I don't like Cellar backquoting; it won't work if you're replying to something with more than one quote in it.
<blockquote><i>Um, yes. How can you be "defending" yourself if you are offensively attacking someone? That just make no sense at all.
</blockquote></i>
If you reasonably belive you are in danger, you are defending yourself. You're not required to actually wait until the attack is manifest.
Not that hard to understand.
<blockquote><i>
Is that enough to justiy, say, killing them, a few by standers, and a few million dollars worth of infrastructure?
</blockquote></i>
No. The use in force in self-defence is only justified to the extent that you believe it is necessary. You learned that in the TKD dojo, didn't you?
<blockquote><i>
Okay, so I'm going a little over the top...
</blockquote></i>
Actually, it's a *lot* over the top. It just *looks* like a little next to tw.
You might want to try to curb your tendency to hyperbole.