Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!stewart
From: stewart@sunybcs.uucp (Norman R. Stewart)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: does AI kill?
Message-ID: <12626@sunybcs.UUCP>
Date: 16 Jul 88 14:29:29 GMT
References: <1376@daisy.UUCP> <12400014@iuvax>
Sender: nobody@sunybcs.UUCP
Reply-To: stewart@sunybcs.UUCP (Norman R. Stewart)
Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science
Lines: 22


Is anybody saying that firing the missle was the wrong decision under
the circumstances?   The ship was, afterall, under attack by Iranian
forces at the time, and the plane was flying in an unusual manner
for a civilian aircraft (though not for a military one).  Is there
any basis for claiming the Captain would have (or should have) made
a different decision had the computer not even been there.

While I'm at it, the Iranians began attacking defenseless commercial
ships in international waters, killing innocent crew members, and
destroying non-military targets (and dumping how much crude oil into
water?).  Criticizing the American Navy for coming to defend these
ships is like saying that if I see someone getting raped or mugged
I should ignore it if it is not happening in my own yard.

The Iranians created the situation, let them live with it.



Norman R. Stewart Jr.             *  How much more suffering is
C.S. Grad - SUNYAB                *  caused by the thought of death
internet: stewart@cs.buffalo.edu  *  than by death itself!
bitnet:   stewart@sunybcs.bitnet  *                       Will Durant