The SEAL Deal

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Props to Naval History magazine (June 2012) for running Ranger's letter, "Not in the Manuals (p. 9)," in which he criticizes Retired Capt. Dick Couch's use of the phrase "Takedown" when speaking of the bin Laden raid as being non-military (RAW ran it here @ "La Cosa Nostra").

He was being uncharacteristically politic when he referred to the bin Laden assassination as a "military action" (but he knew no USNI publication would run his preferred terminology.) Assassinations are illegal, whatever the means or terminology used (Beyond The Kill List); whether personality or signature, a targeted kill = assassination.

When a nation revels in successful assassinations, it has dropped its pretense of being democratic and has crossed over into becoming warriors.