Dear George W. Maschke, or any other knowledgeable maven,

First, thank you for a thoroughly informative website.  Regrettably, I realized the importance of this website only after it was too late.

I was a candidate with the FBI for a critical language.

There is no need to recount the gory details of my "failed" polygraph here.  Similar stories have already been posted in great abundance on these pages.  

Since I have already been raped, as it were, my question is a "triage" question.  After reading the information on this website, I understand that not only will I be blacklisted for life from the FBI, but that I will most likely be unable to obtain any government position requiring a clearance.  It is on this last point that I have a clarification question.

I have also applied for a position with the State Department, and before me lies a typically long and consuming application process.  I am trying to weigh whether it makes sense to continue my application in light of my "negative" FBI polygraph.  

State requires a Secret level clearance for this position.  Normally, passing this is a breeze.  Thus I am tempted to believe that there would be no negative repercussions on my State Department application vis-a-vis my FBI poly "failure"...tempted.  

So, to my question.  Now that the FBI has "failed" me on the polygraph, should I consider all government positions that require a clearance out of bounds, even if the clearance level is low (Secret), and even if the position is not related to intelligence?  I ask this because I am thinking it is possible that non-intelligence related agencies might be less inclined to reject someone simply on the basis of an FBI polygraph.  But I simply do not know.  

Thank you again Mr. Maschke for what is truly a valuable public service.  

Sincerely,

Mr. Bellemont