I'm up to page 177. The dialogues are very "deep" at this point and get very heavy into the Family philosophy. I cannot help but focus a lot on Clem and his seemingly articulate manor. In many other sources he is made out to be mentally deficient. These dialogues show me that he ISN'T. I won't quote any dialogue. Read it for yourself and make up your own mind.
Here are a couple of other paragraphs that jumped out at me:
"Whether one agrees with Merrick or with the Family on the subject issue, the underlying fact is that the hard core members of the Manson Family, who are here now and debating their position, are obviously not a bunch of drug crazed hippies. So how did that specific label come about, and why was it incorrectly attached to them?"
This rings especially true to me with Clem.
"Gypsy once explained to me: close your eyes and imagine that you are slowly rising up and actually leaving this earth, all the while looking back and seeing the earth look smaller and smaller. At some point, the earth will appear as just one round circle and you will only be able to see all people as just one image. That is what God sees, from his vantage point on high. The Family does not believe, as the church preaches, that God sees each and every one of our faces individually."
A very important revelation regarding Manson philosophy (and in my mind how it relates to the crimes). This also makes me think of Sandy, Squeaky and other Family members holding up the "one" index finger...
