Imprisoned Polygraph Critic Doug Williams on This American Life Radio Program

[xenonman]

how can one lose SCI access yet still retain a Top Secret clearance?

Isn't SCI considered to be an increment above TS? The two designations are often paired together to form an access level known as TS/SCI.  Usually, the CIA requires "ability" to hold TS/SCI for most of its lackeys.  Hence, I'd imagine that losing an SCI designation would be fatal to any career in Langley.

[Wandersmann]

Isn't SCI considered to be an increment above TS? The two designations are often paired together to form an access level known as TS/SCI.  Usually, the CIA requires "ability" to hold TS/SCI for most of its lackeys.  Hence, I'd imagine that losing an SCI designation would be fatal to any career in Langley.

Correct!  The scam however, involves the fact that when they remove SCI and access, they usually allow one to retain TS.  This is an insincere and deceptive attempt to create the illusion that they haven't ruined an innocent persons life.  It's synonymous with taking away the only existing set of car keys for someone's rare model car and boasting that they still own the car.  

[xenonman]

We will begin putting the cases together and I'll be soliciting people to be a part of the class action

Let us know when you have begun to actively seek out interested individuals for this purpose.   8-)

[John M.]

Seems pretty clear to me.

(bb) Unfavorable administrative action. Adverse action taken as the result of personnel security determinations and unfavorable personnel security determinations as defined in this part.

(cc) Unfavorable personnel security determination. A denial or revocation of clearance for access to classified information; denial or revocation of access to classified information; denial or revocation of a Special Access authorization (including access to SCI); nonappointment to or nonselection for appointment to a sensitive position; nonappointment to or nonselection for any other position requiring a trustworthiness determination under this part; reassignment to a position of lesser sensitivity or to a nonsensitive position; and nonacceptance for or discharge from the Armed Forces when any of the foregoing actions are based on derogatory information of personnel security significance.

[John M.]

Yet DIA is being allowed to circumvent DOD regulations and ones individual rights.

[xenonman]

Seems pretty clear to me.

(bb) Unfavorable administrative action. Adverse action taken as the result of personnel security determinations and unfavorable personnel security determinations as defined in this part.

(cc) Unfavorable personnel security determination. A denial or revocation of clearance for access to classified information; denial or revocation of access to classified information; denial or revocation of a Special Access authorization (including access to SCI); nonappointment to or nonselection for appointment to a sensitive position; nonappointment to or nonselection for any other position requiring a trustworthiness determination under this part; reassignment to a position of lesser sensitivity or to a nonsensitive position; and nonacceptance for or discharge from the Armed Forces when any of the foregoing actions are based on derogatory information of personnel security significance.

It is also crucial to not overlook the problem of "non-selection"/"non-appointment" as it applies in the case of new applicants from wholly outside the IC who are seeking employment within the Community for the first time. 

[xenonman]

Yet DIA is being allowed to circumvent DOD regulations and ones individual rights.

Of course this problem isn't limited to the DIA or elsewhere at DOD!   

[John M.]

Of course this problem isn't limited to the DIA or elsewhere at DOD!

I have no knowledge of this happening elsewhere in DOD, but I do have overwhelming material evidence to show that it is happening at DIA.

As I've said many times on this message board, Inspector Generals at all levels are incapable of stopping them from committing this abuse.  My senators and congressman are so far, unable, or unwilling to get involved.

I've been blowing the damn whistle (banging my head against the wall) for three years now, with only limited success.

I believe Mr. Williams is going to be a force to be reckoned with when he gets out and I plan on having a front row seat.

[Wandersmann]

My senators and congressman are so far, unable, or unwilling to get involved.

They feign sympathy and disbelief when confronted with evidence of abuse and tell victims they will go to bat for them.  They ultimately send a letter to the perpetrators and ask for an explanation and the perpetrators assure them they have done nothing wrong.  It ends there.  It is like asking criminals to voluntarily testify against themselves.  It is ultimately Congress who is responsible for the entire mess.  Their palms are being greased by the polygraph community and they support the polygraph policies because there are way more dolts in the public who believe it works than there are polygraph victims.  Too many of our Congresspersons are whores and chameleons. 

[John M.]

You just nailed it Wandersmann.

The Inspector General system is also a farce.  They're the foxes guarding the hen houses. 

[John M.]

I came to the realization that using the polygraph results as evidence of wrongdoing, is in fact, a human rights violation.

This inherently probabilistic and subjective evaluation must never be used to discriminate truth from lies.

BLUF - False positives produce wrongful convictions.

Check this out - even the APA itself puts the accuracy of a relevant question test at 85% (confidence interval 77% - 93%) with an inconclusive rate of 13%.

http://www.polygraph.org/polygraph-validity-research

That's probably only accounting for the first "test" - wonder what the overall pass rates are for the next four interrogations.  Mine alternated between "No Opinion" and "Significant Response".  I don't care what they say, no matter what you do, you can't un-ring that bell, or get the toothpaste back in the tube.  You are screwed.

Welcome to abuse by polygraph.

[John M.]

It also occurred to me that this policy is a left over from Obamaism.  And just like its brothers Fascism, Socialism, and Communism, it survives by denying human rights.

The populist zeal to root out the next Edward Snowden has overwhelmed the cognitive privacy that is the basis of our political conscience.

Therein lies the duality of this mess.

[Wandersmann]

I came to the realization that using the polygraph results as evidence of wrongdoing, is in fact, a human rights violation.

Examining this wrongdoing provides a wonderful opportunity to understand why our Founding Fathers practiced dueling and gives me an opportunity to praise them now that they are constantly under attack and their customs and philosophies now considered anachronisms.  Human rights violations don't bother me half as much as the concept of taking away a man's honor without any proof.  Now I completely understand the dueling concept and if these spineless rats that falsely condemn innocent people were ever legally challenged on the field of honor the polygraph would go away overnight.  Only a coward would take advantage of a situation where he can be a sanctioned bully and profit thereby.  As a military college graduate who lived under a stringent honor code and former military officer the thought of impugning a man's hard earned reputation and honor through this witchcraft is unthinkable.  Through my polygraph experiences I've learned that the millennial narcissists who are running this country know as much about honor as I know about meringue dancing.  Okay Quickfix, I'm done blathering.  Maybe you can find someone who speaks English at a 2+ or 3 level who can explain to you what I just said. 

[John M.]

Passages from the fascinating book "The History of an American Obsession, The Lie Detectors" by Ken Alder

"The lie detector cannot be killed by science because it is not born of science.  Its habitat is not the laboratory or even the courtroom, but newsprint, film, television, and of course the pulps, comic books and science fiction.  To put it in the more sober language of economics; lie detection is demand-driven."

"The lie detector is not a hoax so much as a mirror of make-believe.  Since the 50's America's sci-fi religion, Scientology, has used the E-Meter – a simple galvanometer – to gauge the spiritual health of initiates as they verify their ascent to "clear."   

Simply substitute "DIA, Office of Security" for "Scientology."

[Wandersmann]

"The lie detector cannot be killed by science because it is not born of science.  Its habitat is not the laboratory or even the courtroom, but newsprint, film, television, and of course the pulps, comic books and science fiction.  To put it in the more sober language of economics; lie detection is demand-driven."

"The lie detector is not a hoax so much as a mirror of make-believe.  Since the 50's America's sci-fi religion, Scientology, has used the E-Meter – a simple galvanometer – to gauge the spiritual health of initiates as they verify their ascent to "clear." 

Simply substitute "DIA, Office of Security" for "Scientology."

Excellent post John M.  This is a perfect summary.  Not to sound cliche, but the polygraph truly is society's fault.   Again, I hearken back to our Founding Fathers. They knew that the masses and pure democracies throughout history have lead to tyranny of the masses.  That is why they emphasized people of high moral character to represent the people in a representative government.  These representatives were supposed to commit political suicide, if necessary, to do what was right.  As we've discussed earlier, we no longer have people of high moral character representing us.