My NSA Polygraphs

I am writing in a moment of despair.  I am 22 years old, fresh out of school, working for a NSA contractor in MD.  I recently took 2 successive NSA polygraphs which, when the paperwork goes through, will end my career and reason for living.

In college I interned at DoD and got a Secret level clearance.  Upon graduating finding a job was quite challenging.  My only leg up proved to be my existing security clearance.  I never wanted to work for the NSA but my current job was the only offer I received which didn’t require going to Iraq. 

When I went in for my polygraph I did not research it, obeying the advice of my coworkers.  The Polygrapher was very nice and the environment professional.  While I was nervous I answered all the questions honestly and confessed to all my minor indiscretions.  I was then called back for another interview a week later.  This was completely different.

My second polygraph in no way resembled the first.  While professional, she convinced me I was already a sure bet and that we just had to get through this process.  “The NSA is not interested in people with no history of indiscretion,” I was told.  “There is a war on and we need smart people that have been around the block.”  Over the course of several hours of talking about every little thing I could think of, I became convinced if I did not come up with some sort of juicy story I would never get cleared.  

I proceeded to tell the Polygrapher everything I had witnessed in my college sorority but in the first person.  I talked about hazing and minor drug use.  While the hazing did not impress her, she lit up when I mentioned drugs.  She wrote down everything meticulously and kept prying for more.  In total I confessed to smoking marijuana about 10 times and using ecstasy once.  By the end of the exam I was mortified.  I couldn’t believe the story I had made up.  I was so eager to please this woman I would have told her I killed Kennedy if she asked.  The truth of the matter is I was always too worried about getting hair tested to join my sisters out on the balcony.  I am a coward.  I almost crashed my car driving home.  I couldn’t believe what had happened.

I now go to work and feel like I am living a lie.  I don’t know what is going to happen.  I am sure I will not get a TS clearance but I am convinced my secret will be revoked as well.  When that happens I will get fired and will never be able to get either a government job or a professional license to do anything.  I am not qualified to do anything else and will be out on the street. 

My life is over.  I can’t believe the manipulation I was put through and how in a matter of hours all my life’s efforts were turned to garbage.  Everything is over.  I don’t know what to do.

Chrissy

You need to get that kind of thinking out of your head. Your polygrapher is not worthy of any thoughts of that nature. Replace your negative thoughts with a little anger and fight. Keep remembering that those people are leaches and vampires that keep their jobs by sucking the blood from innocent and naive applicants. Turn your thoughts and energy toward the U.S. Senate and House. Herein lies the reason for the abominable position in which this nation finds itself. The biggest damage a president does is with his appointment of idiots to key positions in his administration. Our self-serving congress people are supposed to be a check and balance body. I guess they do. They write themselves the checks to balance their check book. About 90% of them need to be replaced with honest people. Write your elected officials, be sure to name your polygrapher, about your experience. Tell them if they can't fight for the suppression of the polygraph, then you will work to defeat them come election.

Chrissy

You interviewed for a position where you would have access to top secret infomation and lied in the interview because you felt that lying would help you get where you wanted to be.  If you can be turned away from the truth that easily, maybe you are not quite ready for TS status.   

pailryder wrote on Aug 6^th, 2008 at 12:13pm:


I felt lying would get me where I wanted to be?  That is not true at all.  I was emotionally distraught, mentally raped and nearing the end of my whits.  How do polygraphers reconcile telling endless amounts of lies and expecting to somehow arrive at the truth?   

If your boss tells you to do something and you don't do it you get fired.  If a polygrapher tells you you have failed and if you just start telling a story you will pass, what shell shocked person wouldn't?   

Then somehow a small utterance to end the hell of the interrogation and suddenly you are a felon for lying on a federal form and lying to a federal officer.  What about going after the federal officer for lying as their career? 

The polygraph is playing with fire.