countering the polygraph

[False +]

Stopnik,

I can directly relate to your experience with the CIA. I had a specific issue test with them, to "verify" my stated drug-use of a one-time experience with marijuana. It was without a doubt the most degrading experience of my life. The examiner's conclusion was that I was not only a habitual user (including the eve of the polygraph itself), but also a dealer. He didn't go homosexual on me though, but I assume your polygraph was much longer than the 5 hours I was under, because I was working for a defense contractor and not the CIA itself.

Much like you and Mark have stated, the organizations behind these polygraphs need serious revamping. Since the inertia behind the polygraph ball and chain is so great, these agencies don't want to hear about change, or about anything requiring serious effort. I remember trying to reason with my CIA adjudication officer if it made any sense to her whatsoever that the examiner's accusations were true, given my academic and professional history (and my clean police record etc..). She didn't want to hear about it. The polygraph gives them a nice, simple "pass" or "fail". Any reasoning transcending this model is systematically rejected. It works great for the people that are "IN".

[George W. Maschke]

...
My main point is that now, especially since the NAS report, it reflects very poorly on any organization that continues to use polygraph screening.  Chances are, their myopia and blinkered approach about this particular issue repeats itself in other areas too.  No organization is perfect, each has flaws, but when the evidence is so overwhelming, and the old approach is adhered to nevertheless, there's a problem.

Mark,

I think a key aspect of the problem is that the counterintelligence arms of federal agencies such as the CIA, FBI, and NSA are largely in the hands of buffoons. Polygraph advocate Ed Curran, who wreaked havoc while maladministering counterintelligence for the FBI, CIA, and DOE is a prime example of the problem.

The abolishment of polygraph screening will have to come from the outside: the senior management of these organizations are too corrupt and/or incompetent to make a policy change that would necessarily involve an implicit public admission of a past error of such magnitude.

[Guest]

Do I detect a bit of animosity between Georgie Porgie and Ed Curran? Hmmmm....let's see...was HE the "buffoon" who was managing the FBI program when George crashed and burned?  I think you should try to develop a better relationship with Ed and maybe he will answer some of your questions.  Can't blame him if all you do is attack him (and call him names).  Don't know the gent, but you sure seem to be pretty tough on him.

[Skeptic]

Do I detect a bit of animosity between Georgie Porgie and Ed Curran? Hmmmm....let's see...was HE the "buffoon" who was managing the FBI program when George crashed and burned?  I think you should try to develop a better relationship with Ed and maybe he will answer some of your questions.  Can't blame him if all you do is attack him (and call him names).  Don't know the gent, but you sure seem to be pretty tough on him.

Guest,
Your ignorance is apparent without your explicit admission -- on many levels.

It's obvious that, like so many other pro-polygraph posters here, you know nothing about that on which you comment; rather, your main purpose is merely to incite.

In 'net lingo, therefore, you are a "troll".

Skeptic

[George W. Maschke]

Do I detect a bit of animosity between Georgie Porgie and Ed Curran? Hmmmm....let's see...was HE the "buffoon" who was managing the FBI program when George crashed and burned?...

No. At the time of my FBI pre-employment polygraph, Ed Curran was at CIA.

[Michelle]

Public Servant asks:


Clearly, the polygraph community wants the public to believe that it has the ability to reliably detect countermeasures such as those described in The Lie Behind the Lie Detector.

I have been trying to d/l this and am unable to.  I continue receiving error messages saying I am missing a DLL file or something like that after d/l'ing pdf.  When I try to read the html version it won't open, I keep clicking on the page numbers and nothing happens.

Is there *any* other way to receive this document?

Thanks!