PentaFed came to this discussion
maintaining that "When requesting a clearance of this level an applicant should be willing to discuss anything about himself." However, when I brought to his attention Stephen J. MacKellar's
letter conceding that Onesimus had in fact been asked inappropriate questions, PentaFed
fell back to the argument that, "If [Onesimus] had issues with what was being requested he should have complied and THEN made his complaints." It seems that this remains the crux of PentaFed's position.
I could agree with PentaFed that if an applicant's number one priority is to get a security clearance and job at any cost, then it is probably in his best interest to answer any question asked, no matter how inappropriate. And polygraphers for such agencies as the CIA and NSA do routinely ask very inappropriate questions.
One CIA applicant reports regarding his pre-employment polygraph interrogation:
Quote:During this series of questions I really lose it. The interrogation focuses on deviant sexual behavior. I'm unsure what he's fishing for and ask him to clarify. He explains deviant sexual behavior as any sex acts other than what is known as the missionary position. That strikes me as ridiculous and I ask him if he's kidding. Of course, he's not. The interrogator wants to know how many sex partners I have had; how many of them are married; if I have ever contracted sexually transmitted diseases, if so, how often, where, when. Have I ever paid for sex, when, where. Have I ever participated in sm., bondage, bestiality. What sort of positions. You name it, he wants to know.
And as noted in
The Lie Behind the Lie Detector, another CIA applicant was asked, among other things, the following questions:
- Do you masturbate?
- What do you think about while masturbating?
- Have you ever had sex with another man?
- Have you ever thought about having sex with another man?
- Why did your wife leave you?
- Couldn’t you satisfy your wife sexually?
- Has she or any other woman accused you of being unable
to satisfy them? - Have you ever thought about having sex with your mother?
I think the appropriate response of any freedom-loving American to such questions should be, "crappity smack you, asshole!" accompanied with the traditional hand and arm signal.
To those who think such questions are appropriate, or that anyone seeking a security clearance should willingly answer them, I suggest that you consider whether you might not make a happy cog in the machinery of a police state.