The Security Clearance Bungle

By Jeffery Stone

The average American knows very little about the hidden world of government security clearances. Yet, such a system is crucial  in order to protect our nation's classified information. This very enlightening story is a first hand account of what it's like to go through the process of being investigated for a security clearance. 

 

It can be a highly stressful, isolating, and browbeating trial of one's patience.  Investigators bungle their way through this process at a snail's pace while you are left patiently waiting for years. 

 

There is more information compiled about you than even you know about yourself. Eventually, a final determination is made.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lively Creations
• Release date: Jul 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781735403700

Jeffery Stone

A man of many talents, author Jeffery Stone has a creative mind. As a musician he plays guitars, bass, and keyboards. As a songwriter/poet his works include hundreds of songs, poems and lyrics. He has availed himself to learn whatever tools were necessary to facilitate his creativity. Thus, publisher, recording engineer, and artist/designer can also be added to his list of talents. His first major literary work is his family tree autobiographical. The Jeff Chronicles is an accounting about delightfully discovering unexpected connections of kin. Sticking with what he knows, he then presents us with an experiential documentary. The Security Clearance Bungle uncovers this little publically known topic through first hand experience. Next is a travel documentary chock-full of information. American Foreigner provides an excellent reference about the details of experiencing life in South Korea. Then Stone takes his first dive into the realm of science fictional drama. Mars, Guitars, and Margaritas grips us with a heart warming story of an average guy tackling an unexpected opportunity.  Reaching for meaningful existence, Jeffery Stone has been kind enough to share his creative mind with humanity. He has always aspired to achieve doing what he loves for a living. But perhaps leaving behind a legacy of heartfelt creative works is sufficient. Some are lucky enough to do what they love for a living, while others like Stone make time to live doing what they love.

Book preview

The Security Clearance Bungle

Jeffery Stone

Copyright & Publishing

The Security Clearance Bungle

Jeffery Stone

Copyright 2020 Jeffery Stone (Lively Creations)

Artwork & design ℗© 2020 Lively Creations

eBook/PDF version formats:

Published 2020 Lively Creations

ISBN: 978-1-7354037-0-0

Author's Note:

Disclaimer

I have gone to great lengths to ensure the protection of privacy and information within the confines of narrating my own story. Any disparaging remarks are purely a matter of expressed opinion with regard to such rights as is constitutionally afforded. It is not my intent to defame or deride any person or any institution but to merely express this writer's own views and opinions. My only intent is to document my own actual experience as I feel this will be very helpful to serve the public understanding regarding the details of this topic. I hope you will find this story to be very enlightening and educational.

- Jeffery Stone -

Definition of Bungle:

- a task or action handled in a clumsy, awkward or incompetent way; something that has been mismanaged, handled poorly or inadequately, botched, muffed, or flubbed. -

Preface:

Inane Investigation

The average citizen is very much unaware of the world of government security clearances and how all that works. Generally, most people just think you make a request to get yourself a clearance, wait a few weeks while the government does a quick background check, and then you get your clearance. Unfortunately, it's nothing like that at all, except perhaps for those of political prominence. For the average Joe nobody it can be a painfully long process.

Hopefully the account of my experience dealing with this process will open your eyes to the reality of how this clumsy system truly works, or at least endeavors to work.

From the very onset of this process, you can expect to feel somewhat removed and uninvolved. You cannot simply request your own clearance; it must be requested for you. This is a governmental system that is beyond your control. And there is effectively no means for you to receive communication of status about your own ongoing case. The security clearance background investigation can be a very stressful, isolating, and browbeating trial of one's patience.

It is doubtful that very much of the investigative process is even pertinent to actually providing security. Its primary function seems to be that of just creating an extensive dossier. I believe enormous amounts of time and tax dollars are unduly wasted on documenting a lot of inane details.

While you are left patiently waiting for years, investigators bungle their way through the security clearance process at a snail's pace. Documenting data that may or may not be accurate, this system thrives on compiling huge amounts of paperwork files. The resulting files contain, hands down, way more information about you than even you know about yourself. Eventually, if you have the patience to wait, a final determination is made.

The Security Clearance Bungle

Table of Contents

Copyright & Publishing

Author's Note:  Disclaimer

Definition of Bungle:

Preface:  Inane Investigation

______________________________

Chapter 1  Grilling the Innocent

Chapter 2  How It Works

Chapter 3  The Questionnaire

Chapter 4  Form Factor

Chapter 5  Working Through It

Chapter 6  The Bumpy Bumbling Bungle of things

Chapter 7  Unsolved Mystery

______________________________

End Remarks:  Bungle, Blunder or Joyous Wonder

Glossary of Terms

Back cover artwork

Chapter 1

Grilling the Innocent

What started out as a few innocuous questions that were only supposed to last about two to four hours, turned into a seven and a half hour barrage of intense queries that seemed would never end. Then after being questioned like a common criminal, there were no apologies, no thank you for your time, no good luck gestures, just a cold statement saying that will be all. As I departed their company I was beside myself.

I was left feeling unsettled by their lack of bedside manner and their cold emotionless farewell. I now knew how uneasy it must feel to be under a police grilling for hours upon hours. Even though I was sure that I had done my best to truthfully bring forth all I could possibly recollect, I still left there feeling as if it just wasn't enough to appease their immense hunger for data. Somehow I felt as if I would not be able to satiate their lust for more details about details of the many details. I had done nothing wrong, and yet anyone who would go through such a grueling session would come out of it doubting their own innocence. I had never before in my life gone through this kind of experience. It was definitely not a good karma feeling. I would now highly recommend getting a good night's rest before anyone attempts this kind of marathon questioning. I really regretted making this an early morning appointment.

The day started out like any other day. I woke up, dragged myself out of bed and settled down with a hot cup of coffee. It takes me a little while to wake up. I'm generally kind of slow moving for about a half hour. Then the coffee kicks in nudging my brain a little bit to make me feel more alert. Yes, it's probably caffeine addiction, but this daily java ritual has been my morning routine for many years.

The caffeine is just something I've learned to live with over the years. A long time ago, I tried to quit my intake of caffeine, but I had found that to be too much of a monumental task. My futile efforts lasted almost a full two months. But, I simply could not bear to go without caffeine any longer. I felt like I was walking around in a fog during the entire period. No matter how much I slept, I always still felt sleepy. Seriously, I did not feel fully awake for the nearly two months of my effort to try to quit caffeine. So I just gave up, and I accepted the fact that I was hooked on caffeine, and the coffee drinking thing was just going to be a daily part of my life. Every morning I am comforted by my daily jolt of java; it's like meeting up with an old friend that I know so very well. In times when I was alone and unattached, it served as my morning wake up buddy, like a friend that would always be there for me no matter what else was going on in my life. Eventually the caffeine kicks in and it gets me going, ready to roll through another day.

This morning was particularly brutal. I had only gotten four hours of sleep, and the caffeine was just a temporary fix for the lack of rest. I work second shift, and I typically arrive back home from work around one or two in the morning. Then of course I am usually up for several more hours to shower and unwind. Working the evening shift means my leisure time at home is typically in the middle of the night when most people are sleeping. This is cool with me. I like the quiet and calm atmosphere at night, and I've grown quite accustomed to keeping these hours.

I do like to enjoy my time at home seeing as I invest a huge portion of my income to having an abode. I know that there are some folks who spend very little of their time at home because they are always on the go. I myself am pretty much a homebody. A third of my life is spent at work and another third of my life is spent asleep just getting my rest to be able to work. Basically two-thirds of my life is devoted to ensuring I have a home of residence. So, I try to savor as much of my time at home as is possible.

I had gone to bed about 3:30 am that night which was fairly earlier than normal. It is not unusual for me to be up until around five sometimes even six in the morning. I am kind of spoiled working this late shift and staying up late at night. It's just what I've gotten used to doing. But on this day I had made a 9:00 am appointment to be interviewed for my security clearance. So, I had to set my alarm for 7:30 in order to be sure