Tim May on the end of a rope.

[mattd]

 >>Is it a lie to neglect to mention that Adolf Hitler was kind
to dogs? Or that Stalin was courageous and did well in
school? Or that there were lots of women that Jeffrey Dahmer
did not torture, kill, and eat?<<

True,everyone has some good points.even you,measl and timothy"Dahmer"May.

 >>It is certainly true that
all sorts of nice people had all sorts of good intentions in
Catalonia, but when they attempted to implement those good
intentions, they mostly found themselves using the old
familiar methods of recently existent socialism,<<

The popularly elected govt was under attack from a falangist,military 
coup,Its worth close study from the beginning and to get the clearest 
picture read widely."Objectivity and liberal scholarship's",a good place to 
start.Also "homage to Catalonia"by george Orwell.There were some exciting 
developments and they weren't "implemented"so much as arose 
spontaneously.The stalinists found themselves using old familiar 
methods.The libertarian socialists kicked butt.

 >>and when
they did not use those methods, socialism did not work. That
is the important truth about Catalonia, <<

Libertarian socialism did work,see Gaston Leval,Bookchin,Paz,Chomsky and 
even H.Thomas.Stalinism,or authoritarian socialism did not work.The 
important truth about Catalonia is Libertarian socialism did work and will 
again,shortly,work.

 >>and all the other
truths, the truths that some people were sincere, the truths
that some people had good intentions, are irrelevant. I do
mention those truths, briefly. Unlike the sources you prefer
I do not go into lengthy spiels describing those wonderful
good intentions while ignoring the actual outcome. <<

I'm not attracted to libertarian socialism by sincere and good 
intentions.I'm attracted to it because it holds the best hope of maximizing 
my freedom and limiting violence.The intentions and sincerity of any 
political movement are secondary concerns.I simply want to know what's in 
it for me.The close study of what real people do in real revolutionary 
periods is very revealing.You should try it sometime.Chomsky and Orwell are 
quite brief and to the point.I trust them on Spain.