[lepton]

So, if the head of the Boy Scouts declared war on us, we could capture and hold all their members?

The Boy Scouts are not analogous to Al Queda, nor are its members specifically devoted to the goals of it's head.

Again, refer to the Barbary Pirates. Organizations can indeed declare war upon us, and the precedent is that if the President deems them a danger to the nation he can carry out a war against them with no further declaration - theirs sufficed.

[processing please hold]

Ruthless, unconventional foes are not new to the United States of America. More than two hundred years ago the newly established United States made its first attempt to fight an overseas battle to protect its private citizens by building an international coalition against an unconventional enemy. Then the enemies were pirates and piracy. The focus of the United States and a proposed international coalition was the Barbary Pirates of North Africa.

I understand your argument now and after reading it, I agree.