From: utzoo!decvax!cca!hplabs!soreff Newsgroups: net.misc Title: Re: Rick"s reply to JTR (long piece) - (nf) Article-I.D.: hplabs.598 Posted: Sat Jul 31 15:54:11 1982 Received: Mon Aug 2 01:08:54 1982 References: uiucdcs.300 It is not the case, as A. Ray Miller states, that the death in the Libyan incident was "unfortunate but certainly unavoidable". Had the US conducted its naval operations elsewhere, which was certainly within Reagan's power, the death could have been avoided. "Self defense" becomes a rather fuzzy concept when used during an action which is intentionally provocative, and known to be so from the outset. The actions of the pilots in the task force when in the gulf of Sidra may well have been defensive. This does not imply that the act of sending them there in the first place (a premeditated act ,"in cold blood") was defensive.