Review of The Nada Gang (1974) by Alex B — 11 Mar 2013

Two kidnappings: one brutal massacre, and one daring, heroic rescue.

The police: "Boss, here's an anarchist pamphlet! 'Black and Red'--it's obvious!" "Idiot! That's a novel by Stendhal!".

The anarchist terrorist: "Treuffais chickened out. He's an intellectual. He'll go on eating shit all his life, saying thanks and casting blank votes. History's got no room for shit eaters! I drink to us, the desperadoes! I don't give a damn whether I'm politically dumb or not! History made us, and that proves civilization's going to hell, one way or another! I'd rather die in blood than in a pile of shit!".

The conclusion: "Leftist and State-controlled terrorism, though their motives can't be compared, are the two jaws of the same idiotic trap. The State hates terrorism, but prefers it to revolution. When each man realizes the need to destroy the State, the State tries to destroy everything. Since it must come to an end, it tries to destroy all. Thus the desperado assassin becomes a type of behavior consumable by Society. The State has chosen between revolt and death, and hopes all will make the same choice. It's a trap for revolutionaries, and I fell into it. I'm not the only one. And that makes me shit. Criticizing terrorism does not condemn civil war. A good civil war is worth more than a rotten peace.".