Yep, totally. It is also kind of funny as by the fifth or sixth unlisted debt they have no intention to pay, they start asking, do you think this will hurt my clearance chances?
Really have to fight that urge to reply back with something sarcastic.
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I was on TDY 5 years ago and I had a subject who was getting an MBI investigation done (for those of you who remember that format), and they worked in a role involving financial management.
It was about 3+ hours of going through debts that she said she didn’t want to pay. What she said she liked to do was to charge a bunch of debt, (like opening a store charge account at a retail store), max out her limit, not pay it, let it go to collections, then settle the debt for a fraction of what it originally was.
She outright said that she had every intention of doing this in the future because it was “cheaper to buy stuff that way” and admitted that she had no plans to change. She even said, “I am financially irresponsible, that’s just who I am.” She also said, “my husband makes enough money so that when we buy a house, he’ll get the mortgage approved without me being listed on the application, so I don’t really care about my credit score.”
I was so livid, it took all of my willpower to superficially keep my cool.
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And this person was working in financial management? My my my.
Yep! Absolutely blew my mind.
I’ve heard that methodology from several Subject’s in the past. Charge all your cedit cards up every 10 years and then declare bankruptcy and start again. Private schools for the kids, cars, vacations, etc. Sometimes they can squeeze in a bankruptcy between their 10 year Secret update and it doesn’t even have to be listed on the case papers. Arggggggg.
Food for thought, Air Force spin. A female TI with a dedication to fitness…drop dead gorgeous…hardbody…impressive by all accounts. Poses nude for Playboy. It didn’t take long for this to prove a disruption in the military environment. Eventually said TI, model, fitness trainer had to leave the AF. The question that comes up constantly is/was if said person is upfront, tells everyone, hides it from nobody…can they be blackmailed, as that is normally a concern for these things. I say…hard to blackmail a person who isn’t hiding it, and isn’t ashamed of it. However…the military takes a dim view and feels it undermines, morale, discipline, etc. It creates a possible hostile work environment for other females. Contrary to good order and discipline…ended many a teachers career as well.
This stuff has been hanging over women’s heads for decades. It a bit of a double standard. Military men who pose for “Mens Health” probably don’t receive any scrutiny. I"m not sure what the right answer is but I agree being open about the behavior and making sure it’s legal behavior are the best ways to mitigate.
Fitness posing is one thing. Nude for purpose of sexual arousal is a classic vulnerability for male or female. There was a group of gay marines making porn. Ended their careers in same fashion. “Contrary to good order and discipline.” If these actions are anonymous and one finds out it can be used to exploit them.
So there are two separate standards at play here.
One is the standard of the military, which I can’t comment on as each branch is probably different.
The other is the security clearance perspective of “can this be used to blackmail someone?”
I think for that question, we’re going to see some very interesting precedents established in the next few years. With the spread of monetized amateur pornography and even lifestyle / relationship choices such as polyamory becoming (somewhat) less stigmatized, it raises a lot of questions regarding the clearance process and what is a security risk or not.
If someone is involved in anything that may not be 100% socially acceptable, but is legal and doesn’t call into question their judgment, reliability, etc, is it fair to cast moralistic judgments on them, assuming of course that they CANNOT be blackmailed by it?
I don’t know what the answer is either way as I’m not a trained adjudicator, but it will be fascinating to see how this unfolds, and it really underscores the cultural changes in society that some people love and some people hate. Personally I’m just going to be on the sidelines eating popcorn watching it all play out (insert that Michael Jackson meme).
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I agree. At a certain tipping point…I say this with due caution" a generation referred to as “old white men” age and retire. They are replaced with a new generation with different takes on rules, standards and what is or is not accepted, sexuality being one of them. New gender norms are taking hold, use of weed is growing in legality. At a certain point the “collective group” sitting in judgement changes. It will be interesting to watch that. Pass the popcorn…
Absolutely. Literally as far back as we have written records for, the older generations have taken issue with changes brought about by their younger counterparts. I remember reading something written in the early 1800s about how immoral the Waltz (like the ballroom dance) was, so the idea of society “changing” is obviously nothing new.
I’m just curious to see how this plays out in the next 10-15 years, I have a feeling that the tipping point is closer than we may realize.