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

Dear TC,

Thank you for sharing your insight.

In my paperwork I admitted to a certain incident that I did as a minor a long time ago.  When cross-questioned about this incident, it occurred to me that I might have honestly forgotten one or two details that were minor.  The FBI man then asked me to write a "clarification", which in my naiveté I was only too happy to do.   

Separately, he pushed me into admitting what were essentially small character flaws/poor decision making.  These he did not ask me to write down. 

Cheers,

Mr. Bellemont

Quote:


Character flaws and poor decision making?  Have you considered running for office or becoming a government bureaucrat?   

TC

T.M. Cullen wrote on Nov 12^th, 2008 at 6:48am:


Unfortunately, my embarrassing flaws and poor decision making are no match for some of the more colorful transgressions of certain politicians.

Best wishes TC,

Mr. Bellemont