The National Rifle Association

[CaptHayfever]

^Very true, although polygraphs do have a pretty darn good reliability rate, they are inadmissible in court for exactly the (completely legitimate) reasons you mentioned.
They also don't make a very good interrogation tool because they can only tell you whether or not the subject believes what they're saying; they cannot compel the subject to speak at all, much less speak the truth. And they can also be defeated by a mook who doesn't know the whole/real plan.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Deepfake]

The only thing it takes to fake a polygraph is training and conviction. You aren't imagining that the people who use false identities to enter the country and train as pilots to steal an aircraft in a suicidal attack are well-trained, or faithful in their purpose?

Beside the fact; a captured, known terrorist is unlikely to know the actions of his compatriots after the event of his capture. If he is told what events will take place, the information is likely to be false.

Furthermore, it is unlikely an attacker will be operating with immediate contact to his fellows, considering the tightness of border control. At best, you can expect them being likely to use dead-drops, but there's nothing guaranteeing they maintain communication. If they're in a secure area, like local soil, it would be counter-productive to their goals.

[Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds]

My sister tricked a polygraph. They brought it to her school, and got everyone to try and lie their way through it. Polygraphs only measure your surety in the things you're saying, and the stress levels you are experiencing. If you believe your lies well enough, you can pass the test no problem. If you're not even a little bit uncomfortable with lying, you can pass the test.

If, however, you're scared ****less because you're being questioned after some kind of bad experience, a polygraph won't do crap except measure that you're stressed out of your mind.

"Innocent" people have a lot of reasons not to talk to authorities:

• they have been wrongfully imprisoned/held/charged
• they aren't lawful citizens in another, unrelated matter
• they distrust authorities
• they are anti-authoritarian
• they suspect they are a scapegoat and ANYTHING they say will be twisted against them
• they have no way to genuinely explain their situation
• what they have to say might get them into trouble with other persons (meaning: safer to keep your mouth shut)

and that's just what I can think of off the top of my head. Life isn't as simple as, "if you're innocent, just tell the truth". Lots of people have done exactly that, only to have evidence stacked against them, or planted (even by the authorities). It's not paranoia, and it's not about being suspicious, it's just that it isn't always an easy matter. Sometimes, not speaking is your best option. You have that right.

By getting into a blatantly broken mindset of "silence is admission of guilt", you will be led astray. That implies that someone who is helpful and willing to talk is somehow more likely innocent. Fact is, they might just be smarter than that, and are confident they can get away with whatever they've done. You need to distance yourself from assumptions: they are just the way your mind has decided to "connect the dots", even when the dots aren't there to connect.

CSM also made a VERY important point: terrorists from the Middle East, who are involved in terrorism for reasons of extremist religion believe they will get into their Heaven for their actions. Dying a martyr is one of their highest honours. Sitting there and not telling you one goddamn thing is just extra brownie points for them. You can't use your concept of threats to win against them. They are brainwashed into an extremist mentality. You won't beat them by assuming they work by the same lines of value and logic you do.

On the subject of brainwashing, people can be taught to firmly believe things that are false. Trying to drag the truth from them, via any means (torture, polygraph, "truth serums") will only get you what their perceive is the truth. What they are saying, they absolutely believe to the end of their existance, but it is a fabrication, something that was never genuinely maintained in reality. Even just basic assumptions can morph into the absolute surety of truth, if someone strongly feels their assumption must be factual.

Finally, you have to understand that extreme duress, whether it be mental, emotional, or physical stresses will make people act irrationally. They will admit to things they never did. They will invent scenarios that didn't happen. In the case of torture, they will agree to ANYTHING just to make it stop. That's why it's torture and doesn't work. The mind is instinctively escapist.

tl;dr - No, those means of obtaining "truth" aren't reliable.

[CaptHayfever]

AI & SD raise awesome points that I overlooked. While I was simply thinking of how any generic soldier could beat the system, they were looking specifically at these soldiers, the current combatants fighting the US.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Zaden]

Thanks, all.

they aren't lawful citizens in another, unrelated matter

Dang, I totally forgot about that!

Life isn't as simple as, "if you're innocent, just tell the truth". Lots of people have done exactly that, only to have evidence stacked against them, or planted (even by the authorities).

All I can think of is :(

Saria, a lot of the stuff you said is really depressing, but I can see how it could SO true. I don't think I ever wanna get a job in law enforcement. I mean, I appreciate the work our officers do to protect us, but... that's just not for me.

I've heard about "confession under duress", that's just sad right there.

Haha... I Googled "TL;DR", meaning "Too long; didn't read." Who came up with that? lazy bums... :p

[Deepfake]

^ No problem, hope I don't come off too condescending. It's pretty easy not to see the greater scope of things. The honest reason why these problems can't all be solved with the snap of our fingers is simply that one solution usually contradicts another one of our interests. The biggest issue being that homicides can happen anywhere, and no one's an exception. Living results in death, 100% of the time. The American public is just going to have to grow some balls again, and stop jumping at shadows. When's the last time you were blown up in a terrorist attack? Something must be working right.