I will try be very faithful and accurate as to the facts and emotions in the best interest of TRUTH, Justice and hopefully our National Security… Please read it carefully…  Thank you!...

Let me start by confessing that I am probably one  of those in the mainstream who, only 2 weeks ago, had dismissed good sites like antipolygraph.org as just a bunch of “conspiracy theory” looney kazoony fanatics spewing “unsupportable” false accusations about our “well meaning” Government.

Let me also assert that I am a proud naturalized U.S. Citizen… VERY PROUD to be an American!... VERY patriotic and I LOVE this country very much!...  I am an Arab American leading a very simple, low key, life... but, God bless America, a good and fulfilling life…  

I applied for a Contract Linguist with the FBI almost a year ago because I wanted to do the “RIGHT thing for my country”….  I do not need the money… The “lame” and mediocre $39 hourly rate with “NO benefits”, "NO PENSION" and most likely NO 'loyalty" nor "Thank You's" at the end... was definitely NO motivation…  but  I know that the FBI (and almost every other Agency) had a severe shortage of “good” Arabic Linguists leaving our country with an enormous backlog of non-translated tapes and documents that may seriously be compromising our National Security!... I am uniquely qualified because I combine excellent command of the English language with highly advanced comprehension of Arabic in most of its dialects… in addition to my highly critical and analytical mind and other valuable skills...

The folks at the FBI were just awesome… very pleasant… family-type folks… and all together “good people”…  During my written and oral exams and national security interview, they made me feel part of the “family”…  I successfully passed ALL the language tests, the national security interview and submitted extensive paperwork…  I just had  one last “simple” step… The Polygraph examination… 

I was a little nervous, because “examinations” always cause me natural anxiety, but I was highly confident that I will pass the Polygraph test  and start helping out the FBI… Never in my life have I been in contact with ANY foreign intelligence service nor would I EVER do ANYTHING to harm the U.S.

The Polygraph test was anything but simple… The Polygrapher, while “preparing” me, read the various questions... and one of them was “have you ever lied to someone who loved and trusted you”… Not being Mother Theresa,  and thinking of times when I had to “tell a lie here and there to my little child to avoid a tantrum” or tell other lies “some spouses tell their spouses”… I honestly responded “well, you know,  everybody lies sometimes”…  He IMMEDIATELY, with piercing eyes, instructed me “No… not everybody lies... the answer is No… you do not lie to someone who loves and trusts you”… Something IMMEDIATELY felt very uncomfortable and wrong...  I did not know what it was at the time.... but it felt ALL wrong... At the time, I did not know what a “control question” or “manipulation” were… I “trusted” that I am in “good hands” among “family” and all I wanted to do was to be cooperative, follow instructions and honestly respond to questions… Well.. the way he “instructed me” offended my sensitivity and insulted my intelligence… YES, as childish as that may sound, “he hurt my feelings”… I am a very sensitive man… a follower of positive energy and do not react well to deception and negative energy… He left a bitter taste in my mouth because, after analyzing this for over  a week now, he violated the delicate trust I placed in the FBI personnel…

What was supposed to be a simple test became an emotional roller coaster…. The  relevant question was longer (and had words that I am not accustomed to hearing every day) than all the other “short” irrelevant or control questions…. and, subconsciously, I felt or perhaps imagined that his tone of voice was intimidating and borderline accusatory even though on a conscious level I did not hear him change his tone…so the moment he “started” to ask the “relevant” national security question, I IMMEDIATELY was aroused JUST from listening to the "long question"… then quickly felt intimidated by the question… then my emotional cascade heightened and subconsciously I was upset or better frustrated because my patriotism was in question…  During the 20-30 seconds of silence… Oh God!…  I was “subconsciously” so filled with uncontrollable anxiety of fear that “I may screw up on the test”… I know it was NOT Othello’s effect as I was not afraid of being accused of lying…  It was just uncontrollable and “unexplainable” anxiety… 

After doing the test a few times, the ULTIMATE slap in the face came in his words when he unhooked me from the machine… sat me down and with piecing eyes and intimidating ACCUSATORY tone said: “Listen, I have NO doubt in my mind that you have been in contact with foreign intelligence service… you are known all over the world and traveled to many countries, etc… etc... ”  What do you say to such bogus and UNEXPECTED accusation? I was shocked, fearful but somewhat summoned the strength to calmly tell him “I have never in my life been in contact with any intelligence service… I am a simple man... leading a simple life"… I swore to him in the name of God, in the name of Jesus and in the name of my own little child… This got repeated for a couple of minutes... where I was TRAUMATIZED and reduced from “a highly intelligent, “good American”, patriotic, well-meaning helpful Arab American wanting to do the RIGHT thing” to “Carlos the terrorist”… Finally, he backed off and said “you seem like a nice guy”… and started to explain to me what may follow, possible retest, etc… and wishing me well with my child… shaking hands with me… etc.. 

Well, now I have NO doubt in MY mind that the Polygraph is nothing but FLAWED and UNRELIABLE science "CUM Lousy"... and, while it MAY have some very narrow scope "investigative" value, it should NOT be used by the FBI or anyone else as a RELIABLE measure of deception nor Truth for that matter… 

Also, now I have NO doubt in my mind that HONEST, DECENT, PATRIOTIC Americans by the thousands are failing Polygraph tests right and left and UNNECESSARILY being disenfranchised,  traumatized and FALSELY accused of lying.  This is SHAMELESSLY and NEGLIGENTLY depriving our country of valuable human resources  while allowing “hardened spies” to infiltrate our most sensitive agencies.  It does NOT take rocket science for the bad guys who are most likely very well trained to “lie” and deceive…  to “exaggerate” their emotional responses to the “easily” identifiable control questions… thereby camouflaging the emotional response to the relevant questions…  and easily passing the Polygraph Test with Gold Stars!

Well, here I am adding my voice to yours… here I am … just another example of the ENORMOUS harm that Polygraph is causing our nation…

Thank you John...

My point exactly!... The "trauma" of the 2 minutes took away 99% of the "romantic notion" of doing the right thing and being of service to my country...

Most importantly, whether I failed or not, the polygraph NOT being "exact" nor "reliable" science should NEVER be given the enormous weight the FBI and other agencies attribute to it in accepting or rejecting applicants to National Security positions!.... It is flat out "perplexing"!!!!... 

What is alarming is that although it is a tragedy of enormous proportion to falsely accuse thousands of "good people" of lying and  unnecessarily disenfranchise them, I am horrified by how easily the "bad guys" can be trained to beat the polygraph!... 

It is my opinion that such blind faith in the polygraph is intellectually bankrupt, it is NOTHING short of bureaucratic and flat out lazy!...  In search of the TRUTH... nothing holds true but the TRUTH itself!... In my case, and seemingly in the case of THOUSANDS  of other honorable and patriotic Americans, the polygraph did NOT give the FBI the TRUTH nor did it give justice to our National Security.

If the X-Ray machine repeatedly misdiagnosed lung cancer in 50% of the patients, would you RELY on it to diagnose lung cancer?

Perplexed:

You ought to be pleased that in this country, after you get your feelings hurt you have the right to complain about it. Try doing the same thing in an Arabic country.

retcopper wrote on Feb 27^th, 2006 at 10:39pm:



Yup!... God bless America! ... Well ain't it just groovy how we, Americans, allow even people like you to exercise their right to "speak aloud and remove all doubt”?  

Perplexed:

You're right, GOD BLESS AMERICA and every federal security agency and police froce in this country.  I am glad and proud as hell that we have the FBI and the CIA to protect us.  I have a question. If the big bad FBI "hurt your feelings"  then why don't you leave this country and go live in the middle east and complain abut them. Of course George will say I'm patronizing and being trite but guess what, 90% of Americans feel this way.

Perplexed,

So sorry to hear what happened to you. I would say that you may have been inconclusive on the national security portion of the test. An applicant deemed inconclusive on the drug portion of the test usually receives a retest, though he/she won't be allowed to pass it. Whether you will be retested on national security is a different matter. The agency may decide to forgo additional testing in your case. It appears that at least some applicants deemed INC on national security are not being retested in those areas, only for "failures" in the drug use series. That was the case with me and others on this board, offering additional proof that the FBI's polygraph appeal process is a total sham.    

"The  relevant question was longer (and had words that I am not accustomed to hearing every day) than all the other “short” irrelevant or control questions…."

I find it odd that you are well-spoken, intelligent, but could not become "accustomed" to certain words you don't hear every day.  What didn't you understand? Foreign? Intelligence? Service?

quickfix wrote on Feb 28^th, 2006 at 11:46pm:



Thank you quickfix... I am both well spoken and intelligent... I live a simple, stress-free life in a quaint All-American neighborhood and surround myself with positive "good people" and keep away from negative energy.

What is TRULY odd here is that you neither saw nor mentioned that I am also highly patriotic... and I LOVE the USA.

It is unfortunate that, in your rush to judgement, you misconstrued the "delicate" distinction between "understanding the meaning of words" and "not being accustomed to hearing them"... but that's OK...  I glanced through your other posts and I can see why!... but I will treat you with respect unless you give me reasons not to.

I made my post in good faith and TOTAL ACCURACY in my conscious effort to HELP others as well as seek "reliable information" and "accurate answers" for the following reasons:

1.  While I did not believe it two weeks ago, I now KNOW beyond ANY doubt that the Polygraph is highly INACCURATE!...  It was inaccurate in my case and I can FULLY understand how it can easily be inaccurate in many other cases...

2. I do NOT need to defend my patriotism!!!...  I KNOW how highly patriotic I am and so do the people who know me!... I have NEVER been in contact with ANY foreign intelligence service, nor do I intend to... and I NEVER will do anything to harm the U.S.  I am just trying to help myself "understand" why I physiologically reacted to the relevant question.  I am NOT a psychologist nor an expert in this field... I have received many explanations from well meaning people from “you are a sensitive person”… to “you are high strung”... to “you are brilliant and your mind works at 2,000 rpm in anticipation of a question”… to what have you… The 2 pertinent facts I have now are that the Polygraph was completely INACCURATE in my case and that I do NOT know why I reacted to such questions. 

3.      I CANDIDLY described how I felt and what happened and tried to draw some initial hypotheses following the Scientific Method.

So, in view of the above, I sincerely thank those who have given me useful information and urge others to focus INTELLIGENTLY on this delicate topic and be HELPFUL to my "good faith" efforts to expand my knowledge.  It is NOT an invitation to the dogs of society to come howling and babbling senselessly... nor is it a license for anyone to knock down the USA and its fine agencies INCLUDING the FBI!... Those who have the intellectual competence to bring patriotic and constructive criticism in the best interest of our country are welcome....