> You can even see something vaguely analogous happening in mini-micro
> form when a street demo is large enough the cops decide not to smash it
> even when it's illegal.
I've been in many situations of this type, and I really don't see the resemblance between them and the revolutionary scenarios we're discussing. When police leadership decide against attacking an illegal demonstration, it's usually because they don't see it as any kind of a threat (the more likely explanation) or they think that provoking it will escalate the threat (somewhat less likely). If the brass ordered the riot cops on the front lines to attack a demonstration, and the riot cops refused, then the situations would be analogous - but that's an extremely unlikely scenario, certainly rarer than military troops refusing orders.
-- "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."