Add to the list: Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oregon.

Irish

Federal laws are controlling. States like Oregon, which have a law permitting the growing of mj with a prescription for personal use, the feds still raid the prescription growers and they are charged. The same goes for federal agencies operating in any state. The feds can even prevent states from enforcing their own federal laws. Look what happened to Arizona's immigration law. It's the same damn law that was passed by congress in Washington. D. C. and neither the Bush nor Obama administration would/will enforce it. We the people have played dead far too long and the feds has gained enough power that they are now throwing dirt in our faces. What has happened so far is just a drop in the bucket unless WE THE PEOPLE give them some attitude adjustment and rearrange some faces in Washington.

Mr Smith

I am breaking my self imposed ban for this one post, not to argue with you or to contradict your opinion, but simply to offer my observations on the state of polygraph today and for the future.   The demise of polygraph has been predicted before.  EPPA was to be the end of private testing yet 22 years later the private sector is alive and growing.  One example is the growing use in sex offender treatment and containment programs.

International growth is increasing.  A significant number (my guess at least one third) of new applicants for membership in the American Polygraph Association are from examiners outside of the U.S.  Read the chapter on police use of polygraph in Japan in Kliner's Handbook for an excellent example of a technique that even the late Dr Lykken favored.  I am sure Dr Maschke will correct me if I overstated this.

Thanks in part to this site, the polygraph community is more committed than ever to following the scientific model, whenever possible. An example www.oss3.info.  Yes, I know you could do astrology on computer, but that article does not sound like fake science to me.

Indeed, it seems to me, that this site is behind the times.  I offer as proof the depiction on the home page of a test using equipment  from twenty years ago.  Not a single examiner in my state uses the analog polygraph, not one!  People, especially young people who have visited this site, often come to my office expecting an analog and are surprised to see that they face a computerized collection and scoring system.  Why not update your cartoon to accurately depict the equipment used today?    

EPPA was needed and, in my opinion, improved greatly the use of polygraph in the private workplace.  But if the protections of EPPA are to be extended to the governmental workplace, which political party will advance that cause?  Repubs will buy the national security argument.  Demos?  I think poly is far from the top of their agenda.  

pailryder wrote on Aug 20^th, 2010 at 2:46pm:

Both sides are still allowed to post here.  I am certain you know that.

I know that some polygraph supporters have been booted from this site after repeated violations of the posting policy, but even this site's detractors should be able to recognize that opposing points of view are not censored here.

pailryder wrote on Aug 20^th, 2010 at 2:46pm:


It's hard to improve on what is already garbage.

You're a polygrapher, and therefore in my experience are inclined to believe what you wish, without regard to actual evidence.

It might be that the use of these pseudo-tests are on the rise, but the truth about them is also on the rise.

I consider what you do profoundly immoral, and unethical. Nazis used similar arguments to yours: what we're doing is more and more supported by science, the world is behind us, etc.
That doesn't make what they did right.

....how did that happen?  In any case back on topic, to respond to Irish, this isn't a case so much where Federal law supersedes state law, it's rather the fact that the Federal gov is not subject to state law.  Although the NSA is located in Maryland (and presumably it's employees pay MD state income tax) the NSA is NOT PART of Maryland, hence they do not have to abide by MD state law, assuming the law will interfere with the NSA's duties i.e. to polygraph folks.

I think Minnesota also disallows the polygraph for employment purposes.

Just an accountant wrote on Aug 25^th, 2010 at 4:17am:


Frankly the MD anti-polygraph law is a big joke.  First, at least 80% of all IT jobs within a 20 mile radius of NSA require a full scope poly.  And these are private sector jobs doing contract work with NSA, so its not like they are even government employees.  I've applied for a few of these types of jobs and it cracks me up when I sign a form that says it is illegal for my employer to request that I take a polygraph, but at the same time I might receive a job offer contingent upon being granted a TS/SCI clearance w/full scope poly.

I've also heard that at least some local police forces in MD are also forced to submit to polys.