The School Recruiting Program Handbook: Uncle Sam Really Wants You!

[Nbadan]

With the situation in Iraq deteriorating and the willingness of Americans to serve in the armed forces declining, a little-known Army publication called the "School Recruiting Program Handbook" is becoming increasingly important, and controversial.

The handbook is the recruiter's bible, the essential guide for those who have to go into the nation's high schools and round up warm bodies to fill the embarrassingly skimpy ranks of the Army's basic training units.

The handbook declares forthrightly, "The goal is school ownership that can only lead to a greater number of Army enlistments."

What I was not able to find in the handbook was anything remotely like the startlingly frank comments of a sergeant at Fort Benning, Ga., who was quoted in the May 30 issue of The Army Times. He was addressing troops in the seventh week of basic training, and the paper reported the scene as follows:

" 'Does anybody know what posthumous means?' Staff Sgt. Andre Allen asked the 150 infantrymen-in-training, members of F Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment.

"A few hands went up, but he answered his own question.

" 'It means after death. Some of you are going to get medals that way,' he said matter-of-factly, underscoring the possibility that some of them would be sent to combat and not return."

That's the honest message recruits get once they're in. The approach recommended by the recruiting handbook is somewhat different. It's much softer. Recruiters trying to sign up high school students are urged to schmooze, schmooze, schmooze.

"The football team usually starts practicing in August," the handbook says. "Contact the coach and volunteer to assist in leading calisthenics or calling cadence during team runs."

"Homecoming normally happens in October," the handbook says. "Coordinate with the homecoming committee to get involved with the parade."

Recruiters are urged to deliver doughnuts and coffee to the faculty once a month, and to eat lunch in the school cafeteria several times a month. And the book recommends that they assiduously cultivate the students that other students admire: "Some influential students such as the student president or the captain of the football team may not enlist; however, they can and will provide you with referrals who will enlist."

It's not known how aware parents are that recruiters are inside public high schools aggressively trying to lure their children into wartime service. But not all schools get the same attention. Those that get the royal recruitment treatment tend to be the ones with students whose families are less affluent than most.

Schools with kids from wealthier families (and a high percentage of collegebound students) are not viewed as good prospects by military recruiters. It's as if those schools had posted signs at the entrances saying, "Don't bother." The kids in those schools are not the kids who fight America's wars.

Now, with the death toll in Iraq continuing to mount, it's getting harder to sign up even the less affluent kids. So the recruitment effort in the target schools has intensified. Recruiters, already driven in some cases to the brink of nervous exhaustion, are following the handbook guidelines more rigorously than ever.

"If you wait until they're seniors, it's probably too late," the book says. It also says, "Don't forget the administrative staff. ... Have something to give them (pen, calendar, cup, donuts, etc.) and always remember secretary's week, with a card or flowers."

The sense of desperation is palpable: "Get involved with local Boy Scout troops. Scoutmasters are typically happy to get any assistance you can offer. Many scouts are [high school] students and potential enlistees or student influencers."

One of the many problems here is that adolescents should not be hounded by military recruiters under any circumstances, and they shouldn't be pursued at all without the full knowledge and consent of parents or guardians.

Let the Army be honest and upfront in its recruitment. War is not child's play, and warriors shouldn't be assembled through the use of seductive sales pitches to youngsters too immature to make an informed decision on matters that might well result in their having to kill others, or being killed themselves.

Bob Herbert, NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/16/opinion/16herbert.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&oref=login)

[Clandestino]

been doing this for YEARS.. :rolleyes

[Useruser666]

OMG they have undercover agents imbeded inside highs schools all over the nation! They make the kids wear military style uniforms, march in drills, and practice handling rifles! I've heard the secret name for this organization is something like ROTC! I don't know that that stands for, but I bet it isn't good! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[Nbadan]

OMG they have undercover agents imbeded inside highs schools all over the nation! They make the kids wear military style uniforms, march in drills, and practice handling rifles! I've heard the secret name for this organization is something like ROTC! I don't know that that stands for, but I bet it isn't good! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Since when is it OK for recruiters to solicite cub scouts? They aren't in ROTC. Ah yes, the chicken-hawks in the forum will do anything to support the war started by their glorious leader, except put their own asses on the line.

[desflood]

Cub Scouts are small. Many Boy Scouts are in high school and therefore fair game. Don't substitute words.

[Useruser666]

Since when is it OK for recruiters to solicite cub scouts? They aren't in ROTC. Ah yes, the chicken-hawks in the forum will do anything to support the war started by their glorious leader, except put their own asses on the line.

What the hell are you talking about Dan? Are the recruiters going to take a boy scout and send him to Iraq? No, right? So what's the big deal? OMG! They told them about the military, they talked about serving when they get older! Oh the humanity! Recruiters must really scare you Dan.

PS- Recruiters don't just recruit from the ROTC, they recruit from any eligable group that can serve.

[Clandestino]

The Boy Scouts and the military have been working together for a LONG TIME... why does dan think everything is brand new...

In fact, an Eagle Scout can join the military as an E-2 instead of E-1.

[SWC Bonfire]

Since when is it OK for recruiters to solicite cub scouts? They aren't in ROTC. Ah yes, the chicken-hawks in the forum will do anything to support the war started by their glorious leader, except put their own asses on the line.

One of my best friends was an Eagle scout. He seriously considered going into the millitary. He became an orthopedic surgeon instead.

Don't bag on people because they didn't serve. They may have had talents that were more in demand elsewhere. My buddy ended up spending a large amount of his residency in VA hospitals, treating veterans. Would he have done that as a rifleman?

You don't have to serve in the millitary to respect the soldiers & our president, and the effort being put forth by OUR COUNTRY.

[mookie2001]

^ i agree with bonfire on the you shouldnt scoff people who didnt serve. i see this more and more from people especially in wartime, its like you cant have an opinion on the war unless youre a vet?

BUT
what do the boyscouts and the military have in common anyway besides that they do things outdoors and wear a uniform?

[Clandestino]

^ i agree with bonfire on the you shouldnt scoff people who didnt serve. i see this more and more from people especially in wartime, its like you cant have an opinion on the war unless youre a vet?

BUT
what do the boyscouts and the military have in common anyway besides that they do things outdoors and wear a uniform?

i was never a boyscout, but i know they learn first aid, marksmanship and other shit that is taught in basic... plus, you probably aren't a schmuck if you're a boyscout and the military wants quality people...

[jalbre6]

BUT
what do the boyscouts and the military have in common anyway besides that they do things outdoors and wear a uniform?

I was waiting for a punchline involving horny clammy-hand Scoutmasters that live with their mothers and something to do with pup tents. Very disappointing, mookie.

[Useruser666]

^ i agree with bonfire on the you shouldnt scoff people who didnt serve. i see this more and more from people especially in wartime, its like you cant have an opinion on the war unless youre a vet?

BUT
what do the boyscouts and the military have in common anyway besides that they do things outdoors and wear a uniform?


The Boy Scouts are very similar to the military. Besides what Clan already stated, they are organized groups of people with different ranks. They both can work in groups to accomplish goals, and both learn very similar skills at the basic level. Much of what being a Boy Scout is about, revolves around serving the community. Very much like a national guard for kids. Many military leaders have been Boy Scouts and went on to become presidents. There are just many similarities.

[Nbadan]

Exactly how many Scout-Masters does it take to differentiate between who qualifies to be a cub scout and a boy scout?

:vomit

Eh, the real point is that we are way behind in recruiting numbers for 05...


The Army has missed its recruiting targets since February and last month unexpectedly lowered its benchmark from 8,050 to 6,700 recruits and still only reached 75 percent of that downsized goal. The National Guard and Reserve have suffered a similar 25 percent shortfall. These recruiting declines are largely why the Army has only 35,000 of the 80,000 troops needed to rotate into Iraq and elsewhere next year.

The lagging numbers, a product of inflexible military policies and an increasingly unpopular war in Iraq, have forced a full-blown recruiting crisis. Last month the Army added 1,200 recruiters, boosted its advertising budget, upped enlistment bonuses from $6,000 to $20,000 per recruit and even offered $50,000 in low-rate home mortgages. They've also slashed the enlistment period from two years to 15 months and raised the eligible age for National Guard and Reserves from 35 to 39. In an attempt to plug the hole, the Army is recruiting more high-school dropouts with lower test scores. Applicants who score in the 10th to 30th percentile range on the military's standardized aptitude test are now being accepted at higher rates. Making matters worse, junior Army leaders are quitting after their enlistment.

The effects have been alarming. For the first time in twenty years, the Army suspended recruiting on May 20 to hold a full day of ethics training for its recruiters. The ethical breaches include "the recruitment of a mentally ill young man in Ohio and a recruiter in Houston who threatened to arrest an applicant if he failed to join," the New York Times reported. The abuses, said top Army recruiter Michael Rochelle, "were just flying under my radar." Reported recruiting improprieties are up 60 percent since 1999, with recruiters themselves suffering from stress-related illnesses, damaged marriages and suicidal thoughts.

more...Yahoo News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/133516)

If you were a recruiter, how low would you go to meet your monthly quota?

[Useruser666]

Exactly how many Scout-Masters does it take to differentiate between who qualifies to be a cub scout and a boy scout?

:vomit

Eh, the real point is that we are way behind in recruiting numbers for 05...



more...Yahoo News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/133516)

If you were a recruiter, how low would you go to meet your monthly quota?

The real point is, that as per your usual inability to stand by your first posting, you change topics to something else. Good job.

[Clandestino]

one of the reasons they military was behind in the first place was because they raised recruitment goals.

[GopherSA]

Since when is it OK for recruiters to solicite cub scouts? They aren't in ROTC. Ah yes, the chicken-hawks in the forum will do anything to support the war started by their glorious leader, except put their own asses on the line.

Typical left-winger. CHANGE the line to upgrade the nature of the perceived problem.

IT WASN'T CUB SCOUTS, comrade, IT WAS BOY SCOUTS!

And...if you're unware, some Boy Scouts are old enough to join the military.

[Spurminator]

What?! We're recruiting Brownies?!?!

[Nbadan]

The real point is, that as per your usual inability to stand by your first posting, you change topics to something else. Good job.

Who's backing off? I stand by my original contention that recruiters are going to desperate measures to meet recruiting goals because 'young conservatives' want other people to fight their wars.

[Nbadan]

Typical left-winger. CHANGE the line to upgrade the nature of the perceived problem.

IT WASN'T CUB SCOUTS, comrade, IT WAS BOY SCOUTS!

And...if you're unware, some Boy Scouts are old enough to join the military.

Who cares? Recruiters aren't hitting Reagan or Churchill because they know they have a snowballs chance in hell of signing new recruits, but I bet they are hitting the hell out of Sam Houston and South San with this new Recruiting Program Handbook.

[Clandestino]

nbadan, you are fucking dumb and make shit up out of nowhere.. all high schools are hit by recruiters. high schools give lists of graduation seniors to recruiters... this has been going on for decades... it is NOTHING NEW!

[SWC Bonfire]

I've even heard that you have to register your name with some secret government entity known only as the "Selective Service" when you're 18. Damn evil conservatives!:lol

[gophergeorge]

He will NEVER cease to amaze me.....

[desflood]

Who's backing off? I stand by my original contention that recruiters are going to desperate measures to meet recruiting goals because 'young conservatives' want other people to fight their wars.
Last I checked, there were many more "young conservatives" in the military than "young liberals." If that's not what you meant, better find another way to phrase it.

[AFE7FATMAN]

Hey if the recruiters can go into the High Schools and get the folks to sign up
then we won't need a draft-which this time might include some rich white folks and all those liberals hiding out in College for five/six years making D's
and getting deferments.

Sounds OK to me.

[GopherSA]

Who cares? Recruiters aren't hitting Reagan or Churchill because they know they have a snowballs chance in hell of signing new recruits, but I bet they are hitting the hell out of Sam Houston and South San with this new Recruiting Program Handbook.

Again, tossing out an opinion, not grounded in fact, but elevated in Chicken Little style liberal rhetoric.

It's so sadly predictable.

[hunter-thereckoning]

do they recruit for gucci?
im in high school so are some boy scouts and recruiters

[Nbadan]

Again, tossing out an opinion, not grounded in fact, but elevated in Chicken Little style liberal rhetoric.

It's so sadly predictable.

:rolleyes

Where are your facts?

http://icasualties.org/oif/images/US_City.jpg

Sure looks to me like Blue States have lost more Mericans' in Iraq than red states.

[MannyIsGod]

They aren't hitting Regan, Clark, or Churchill as hard as they hit schools like Jay, South San, and Edgewood. And the obvious reasons are there, because the students in schools where the people are "better off" don't need the military's GI bill and other benefits.

And even if they stand to beneift from the programs they offer, the chances are that they've grown up in a different environment where it just doesn't seem as attractive.

Recruiters do what they have to do to meet their job. You all know that there are recruiters that will flat out lie to you and tell you things in order to meet their goals while not worrying about YOUR future. I know, I met with many of them. I once scored damn near a perfect score on the ASVAB in HS and dealt with recruiter visits and phone calls for the next 2 years.

They have a job to do, and I respect that. But I just fear for the kids - and they are meeting with kids - that run into a recruiter more concerned with meeting a quota than doing things the right way.

[Nbadan]

Last I checked, there were many more "young conservatives" in the military than "young liberals." If that's not what you meant, better find another way to phrase it.

From what I have read Officers in the military are largely Conservative for obvious reasons (think; big military budgets), but a majority of the grunts that do the dangerous work continue to lean more Progressive - after their parents political inclinations.

[Useruser666]

:rolleyes

Where are your facts?

http://icasualties.org/oif/images/US_City.jpg

Sure looks to me like Blue States have lost more Mericans' in Iraq than red states.

Gee I wonder why most recruits are from these areas?

Hmmmm.....


http://factfinder.census.gov/leg2/24/38424224.gif
Population Density Map


Oh, I know now, it's because most people live in these areas!!! Try again Dan.

[desflood]

From what I have read Officers in the military are largely Conservative for obvious reasons (think; big military budgets), but a majority of the grunts that do the dangerous work continue to lean more Progressive - after their parents political inclinations.
From what I saw, military from top to bottom of the pay scale were mostly conservative. The civilians working for the military, however, were majority liberal.

[Clandestino]

yeah, i'd say most of the military leans towards the republicans... bigger defense budgets equal higher pay...

and recruiters have been lying since the beginning of time... nothing new there.

[MannyIsGod]

and recruiters have been lying since the beginning of time... nothing new there.
I wasn't saying it's new, I'm saying it's bad.

[Clandestino]

but everyone knows recruiters lie and if it is not in the contract, you are not getting it...

[MannyIsGod]

No, everyone doesn't know that recruiters lie. How the hell are you going to excuse a liar either way? These kids look up to the recruiters as someone who knows whats best for them. I don't mind what recrutiers do as long as they are honest with the kids. I had recruiters tell me all kinds of bullshit stories while badmouthing every other service. I knew better, but many people don't. They're so wide eyed at the shit thats told it's messed up.

Either way, I don't know if there's much that people can do about it other than be aware and understand what you're getting yourself into.

[Useruser666]

No, everyone doesn't know that recruiters lie. How the hell are you going to excuse a liar either way? These kids look up to the recruiters as someone who knows whats best for them. I don't mind what recrutiers do as long as they are honest with the kids. I had recruiters tell me all kinds of bullshit stories while badmouthing every other service. I knew better, but many people don't. They're so wide eyed at the shit thats told it's messed up.

Either way, I don't know if there's much that people can do about it other than be aware and understand what you're getting yourself into.

Try out ROTC. If you don't like that then there is no point of thinking about military service. And guess what, there's not a commitment!

[MannyIsGod]

Try out ROTC. If you don't like that then there is no point of thinking about military service. And guess what, there's not a commitment!Thats great, so then we have no need for recruiters right? Because thats what ROTC is for?

[mookie2001]

http://factfinder.census.gov/leg2/24/38424224.gif
thats why its so fucking hilarious when they show the red/blue map and then sean hannity goes "well look at all that red!!, youre telling me this wasnt a mandate!!"

[Clandestino]

no, ROTC is for officers.. recruiters focus on getting enlisted soldiers in...

also, when you sign up for the military you are 17 or 18... you are not a kid anymore...

[MannyIsGod]

no, ROTC is for officers.. recruiters focus on getting enlisted soldiers in...

also, when you sign up for the military you are 17 or 18... you are not a kid anymore...
Right, Right, 18 year olds have great judgements. Especially when presented with lies.

[Clandestino]

according to you manny, no one is responsible for their own actions...

[MannyIsGod]

I always advocate responsibilty. I just don't think things are always black and white.

But while we're on the subject of responsibility, what do you think should happen to recruiters who lie?

[Clandestino]

nothing...they have a job to do... also, many times before you actually sign the contract you are told about recruiters lying and if it is not in your contract you most likely will not get it.. also, before you sign, you speak with a counselor who says, that many recruiters say shit and if you want to add anything to your contract you can do so now... your contract has many blank pages where you are allowed to put things in...

[MannyIsGod]

nothing...they have a job to do... also, many times before you actually sign the contract you are told about recruiters lying and if it is not in your contract you most likely will not get it.. also, before you sign, you speak with a counselor who says, that many recruiters say shit and if you want to add anything to your contract you can do so now... your contract has many blank pages where you are allowed to put things in...
Let me just get this straight. You find a recruiter lying to a potential recruit an acceptable behavior, right?

[Clandestino]

Let me just get this straight. You find a recruiter lying to a potential recruit an acceptable behavior, right?

i guess you could say yes... same way car salesman bullshit you, and people in other professions.. mechanics, etc... it is up to you not to get taken...

[GopherSA]

Right, Right, 18 year olds have great judgements. Especially when presented with lies.

Manny, I've never seen someone more confident that the nation is one big conspiracy.

OK. I'm a veteran. I started out enlisted. Why? Because I wanted to escape the poverty of the small Minnesota town I grew up in. The Army offered me a way out and a chance to do more than just farm or work in the meat processing plant that employed most of the non-farmers in the area.

But, I found that the military gave me something more than I expected. I went to college (funded by the military), earned a degree and became a commissioned officer.

Did I do it based on politics? Nope.

I did it for the dinero.

Never once did I think that I'd been had.

Are there bad recruiters?

Damn straight there are!

Recruiters are a cross section of society at large (just like nearly every group in the world). There are good ones, bad ones, ethical ones and ethically challenged ones.

But in your world - it seems, there's a big conspiracy to screw the little guy, the minority guy and the liberal guy.

Take off the blinders. Dump the hate. Get a clue.

[Nbadan]

Steve Gilliard provides some insight on this topic...


<snip>

We have a volunteer army with fewer and fewer volunteers, and people reenlisting only to save their friends. There is a time limit to their ability to be in combat. They cannot serve forever. They will have to be replaced. And fewer and fewer are willing to replace them,

What I want people to do is be honest.

If you will not serve in Iraq, and no one you know will serve, stop expecting someone else to do what you will not.

Therefore, it is time to stop calling for more troops, or the US to make Iraq safe. We cannot do this and even Americans are refusing to join the fight. It is time to look at your actions and realize, that despite your ideals, you oppose continuing this war. In practical terms, you have decided that this war is not worth your life or anyone you know. And million of Americans have joined you in this decision.

So, with this fact evident, it is time to call for US troops to withdraw from Iraq. Not save it, not add more boots on the ground. You have already voted by your actions. It is time that you match it with your words.

Steve Gilliard (http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2005/06/honest-conversation.html)

[Nbadan]

And another great article from Harold Meyerson of the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101361.html?referrer=email) about why a lack of anti-war movement is ultimately hurting the WH...


Wednesday, June 22, 2005; Page A21

"In the absence of an antiwar movement, the American people have turned against the war in Iraq. Those two facts, I suspect, are connected...There was a very real antiwar movement early on. In the months before, during and immediately after our invasion, hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets to oppose the intervention. Then chaos, followed by insurgency, enveloped Iraq, and the need for a constable to restore some order became indisputable. Those who had opposed the war -- this columnist included -- argued that the occupation would be less of a lightning rod if conducted by an international force under U.N. aegis. But the Bush administration insisted on U.S. control (a decision that grows less explicable with each passing day), and other nations with real armies made clear that they wanted no part of what was becoming a bloody occupation.


Confronted with a choice between U.S. occupation and chaos, millions of Americans -- chiefly liberals and Democrats -- who'd been against the war decided to give occupation a chance. In the streets, demonstrations dwindled; in Congress, Democrats (save for a handful) did not call for withdrawal. With unprecedented discipline, Democrats who had opposed the war lined up behind the candidacy of John Kerry, whose position on the war was muddled at best. The question of the occupation fell off the liberal agenda. At the Take Back America conference, a national gathering of liberals held this month, the issue barely came up at all....

....disapproval was key to Nixon's political strategy. He didn't so much defend the war as attack its critics, making common cause with what he termed the "silent majority" against a mainstream movement with a large, raucous and sometimes senseless fringe. When Nixon won reelection in a landslide, it was clear that the strategy had worked -- and it has been fundamental Republican strategy ever since. Though the public sides with the Democrats on more key issues than it does with Republicans, it's Republicans who have won more elections, in good measure because the GOP has raised its ad hominem attacks on Democrats' character and patriotism to a science.

Which is why, however perverse this may sound, the absence of an antiwar movement is proving to be a huge political problem for the Bush administration, and why the Republicans are reduced to trying to turn Dick Durbin, who criticized our policies at Guantanamo Bay, into some enemy of the people. The administration has no one to demonize. With nobody blocking the troop trains, military recruitment is collapsing of its own accord. With nobody in the streets, the occupation is being judged on its own merits...Unable to distract people from his own performance, Bush is tanking in the polls. And with congressional Democrats at least partly muting their opposition to an open-ended occupation, it's Bush's fellow Republicans -- most prominently, North Carolina's Walter Jones -- who are now calling our policy into question...."

[MannyIsGod]

Manny, I've never seen someone more confident that the nation is one big conspiracy.

OK. I'm a veteran. I started out enlisted. Why? Because I wanted to escape the poverty of the small Minnesota town I grew up in. The Army offered me a way out and a chance to do more than just farm or work in the meat processing plant that employed most of the non-farmers in the area.

But, I found that the military gave me something more than I expected. I went to college (funded by the military), earned a degree and became a commissioned officer.

Did I do it based on politics? Nope.

I did it for the dinero.

Never once did I think that I'd been had.

Are there bad recruiters?

Damn straight there are!

Recruiters are a cross section of society at large (just like nearly every group in the world). There are good ones, bad ones, ethical ones and ethically challenged ones.

But in your world - it seems, there's a big conspiracy to screw the little guy, the minority guy and the liberal guy.

Take off the blinders. Dump the hate. Get a clue.And I've never seen someone so unadept at reading. Where did the word conspiracy even come up? In fact, I talked about something that has no chance of being labeled a conspiracy because it's only about the goals of one person: a recruiter.

Now, I understand that you aren't a very smart person and that you simply regurgitate what you've been fed by society your entire life, but I don't see how even you could reach a conclusion that I was talking about a conspiracy at any point in any post in this thread.

I acknowledge that recrutiers have a place and that my beef was only with those who lied. You go on to say things I agreed with in my very first post.

What hate? You want me to dump the hate of recruiters he lie? Well, I won't do it. And I think anyone in here who thinks recruiters lying to kids - or 18 year olds if you want to be technical about it - is ok, I think thats bullshit.

I need to take off the blinders? Please, YOU are the one with red white and blue blinders on your head. The US is a great place but that doesn't give it a free pass on its faults with me. That doesn't mean I am trying to fight a conspiracy, that simply means I'm not going to get complacent and thats far from a bad thing.

Get a fucking grip man.

[MannyIsGod]

i guess you could say yes... same way car salesman bullshit you, and people in other professions.. mechanics, etc... it is up to you not to get taken...
Really? Because there are laws that protect you against liars, and perjury happens to be illegal as well.

Don't ever try to tell me shit about responsibility anymore. You're willing to give anyone who does something you agree with a free pass.

I have a question for the parents in here. I always get the proverbial "You will understand when you have kids" card played on me, so answer this for me.

How would you feel if a recruiter lied to your child?

[mookie2001]

I always get the proverbial "You will understand when you have kids" card played on me, so answer this for me.



yes me too! like no other, jesus youd think if you didnt have kids you have no right to have an opinion on anything but microwave dinners, marijuana and jam bands

[GopherSA]

And I've never seen someone so unadept at reading. Where did the word conspiracy even come up? In fact, I talked about something that has no chance of being labeled a conspiracy because it's only about the goals of one person: a recruiter.

Now, I understand that you aren't a very smart person and that you simply regurgitate what you've been fed by society your entire life, but I don't see how even you could reach a conclusion that I was talking about a conspiracy at any point in any post in this thread.

I acknowledge that recrutiers have a place and that my beef was only with those who lied. You go on to say things I agreed with in my very first post.

What hate? You want me to dump the hate of recruiters he lie? Well, I won't do it. And I think anyone in here who thinks recruiters lying to kids - or 18 year olds if you want to be technical about it - is ok, I think thats bullshit.

I need to take off the blinders? Please, YOU are the one with red white and blue blinders on your head. The US is a great place but that doesn't give it a free pass on its faults with me. That doesn't mean I am trying to fight a conspiracy, that simply means I'm not going to get complacent and thats far from a bad thing.

Get a fucking grip man.


The conspiracy that you're seeing everywhere doesn't have to be named, Manny. It's clear that you see everything as one big plot (we call that a conspiracy in the multi-syllabic world) to hose the little guy.

Now, I know that your inability to find meaningful employment has likely made you bitter at The Man, but it has more to do with your butt being stuck to the couch during Jerry Springer than it does with anything else.

:lmao

[MannyIsGod]

The conspiracy that you're seeing everywhere doesn't have to be named, Manny. It's clear that you see everything as one big plot (we call that a conspiracy in the multi-syllabic world) to hose the little guy.

Now, I know that your inability to find meaningful employment has likely made you bitter at The Man, but it has more to do with your butt being stuck to the couch during Jerry Springer than it does with anything else.

:lmao
:wtf

You know I'm at work right now right?

[MannyIsGod]

The conspiracy that you're seeing everywhere doesn't have to be named, Manny. It's clear that you see everything as one big plot (we call that a conspiracy in the multi-syllabic world) to hose the little guy.

Now, I know that your inability to find meaningful employment has likely made you bitter at The Man, but it has more to do with your butt being stuck to the couch during Jerry Springer than it does with anything else.

:lmao
Translation:

I can't explain what I'm talking about so I'll just say you believe in a conspiracy.

Ok, whatever floats your boat.

[mookie2001]

weak gopher

[Clandestino]

Really? Because there are laws that protect you against liars, and perjury happens to be illegal as well.

Don't ever try to tell me shit about responsibility anymore. You're willing to give anyone who does something you agree with a free pass.

I have a question for the parents in here. I always get the proverbial "You will understand when you have kids" card played on me, so answer this for me.

How would you feel if a recruiter lied to your child?

18 years old is a child to you? not to me... by 18 he will be required to start supporting himself...

salesman lie all the time... many professions have liars... i'm not saying all recruiters lie, but many embellish or promise things they have no control over... it is up to each and every individual to decide for themselves if they feel they are being lied to...

[mookie2001]

youd just think recruiters who are supposed to be "honorable" wouldnt lie

[Clandestino]

everyone should be, but many people aren't, right mr weed smoker? that is illegal... you are a baaaaad little boy!

[mookie2001]

^being illegal doesnt make it dishonorable, and visa versa

[desflood]

Really? Because there are laws that protect you against liars, and perjury happens to be illegal as well.

Don't ever try to tell me shit about responsibility anymore. You're willing to give anyone who does something you agree with a free pass.

I have a question for the parents in here. I always get the proverbial "You will understand when you have kids" card played on me, so answer this for me.

How would you feel if a recruiter lied to your child?
I should hope that my child would never be dumb enough to believe everything a recruiter says. My recruiter didn't lie to me. He told me how things really were. They aren't all like that, though, and if one did lie to my kids I probably wouldn't even be surprised enough to be upset about it. They shouldn't, it's too bad they do, but all you can do is warn them beforehand. It's a fact of life, like death and taxes.

[GopherSA]

:wtf

You know I'm at work right now right?

Oh, yeah. I forgot that Starbucks added the wireless internet access.

GOOD FOR YOU!

That's great. Really.

[Useruser666]

http://factfinder.census.gov/leg2/24/38424224.gif
thats why its so fucking hilarious when they show the red/blue map and then sean hannity goes "well look at all that red!!, youre telling me this wasnt a mandate!!"

See, there in lies your problem. I don't listen to talking heads. I believe the election was fairly close, but I can also clearly see who won.

I posted that map as a retort to Dans own map pointing out the number of soldier deaths were in mostly metropolitan areas. Well, of course they are! That's were there's the greatest population densities!

[mookie2001]

^ yeah i know
but i fucking love listening to sean hannity, rush, shnit, jeff bolton and watching hannity and colmes and oreilly
the shit is so fucking hilarious
KNOW YOUR ENEMY

[Useruser666]

^ yeah i know
but i fucking love listening to sean hannity, rush, shnit, jeff bolton and watching hannity and colmes and oreilly
the shit is so fucking hilarious
KNOW YOUR ENEMY

I think you make too much of those guys. I often hear people complaining about the opposing sides talking heads more than the issues. I personally don't listen to any of it, and I find it perplexing when others get so involved with them.

[mookie2001]

its just funny that they have such a huge audience then they constantly tell those people " oh youll learn things here that the mainstream media wont tell you and if werent for talk radio who knows what america would be like, yall see though the liberalness of the mainstream media and know that sean hannity will dish the truth"
its like their trying to make the listeners sound so wise and lucky for listening when they are MAINSTREAM

[Clandestino]

Oh, yeah. I forgot that Starbucks added the wireless internet access.

GOOD FOR YOU!

That's great. Really.

:lmao

[Clandestino]

^being illegal doesnt make it dishonorable, and visa versa

so, you're saying it is honorable to use illegal drugs?

[MannyIsGod]

Oh, yeah. I forgot that Starbucks added the wireless internet access.

GOOD FOR YOU!

That's great. Really.
:lmao

Starbucks?

[mookie2001]

so, you're saying it is honorable to use illegal drugs?
not necessarily
specifically marijuana, i'm not going to feel like a gutterpunk because i want to smoke a bigfat blunt at my own house

i can beat the shit out of some drunken chode at a bar after making somekind of racist-hurtful comments about a family member
illegal but honorable


on the otherhand
a city legally could kick a family out of their house who has been living there for 40 years and then sell the land to a new business
not honorable but legal
a cop can lie and lie to a suspect to get him to confess, legal but not honorable

[Clandestino]

okay, but we were talking about illegal drug use and if you thought it was honorable?

[mookie2001]

well illegal drug use is neither dishonorable nor honorable
just like eating a hamburger has nothing to do with honor
specifically weed... PERSONALY i have respect for people who smoke weed

[Clandestino]

well illegal drug use is neither dishonorable nor honorable
just like eating a hamburger has nothing to do with honor
specifically weed... PERSONALY i have respect for people who smoke weed

:lmao you would. by far the dumbest shit that has ever come out of your mouth all year...

[mookie2001]

ok
well im not going to disrespect someone who does what i have done thousands of times in my life, that would be foolish, people who smoke weed, usually are pretty smart people who realize its harmless, that weed laws are a joke and that all around it owns getting drunk in everyway

[Nbadan]

http://cagle.slate.msn.com/working/050622/parker.gif