[OneWingedShark]

Next we’ll discover that “direct communication” means 2, 3, 4 or 5 degrees of separation.
Terrorist talks to American. That persons communications are then subject to recording. He talks to person 1, and that’s 1 degree of separation. Person 1 talks to person 2, and that’s 2 degrees.
The argument will be that that’s how a “secret cell” operates. One layer doesn’t know the identity of any other layers, so therefore, they must collect a variety of layers.
The only question is how many layers. I’ve read that one American is only 5 degrees of separation from any other American. We all know somebody who knows somebody, etc.,

Close; here's how it goes:

1. Terrorist talks to Army interrogator.
2. Interrogator is part of Army; which is an organization.
3. Anyone with relatives in the Army, or is friends with anyone in the Army, or has ever served in the Army.
4. Anyone with any form of contact of the people in #3.

There. That's how they'll justify 'hops'.

[SgtBilko]

“There. That’s how they’ll justify ‘hops’.”

The fun fact is: Everybody on the planet knows anybody else on the plant with an average of only 6 “hops”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation