, He thus did satisfy his carnal lust. —From "Jonestown Remembered" by Erwin Brewster

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So then descends this calling forth on Jim To preach the Word to all mankind from Him Who would bestow in rich abundant fold His fruits on all who did His work behold. And thus did Jones with mantle and with hood Become the medium through which he could With dire threats of Hades and damnation Exchange his appetites for salvation; A fair exchange he thought for it could win The favors of those who were inclined to sin. —From "Jonestown Remembered" by Erwin Brewster

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A soul to save, a miracle to work, Some dire compelling urge that seems to lurk With unsuspecting fervor, to redeem The sins of man, and like a shimmering beam Restore an ailing soul to wondrous health And blessings of eternal joy and wealth. No greater prize could anyone reveal That would entice the suffering to feel Contented, chosen, happy and unique; What greater pleasure anyone could seek? —From "Jonestown Remembered" by Erwin Brewster