"Collective Panic" in VZ - great article on lies of the oligarchy

[socialist_n_TN]

10. Its never "mutual".......

The owners of any capitalist society will use ANY and ALL methods to keep the gains they've exploited from the people who might want to take it back. That includes everything from fascist death squads to control of the media organs so they can spread lying propaganda.

As a matter of fact, one of the critiques of Chavez when he first came to power was the fact that he didn't immediately smash the capitalists and expropriate their ill-gotten gains. Most revolutionary organizations saw this type of low to high level war coming. Anytime you leave any level of capitalism in place, above the mom and pop shopkeeper level, you wind up with this type of civil war.

As to the collectivistas being armed, when the fascists come for you, you want to be able to defend yourself. Trotsky was always in favor of a well-armed working class militia because he ALSO knew what lengths the bourgeoisie and their allies would go to in order to undermine ANY form of active socialism that threatened their control over society.