--- title: "This sex cult used salad bars as a bioterrorism weapon against American voters" date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2020-10-21" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/this-sex-cult-used-salad-bars-as-a-bioterrorism-weapon-against-american-voters/" categories: - "History" tags: - "Terrorism" --- # This sex cult used salad bars as a bioterrorism weapon against American voters ![]() In 1981, a spiritual leader named "Rajneesh," aka "Osho," aka Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, an Indian mystic and guru who advocated open attitudes toward sexuality, rejected Mahatma Ghandi and Indian socialism founded an "intentional community," aka commune, aka "cult" in rural Oregon. They originally wanted to found an agricultural cooperative, but it soon became apparent to residents of what is today Antelope, Oregon, the closest town to the cultists they were up to [so much more than that](). --- ![]() *You must be this tall for brainwashing* They set up a six million dollar, 64,000-acre ranch near Antelope, complete with 93 Rolls-Royce automobiles and private jets, all with money donated by his followers. His disciples dressed in red, worked all day, did drugs at night, and had sex with and in front of their leader. Rajneesh [claimed the sex he taught them could cure them]() of their phobias and give them spiritual enlightenment. ![]() Ummm... and now could one of our less hairy members use some healing? The followers, called "Rajneeshees" immediately entered conflict with the locals of Antelope over the use of the massive tract of land, but with only 50 people in the tiny town, compared to the Rajneeshees 7,000, they didn't stand much of a chance. The townspeople tried to disincorporate themselves, but the measure was voted down, overwhelmed by Rajneesh's registered voter corps. The cultists were very aggressive, initiating lawsuits, voting to change name the town to "Rajneesh," and even allegedly attempting to murder state politicians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7gzSsqMgCk The cult began flying people into the area via their series of private jets. The cult's de facto leader, a woman named Ma Anand Sheela (aka Sheela Silverman) exacerbated the growing conflict with her crude and inflammatory rhetoric. She was dismissive of the townspeople's complaints. Locals began to talk openly about hunting Rajneeshees in "turkey shoots." Things were coming to a boiling point. Air conditioning is for winners. Antelope wasn't the only town targeted by the Rajneeshees. In an attempt to pack the Wasco County government with Rajneesh's followers, the cult targeted the voting population of The Dalles, Oregon. In order to [incapacitate The Dalles voting population]() so only cult members would be healthy enough to make it to the polls on voting day, the cultists spread *Salmonella enterica* *Typhimurium* on salad bars and in salad dressings throughout the city. 751 people picked up salmonellosis, 45 of those were hospitalized. No one died, but the locals were immediately suspicious of the rash of food poisonings. There were too many for it to be coincidental. Local leaders and citizen suspected the Rajneeshees. The evidence was purely circumstantial, however. ![]() If you're eating at Taco Time or Burgerville, food poisoning is likely to happen eventually. Rajneesh, who was in a self-imposed isolation the entire time, finally came out and spoke up as a governmental inter-agency task force was being assembled to take on the cult. He called a press conference to [blame everything on Sheela](), who had conveniently just fled the country.It was almost an entire year later, but once the task force was formed, search warrants were issued and the Rajneeshee ranch was raided. Law enforcement found copies of *The Anarchists' Cookbook* as well as samples of the salmonella strain used in the attack. Rajneesh blamed the running of the commune on Sheela and admitted his complicity by remaining in isolation. He was fined and given a suspended sentence before being deported. She seems okay with it. Ma Anand Sheela and another woman were extradited to the U.S. from West Germany, while Rajneesh himself couldn't find a country who would take him until he ultimately ending up back in India where he started. Sheela served 29 months of a twenty year sentence. Rajneesh died in 1990. It was the only instance of bioterrorism on American soil until the 2001 Anthrax mailing attacks. The camp is now a Christian youth camp. All cult photos © 2003 Samvado Gunnar Kossatz, used by permission ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()