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The students applied to the CIA, NSA, State Department and the US military. The rejections came for a variety of reasons:
1. Participation in a study abroad program in Turkey.
2. Dated a Chinese girl for a few months.
3. Friends with a non-Persian Iranian who has been an American for quite some time.
4. Currently dating a girl from an extremely moderate “Muslim” country.
5. Taught English in Turkey.
6. Studied in Kazakhstan.
7. Dual citizenship with NATO country.
8. Married to a foreigner.
9. Polygraph examiners rejected guy who was too calm.
10. Dated someone from Latin America.
11. Traveled in the Middle East.
12. Etc….
I know these people and I can assure you that if Al Qaeda approached them with a bag full of coke and a roll of cash, they would not be persuaded to betray their country. If you say that “too bad, the requirements are rightfully strict.” I would point out that the US government is in no position to have such standards. This is not like applying to be a Navy flier along with many other extremely qualified candidates. I have met people in our intelligence community and they are good people, but they do not compare to someone who speaks Farsi-Dari and Uzbek and has studied the region in-depth for the last five years ...
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