"Doug Kanter" wrote in message news:vgpDb.12073


Yes. And a meeting between two people in Baghdad doesn't necessarily
constitute a training camp. Or, if it does, then the same thing applies to
a
Muslim house of worship in New Jersey, in which case the port authority
may
be liable for helping terrorists get from Manhattan to Jersey City
repeatedly.

Your point carries in principle, but suffers under realistic examination.
The fact is that because of the way our country operates, with open borders,
etc., just about anyone can come to school here (flight or otherwise), or
come visit a house of worship, without knowledge of the government -- at
least not immediate or timely knowledge.

But the reverse is not true. No one - no one at all - gets into a
mid-eastern country, particularly one of the ilk of Iraq, Iran, Syria, SA,
without the police agencies being precisely aware of the who, where, and
why of your visit. To schedule or attend a meeting with a government
official would increase your 'attention quotient' in spades. There could be
no such thing as a casual meeting in Baghdad involving either a known
terrorist or a government official without security agency knowledge and
consent.