Re:Something is Fishy about this Whole Story (Score 2, Interesting)

Our government has such a shortage of translators for structural reasons. Many people who do know the languages that our government needs cannot pass the security clearance process needed to grant access to classified information. Having family or significant contacts abroad almost always leads to disqualification. Extensive travel experience in certain regions of the world - such as the Middle East or China - weighs against you. Homosexuality is another deal-breaker. So is credit card debt and past drug use, even if it was a few times you smoked pot in college. If your clearance requires a polygraph, you are even less likely to pass - about 30% of all those who take the test are written off as deceptive, on the basis of a test which has not been statistically validated, and which has been rendered legally invalid as evidence in a court of law. Moreover, poor performance in one of many "interviews" with background investigators - even something as mundane as nervousness - is seen as an indication of potentially treasonous inclinations. Failing to pass one clearance makes it nearly impossible for a candidate to pass any such process in the future.

Because they are rewarded for "catches", investigators have an incentive to make candidates look as bad as they can - hence anything idiosyncratic or out of the ordinary is held under suspicion. This is reinforced by the fact that these investigators are not necessarily the most well educated people around - they only need to take a few month-long courses to qualify for their job.

As a result, the people who do make it through this process are often the more mediocre candidates, those who do not have the curiosity or drive to take risks, intellectual or professional.

The government, despite its grandiose rhetoric about hunting down terrorism, has no real incentive to change. When you are behind the fence, it is virtually impossible to fire you, which means that incompetence runs rampant. The fact that captured documents are being posted online for all the world to see is evidence of this.

I have a Masters in Arabic Linguistics from Georgetown. I am a US citizen. Alongside Arabic, I speak Farsi, Urdu, Spanish, and Chinese. I also work as a software developer developing machine learning technogy. I was turned down for a security clearance because I smoked marijuana in college, 8 years ago. I do not, and cannot work for the government.