The Woo Woo of The Polygraph, Part 2

Yes, I know I was rambling in the first post.  This is sort of organic.

But back to polygraphs.  That word's been tossed around a lot about recently.  People seem to think they are magic. However, the New Lindsey Graham, who seems to have grown a pair over the last few days, actually hit the nail on the head when he fired back at a protester:

A polygraph is about as reliable as a dunking chair.

Ever hear of Gary Ridgeway?  Better known as the Green River Killer.  Passed a polygraph.  A bookend to Gary Ridgeway that you are less likely to to know: Melvin Foster.   Foster, a cabbie, made the mistake of going to police with some suspicions.  They immediately made HIM the prime suspect.  And he flunked a polygraph.  As a consequence YEARS of time and resources were wasted trying to pin the murders on him while Ridgeway went on killing.

Maybe other names are also familiar:  Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen both went through regular polygraph screenings as part of their jobs at the CIA and FBI.  In fact, the final report of the National Academy of Science on polygraphs stated that they were:

“unreliable, unscientific, and biased” and that in national security matters and for law enforcement use, the level of accuracy drops to such a level that “its accuracy in distinguishing actual or potential security violators from innocent test takers is insufficient to justify reliance on its use in employee security screening in federal agencies."

In other words, flip a coin, roll the dice, use phrenology.  While you're at it ask your local psychic to send my hellos to Aunt Martha.  Oh, wait.  I never had an Aunt Martha.  But they won't know that - it's all woo woo. 

And back around to James Randi, in case you were wondering.  In stumbling around Al Gore's Amazing Internet looking for info on the subject, I found an article written just last year by my favorite skeptical investigator - the quote above is from it.  He's 90 now, and still sharp as a tack.  You can read the full article here.  It actually has some pretty concerning information about the growth of the use of something that is so unreliable.

Oh, by the way, you know that pen a lot of places use to check for counterfeit bills?  It's woo woo, too.

P.S. - Before anyone asks, yes I do know James Randi is both an atheist and a homosexual.  My love of his research and his teaching skills do not mean I'd make him a scout master even though his life shows no signs of having an inclination towards minors.  We could have stopped 80 out of every 100 sexual assaults on children by clergy if that one rule could have been followed.