I just had a USMC Recruiter call wanting to talk to my son...

[Breeze54]

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! :nuke: :grr: I thought I was going to lose it!
I asked who was calling because the voice sounded like a cop!
He asked for my son by first NAME!!! omg... :nuke: Oh man...
He said he was "so & so" from the United States Marine Corp.
and I yelled into the phone;

"DON'T YOU EVER CALL HERE AGAIN!!!!"
<----That would be Me in the picture! :rofl:

He hung up on me ASAP!!

````````````````````````

This is the time of year they start calling, I think. School's out for the summer.
My son will be a senior next school year and is almost 18 and he's ripe for the pickin'!

HELL NO!!!!!!!! THAT isn't going to happen!! No F**ing Way!

I'm still shaking!

I DID opt out last year, at the high school and again two weeks ago!
The school didn't have a form, claimed they did in the school handbook but they didn't.
I produced an OPT-OUT Form FOR them and filled it out in front of them and turned it in.

I think I'm going to have get my home phone number changed! Argh!! :grr:

So, if there are any parents of teens here, You can download the OPT OUT FORM!

HERE: http://themmob.org/lmca/

Did you know...

...that the notorious No Child Left Behind Act includes a sneaky section that requires
high schools to turn over private information on students to military recruiters?

And that the Pentagon has created an illegal database of 30 million 16-25 year-olds,
including names, addresses, email addresses, cell phone numbers, ethnicities, social
security numbers, extracurricular activities, and areas of study?

Yikes! What do we do? Any way you look at it, this is a family privacy nightmare,
another strong-arming of our local schools, and a creepy warm-up to a possible draft.

However, it's also a great reason to get together and take action.

So, whether you're a parent, teacher, school administrator, veteran or just another adamant
American concerned about privacy rights, look for an action that you like and JOIN US!

DO IT NOW MOM & DAD!!!! OPT OUT NOW!!!!

Download Forms and Flyers
DOWNLOAD Pentagon and High School Opt Out forms, flyers, factsheets, kits and other materials.
http://themmob.org/lmca/forms.html

Pentagon Opt Out
OPT OUT of the Pentagon's illegal database.
http://tools.leavemychildalone.org/index.cfm?event=showContent&contentid=63

School Opt Out
OPT OUT of your school's military recruitment list.
http://tools.leavemychildalone.org/index.cfm?event=showContent&contentid=63

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gheesh! After I hung the phone up, I went in my son's room and woke him up
and asked him if he had been talking to ANY military recruiters!?!
"Have you?! Are you sure?!" He, half asleep, said; "NO WAY!!!"

That's my boy!!! :loveya:

:thumbsup:

Now I can collapse...and have my morning coffee! Whew, what a way to start a day!

OPT OUT INFO HERE!
http://themmob.org/lmca/

[marmar]

1. Good for you. I'm glad you got your point across loud and clear....

Let Jenna Bush and Lynne Cheney fight this bullshit war.

[Philosoraptor]

2. I tell them to fuck off.

My kid is 22, they've been calling him for years.

[Breeze54]

7. I'll do that if it happens again!

I was stunned and speechless, as I had just woken up myself.
I was so infuriated that I didn't think of that fast enough!
I'll have to practice if there is a next time!! ;)
There better not be one!
:grr:

[JuniperLea]

3. My nephew says he got a threatening letter

Telling him he must register or be fined tens of thousands of dollars!

Have you heard about anything like this in your research travels?

[dicknbush]

9. I think it is true you have to sort of pre register.

I am not sure how it works but on you 17 or 18 B Day you have to go and let them know where you are or something like that.

[annabanana]

10. They do, by law, have to register..

But they sure don't have to enlist.

(I don't know how aggressively they're chasing unregistered kids.. incidentally, only the boys have to register.)

[Breeze54]

12. I have heard a lot of nightmare

stories of aggressive recruiters! They can be relentless!

I think someone here said it best and tell them to 'fuck off'!!

DON'T SIGN ANYTHING!! That's what I tell my son all the time!

Drill it into your kids!

[jerry611]

17. It's called the Selective Service

There is a law that requires ALL males age 18 an over to pre-register for the military draft. Not registering could mean jail time. I don't think anyone has been prosecuted. But if you don't register you because ineligible to recieve any federal grants, student loans, scholorships, or assistance. If you look at your child's application for financial aid, it has a box that asks if your son registered with the selective service and it tells you that if not, you are not eligible to recieve aid.

In 1997, the GOP-controlled congress passed a bill to abolish the Selective Service System. It was vetoed by President Clinton.

The Selective Service is a database of all men aged 18-26 to be kept in the event a military draft is needed. For a draft to be initiated, a resolution must be passed by both houses of congress and signed by the president.

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. All male citizens between the ages of 18 and 26 must register

What is the penalty for not registering?
If you do not register, you could be prosecuted and fined up to $250,000 and/or be put in jail for up to five years. Registration is also a requirement to qualify for Federal student aid, job training benefits, and most Federal employment.


http://www.sss.gov/QA.HTM#quest4

[Robb]

4. Oddly enough, the calls stopped

...after the 18 year-old became preggers. :D

We can't figure out how they found out. :yoiks:

[gratuitous]

5. Good answer

And be prepared to give it again. It's not like there's a surfeit of manpower, and those vultures gots targets to hit.

Sad to say that in place of your son, some other kid whose parents aren't quite as tuned into the current situation will be signing up and heading off to Iraq with visions of a career or big bucks for college dancing in his head. And what's really in his future will be a flag-draped coffin.

[emanymton]

6. Talk Calmly To Your Child.

Your position my be correct on all points you raise. Remember your child needs to understand what you say and _WHY_ you say it.

The pressure for people to conform is great. Recruiters know this. Don't be surprised when your child comes to you for answers to why he/she should not join. For any person to stand against the prevailing environment, one must be able to understand the 'why.'

Good luck.



Bush Lied. People Died. Media Cheered.

How do you ask someone to be the last to die for the lie?

[lonestarnot]

8. HELL FUCKING NO!

Righton Breeze54. You hang tough on those bastards for that young boy!

[sui generis]

11. you really should walk into your school and ask them HOW

a marine recruiter got your home number and ask them to produce the opt out form that you signed and put on file.

I'd give them hell. The law exists for a reason, and you went through that effort so that you wouldn't have to take a phone call from a recruiter, and they did it anyway. Ask them if they did it intentionally and what they are going to do to keep it from happening in the future.

Ask them what she's going to do five minutes after you walk out, and what will happen next, and next, and ask them to please call you and confirm when all the steps have been taken.

They need to pay for their incompetence by being extra competent in cleaning up the "oversight".

[Breeze54]

15. I was thinking to do that but

I am still shaking and thought I should wait until I at least wake up here! :rofl:
I didn't want to look like a crazy woman on the phone or in person!
I'll definatley be calling them today!!
Something, somehow, slipped through the cracks!

They're NOT getting my son!! None of them!! :grr:
I just had one come home and I'm NOT going through another nightmare! :cry:
I just can't take it... it's to much.

[jerry611]

13. Well...its a volunteer army

Unless you want a military draft, this what you have to put up with...

[ItNerd4life]

39. I agree. My son will be of age soon

and I will let it be his choice and I will support him.

My father, some of my cousins, my father-in-law all served in the military. I thank them whenever military service comes up.

[Breeze54]

40. Coercion isn't voluntary!

Coercion:
The intimidation of a victim to compel the individual to do some act against his
or her will by the use of psychological pressure, physical force, or threats.

The schools giving OUT personal info is a NEW thing in the 'Leave No Child Behind Act'!
We already have a Selective Service Registry and that is the way they should be handling this!
NOT by calling high school undergraduates and talking them into it!
That is under-handed and sneaky and should be outlawed!

And I beg to differ on that 'voluntary' bullshit! In a philosophical way.

There IS a STOP LOSS POLICY in effect!! THAT isn't voluntary!!! :nuke:

[lildreamer316]

41. umm..so how is calling them part of the volunteering?

If he wants to volunteer, he knows where to go.

[Bozita]

14. Tell 'em your son's a Republican and has "other things to do"

Just like Dick Cheney.

[Breeze54]

19. I like THAT answer!!

:rofl: That would probably work too!! lmao!

[bdamomma]

30. No say he has other

"priorities" that is what Cheney said.

Cheney (the scumbag) had other priorities. enough to me make me :puke:

[Bozita]

37. You are right. ... "had other priorities"

Too late to edit my earlier post.

Thanks.

[liberalhistorian]

59. Yes, and I'm sure my uncle who was

drafted and served as a marine in Vietnam, and his friends who served with him and those who died, would have liked to have had "other priorities" as well, Mr. Darth Vader Cheney!

[mopinko]

16. they called mine recently

a troubled kid who dropped out of high school. this is who the marines have stooped to. had a hard time taking no for an answer, too.

[Recursion]

22. Eh... don't know if it's "stooping"

We have always kind of attracted misfits in the Corps, and if it weren't for this ****ing illegal war I'd still be recommending the Marines to kids who need some direction. My best Marines were always the ones who had to get an enlistment requirements waiver for dropping out of high school and doing some stuff they shouldn't have done.

And, yes, recruiters lie and refuse to take no for an answer. Just remember (and tell your son) that until you are actually on the bus, no matter what they say, there's nothing they can do to make you ship if you don't want to.

[lebkuchen]

29. An army recruiter (NG) on the radio recently

told listeners that if they signed up and opted not to go to war but instead preferred to go to school, that it was their choice.

The DJ blew the recruiter's ass out of the water on that one.

[mopinko]

34. genetic warriors

i have another son who fits your description. i think these kids are genetically designed to be warriors, which has been a valued place in society throughout human history. i hope that we can find a place for them, so that we can end war for good.

[lebkuchen]

25. I hope your child will be able to resist the recruiter's offers of big $

I know a kid who signed up and then reupped while in Iraq (?) because the reenlistment bonus offered at that time would allow him to make a large downpayment on a new car. He bought the new car, which broke down after less than a year, and traded it in for a used car with lower monthly payments. Now, with the hot racy red car sitting in a lemon lot somewhere in the US, he's hoping he doesn't get the call to return to Iraq within the next 2-1/2 years.

[mopinko]

33. they could not find a more unfit warrior

the kid raises orchids. he takes care of all the critters here. he rarely leaves the house.
he is also very, very aware of the political situation, and would not become a part of it except at the point of a gun. i am not really worried about him going.

[lebkuchen]

36. growing orchids as opposed to fighting an illegal war--not difficult

to choose.

There ought to be a list made and posted all about the country of alternatives to enlistment. If grads/dropouts could hold out for another two years, even volunteer their time to society stateside in the form of community service, as Clinton had proposed during his term, the US would be so much better off, and the Beast would be starved of "boots."

[mopinko]

38. i think it says a lot about the progress of the human species

that the beast is having such a hard time finding boots to consume. let's hope we can continue to evolve.

[lebkuchen]

48. One thing you don't hear Bush touting anymore...

community service volunteerism, because he needs bodies for the boots.

The dems should promote community service for him, then...hijack the Bushies' manic drive to rustle up recruits while providing America's youth options in lieu of military service during a time of war.

[liberalhistorian]

60. Anyone else ever suspect

that the AOL cancellation department hires ex-recruiters for their customer "service" rep positions? :evilgrin:

[Recursion]

18. Be calm and honest with him

Remember, there are three ways to accomplish something:
1. do it yourself
2. pay someone to do it
3. forbid your kids to do it

As you can guess by my avatar, I'm not anti-Marine Corps, though I am against this war. I think the Corps is being put through a wringer right now by an administration that simply hates the Marines (and Americans and Iraqis), but it's still a good institution. It's just not the time, right now, to enlist. Then again, right now is exactly when the Corps needs an influx of good, moral people to counteract the corrupt senior leadership we have -- I just don't want to be the one to suggest any particular person do that.

Just tell him honestly why you think his enlisting right now is a bad idea. If he is interested in joining, and not just being hounded by a desperate recruiter, try to come up with some other ideas that would meet whatever needs he's feeling to make him interested in it (Peace Corps, Americorps, foreign service, being a cop, being a teacher, joining the Navy, etc.).

And -- I know this is an awful thing for a stranger to say -- take a big, deep breath, step back, and trust your son to make the decision that's right for him.

[Breeze54]

23. I have had two sons join the military against my wishes.

My oldest son joined the National Guard, in 1999, and was stop-lossed to Iraq in 'Dec.'04.
He just got back.
My second oldest son joined the U.S.M.C. right out of high school, in direct defiance to me,
while he was visiting his Dad for the summer. He called me from the recruit training bus,
on his way to boot camp, when I thought he was on a bus heading back east. :grr:
He was 18 and angry! He showed me, didn't he??
NO!!!

They're NOT getting my youngest son and my youngest is well aware of how I feel about this!

You are right! Now IS NOT the time to enlist.
But this kid has medical issues and will NOT ever enlist!

Over my dead body...er.. or his! Pretty hard to go to boot camp with two broken legs!!
:rofl:

My family has done their share, and that's it! We're done!! I'm done.

[jerry611]

24. Well, legally you can't stop them

At age 18, your child is a legal adult and he can choose to do whatever he wants with or without your permission.

[Recursion]

28. I feel for you

And thanks to your sons for their service.

It's an honorable thing to serve your country, I just wish they weren't being called to serve it in this way, and I hope he'll find a safer, better, and more legal way to serve.

Oh, and yeah, I got that fun little "stoploss" surprise in '03. Funny how that contract is inviolable if *you're* the one who wants to change it, isn't it?

[Breeze54]

32. That's what my oldest son was telling me!

"Funny how that contract is inviolable if *you're* the one who wants to change it, isn't it?"

He tried to get out and they refused to release him!
He talked to them about his contract being satisfied and he was pissed!!
They wouldn't listen to him! Why am I not surprised?
Then they said they weren't going. His company would not be going.
We were relieved and decided to enjoy the holidays;
then on Christmas Eve he got the orders for OIF. :cry:

He called me and was just so upset but he took it like a man.
He had one week to put his life in storage and off he went on Jan. 6th.
It was that fast. We had no time to even get his pet snakes taken care of.
We had to get his brother to come get the snakes.
It was a friggin' crazy week! But I digress....

I'm not going through that again. Thanks for the thanks. I'll tell them.

[lebkuchen]

21. You're providing a great service here.

I found an army recruiter's calling card propped on top of a pay phone at a mall yesterday and removed it. The back of it says:

UP TO $70,000 FOR COLLEGE
UP TO $65,000 LOAN REPAYMENT
UP TO $40,000 ENLISTMENT BONUS
212 OCCUPATIONS TO CHOOSE FROM
FULL MEDICAL AND DENTAL
30 DAYS PAID VACATION A YEAR
100% TUITION ASSISTANCE
20 YEAR RETIREMENT
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Those numbers are going to be very appealing to a high school aged person, graduate or dropout--especially in a state struggling economically. What would prevent a naive kid from making the call, in light of how successful Bush has been in playing up "successes" in the war and keeping the flag-draped coffins undercover?

IMO it was for recruiting purposes that al - Zarqawi was killed (at least in part). The negative press on Haditha came at a bad time for recruitment, just as high schools were closing for the summer. Bush was very effusive in his praise of the military post al-Zarqawi killing, raising the respectability level of the the army/marines once more. He traveled to Iraq with a big smile on his face as he played with the cool military equipment. Now he's jogging with amputees, as if having no legs is a thing of beauty rather than an ugly scar symbolizing the horrific policies that Bush has promoted since the moment he stepped into the WH.

It will take a savvy high schooler to resist the pressure to sign on the dotted line.

I would change my phone number if I were you.

[bdamomma]

26. good for you

I wonder how many more parents are telling these recruiters to F off.

[Breeze54]

35. Thanks Alyce!

I hope a whole lot of parents are telling them off! :hi:
Maybe, by my posting this, it will remind them to? I don't know.
Here's hoping! I just don't want anymore phone calls!
I think I'm going to change my phone number and also give the school
my 'throw away' cellphone number, in September.
They can use THAT number, if they need to get a hold of me!

My son isn't going! Period! Even when he turns 18, he's not going!!
He's not planning on college, as he has a trade. We don't need a Pell Grant.
So I don't care if he signs up with the selective service.
Maybe I'll take him to Canada and sign him up at the embassy there.
I've heard that, that info gets lost, if they sign up in another country.
I'm not sure if it's true or not though.
:shrug:

[abluelady]

27. Another Failure on the part of the Administration

The reality should be if you have the choice to volunteer, you should have the choice to opt in. It is outrageous that the wording in the Leave No Child Behind Act ambushes kids. So many parents get 100 pieces of paper the first day of school and cannot actually read each line. If you miss the opt out, you get these phonecalls. This should be changed.

[lebkuchen]

31. no draft puts the Bushies in a bind

I am sure they are not making quota, despite rosy stats coming from the Office of the Wicked Warlock of the DoD.

They want to go after Iran but can't even contain Iraq with current numbers. They will procede anyway, like sharks at a feeding frenzy, and call in all markers to get America's uneducated and unemployed in the military. "Keep 'em destitute enough and they'll sign up." That's why the Bushies didn't raise the minimum wage.

Some high schools don't even have a 50% graduation rate. What are those dropouts supposed to do w/their lives to survive in this country, especially if their families are having financial troubles?

I think it's a matter of who can hold out the longest--the Bushies and their insane plans, which are teetering now, or 18 y.o.s and up, who have the power to cut the bushies off at the knees by not feeding the monster.

[abluelady]

44. And We Know There Won't Be A Draft

I think Vietnam taught them one lesson.

[lebkuchen]

50. at least not until Nov

or until another terror attack strikes the US, at home or abroad.

[abluelady]

57. Do You Really Believe The American People Will Put Up With A Draft?

It seems to be an awfully big risk for the Republicants to try. Even alleged "terra" attacks are getting less attention these days. Unless there is an absolute proof that the war we are entering into is legitimate, I have to believe Americans have had enough.

[lebkuchen]

61. Yes, if the US were attacked again

The Bushies have the media in the bag, jingoism mastered, and too many people out of work/school, to they could continue to manipulate the population.

I have run across people recently who have little money, handicapped kids, health problems, and/or are African American, and they still support Bush! They are educated, or so they say.

Maybe the majority in the US have seen the light, but from WV, it looks grim.

[abluelady]

79. Educated doesn't Mean Smart! eom

[1monster]

42. Question: If one sends the request to the armed services requesting

that your child's name be removed from the national data bank and they don't already have it, isn't that like giving them information you don't want them to have

[Breeze54]

73. I thought the same thing...

... and I don't have an answer for you.
Maybe there is more info about that, on one of the links I posted.
There may also be a phone number, that you can call someone who does know.
Let me know if you find out, will you?
;)

[1monster]

77. Of course

[Breeze54]

43. Update: I just called my son's school and -

- I just talked with the Senior Class Counselor. :rofl: He know my son's name, right off the bat!
I told him about my little phone call from the recruiter and he got pissed!!
He said; "That's NOT supposed to happen! Let me pull it up on my computer."

Then he said my son's name and told me that he had e-mailed all three branches
of the local recruiters and told them NOT to call my son and that was on June 11th!

He said they are breaking the law!

He said that they are supposed to honor that OPT OUT request!

He said he is going to, not only e-mail them again but also call them and tell them,
flat out, not to call my son anymore! He was just as upset as I am! Good! :thumbsup:

I think it's to bad that I'm the only parent, it seems, that has opted out!
That must be why he knew my son's name right away?! Why else? It's a pretty big school!

But I'm really glad he is backing me up! ;)

[Bozita]

54. Stay in touch with that counselor

Recruiters simply don't mess with those folks.

[Breeze54]

55. Are you sure?

Or are you being facetious? ;)

That is his new counselor for next year, for the senior class.
I've never met him face to face but he seemed like a good guy, on the phone.
He said he was happy because now he'll remember my son's name in September.
;)

[Bozita]

56. Yes, recruiters usually work through the counselor's office

Counselors are the source of all that info about kids. Class schedule, home address, phone number, etc.

Some may even discuss test scores with recruiters.

Counselors can make it pretty hard for recruiters.

[Breeze54]

58. Thank you!

This really upset my whole day. Thanks for the additional info. and reassurance.
I think this counselor is a fighter, as I said before, in another post here.
He seems like he's on my side. I feel a little better now.
Thanks again! ;)

[Atman]

45. Turn 'em down a few more times and then the sneaky stuff starts

When my oldest son was still in high school, the Marines would call regularly, even though we told them not to. Obviously, they're the Marines, so you know, whatcha gonna do about it, buddy? So anyway, after a few of these demands that they stop calling, I answer the phone one day and it is a very pretty sounding female voice on the other end. Downright sexy. And she asked for my son by, using only her first name. "This is Sandy, I was wondering if Thom was home." Fortunately he wasn't home, or I might have fallen for it and just handed him the phone. But when I told "Sandy" that he was out she was very personable, again like we were old friends.

"Oh, it's nothing important. I just wanted to see if Thom was interested in going out for a cup of coffee or something."

Huh, I'm thinking. He's got a very committed girlfriend...I've never heard of any "Sandy." Besides, he's never had a cup of coffee in his life. Remember, this is all very converstational, not scripted-sounding. It was obviously written and rehearsed to sound as "real" as possible. She went on..."I've had some really exciting things going on in my life, and I thought Thom might be interested in hearing about some of the oppportunities available to him now."

Double huh? "Can I leave him your number, uh, Sandy?"

"Yes, please," she replied. "Tell him this is Sargeant Sandy Smith, and that I'd like to discuss some of the career opportunities available to him in the Marines..."

"Fat chance, Sandy. Don't call here again." Click.


----

They're insidious weasels.

[Breeze54]

49. Good catch!

I hear you on the sneaky stuff! I found out later, with my 2nd oldest son,
that the marine recruiter was bypassing me and meeting my son,
AT THE HIGH SCHOOL cafeteria, during LUNCH, to "talk about opporunities"!! :grr:

It was to late by then, that bastard had been going behind my back all along!
And my son decided not to tell me about it and had been lying to me the whole time. :grr:
The recruiter did call one time for that son and I let him have it and he gave me a ration of shit on the phone.

I'm not going to let it happen again!

Thanks for reminding me about how downright under-handed and sneaky they are! ;)

I'm ready this time!

[Beelzebud]

46. When I was 18, I told a recruiter I'd rather be a Canadian than a Marine.

They haven't called me back since that day.

On a side note, that's probably the same day my FBI file was created.

[AngryAmish]

47. Invite himover- and kick him right in the balls.

[Breeze54]

52. Could be an option...

NOT!! :rofl: I don't want to go to jail!

Then they WILL have access to him! No one would be here to fend them off!

Not going to happen! :)

I don't want them at my house at all!

But that thought did cross my mind! :evilgrin:

[stanwyck]

51. A Marine Mom here. My advice

(for what it's worth). If your son or daughter is talking about enlisting, ask them for a cooling down period. Our son went (kinda, sorta) to college for two years. He hated it. He said he wanted to enlist in the Marines. (well, once he went and talked to them, the recruitment was relentless. He's very physically fit - played soccer for 13 years and worked as a lifeguard. Plus, his scores were high on their tests.) And, of course, they're hungry for recruits. Then and now.
Get involved in the recruitment process. Talk to the recruiter in the presence of your son/daughter. Ask the questions your child won't think to ask. Read all the print of the contract.
We asked our son to finish his college year - six months. If he still wanted to enlist, he had our blessing. Afterall, we raised him to be independent and this would be his choice.
He enlisted after the six months and has served two tours in Iraq with another coming up.

[Breeze54]

53. My son is NOT interested in enlisting.

That is the furthest thing from his mind and I too, am a USMC Mom! :evilfrown:
Not that I wanted to be, I was forced into that position.

I'm not talking to them at all. They don't quit, once they start!
I'm not letting them get a foot in my door! EVER!

My son, oldest, also was in Iraq, and we weren't happy about that either.
Down right angry is more like it!

I'm done with the military!
I gave two to the service, reluctantly and I'm never going back again!

Peace!

My thanks to your son. I wish him luck and peace to you and yours.

[proud patriot]

62. k and r

I just bookmarked this

[Breeze54]

65. Thanks!

I take that as a huge compliment. ;)

[katty]

63. Disgusting, recruiting for Halliburton's Occupation

[derby378]

64. Bill O'Reilly will encourage al-Qaeda to attack your city if you do this

He did it to San Francisco, y'know. What a pathetic tool he is.

[Breeze54]

66. lmao!

I remember that! he,he! He's such a moron!
Ya know what?
I'm thinking of standing outside the school entrance,
on the first day and handing out OPT-OUT FORMS!!
Somebody has to do it and it's looking like this school isn't!
Somebody has to tell them! Might as well be me!
;)

[Xenotime]

67. I'd tell them I don't support wars and killing...and hang up.

[Rob H.]

68. USMC recruiters started calling my senior year in HS

I was 17 at the time (didn't turn 18 until a month after I started college), and they called a few times but once they found out I had a scholarship to go to college they never called again!

[Sequoia]

69. You woke him up? What gall!

Heh, heh...crap that's really scary though. Good for you but do you think that recuriter might try something else, like going to where he hangs out or work and try to act all innocent ordering his Starbucks coffee and striking up a converstation along the lines of being a sissy waiter in an apron vs. a he-man job with a cool uniform and shiny medals.

[Breeze54]

70. I know! LOL!

I'm a total Mom Bitch!! :rofl: Serves him right for staying up until 3 AM! lol

You make a good point though! But my son works in a grocery store, as a cashier/deli helper,
so I don't think a recruiter would have enough time to talk to him there...
He better NOT show up there! Maybe I should talk to my son's boss.
He's known my son for three years now. He'd chase him off!
Great idea! Something to think about and be aware of too!
;)

[Xithras]

71. There's a bit of misunderstanding about the NCLBA provision.

FYI, I work at a college and we get these kinds of requests all the time. When FERPA passed back in the 1970's, it provided all sorts of protections to school information, but required that schools turn that information over to anyone with a "compelling legitimate interest". Usually it was used by colleges and yearbook companies to identify students they may want to market to, but it was also used by military recruiters to get lists of students who might be eligible for enlisting. When Bush started his wars, some school districts protested by passing resolutions declaring that military recruiting would no longer be considered a "compelling legitimate interest". The NCLBA provision simply made that exclusion illegal.

There IS a downside that parents need to be aware of when opting out...that opt-out form will prevent the school from providing ANY records to ANYONE. If an employer or university tries to confirm your childs high school records with the school itself, the school will be unable to even confirm whether the student attended there. At the college level, we are having all kinds of fun issues with these opt-outs. Students who opted-out when this stuff first came up several years ago are now listing their degrees on their resume. If an employer or a background-checking proxy contacts us to verify that the student has a degree, we cannot do it. We've already been contacted by a number of students who have apparently lost jobs over it, and to make things worse we aren't even allowed to update student records once they no longer attend...if they opt-out their senior year, there's no way to undo it. Ever.

[Breeze54]

75. There are always downsides to everything, I guess.

Thanks for the additional info. I'm not worried about it, though.
I can always get a copy of his transcripts, as far as him gaining employment.
I'm sure his shop teachers will help, if need be, and also the counselor.
But I'll keep it in mind.
Thanks!

[AngryOldDem]

72. Good for you!

I'll be doing the exact same thing.

Already my daughter, who just finished her freshman year in high school, has stood up to an Army recruiter who set up shop near the cafeteria.

If kids want to join the military, they know where they can go to do so.

[One_Life_To_Give]

74. Tell the recruiter he is with his boyfriend

make him wear dresses everywhere and maybe a couple tatoos in unhidable locations should work.

[Breeze54]

76. I don't think he'd go for that!

lol I don't think he has to get that dramatic. ;)

This isn't the draft...yet! if ever...

I just don't want them actively trying to recruit my son!

If he wants to join, he knows where to go, to do that.

He doesn't need a salesman calling him! Or me, for that matter!

[novalib]

78. WAAAAYYY TO GO!!!

AWESOME!

[Thickasabrick]

80. I don't answer the phone unless I know who it is. Not that mine

would join - the only fighting he'll ever do is in World of Warcraft.

[MethuenProgressive]

81. No, no, no! -- you're ALL WRONG!!

All wrong about opting out, disengaging, stopping the calls and letters, etc. Ours is a military family, from the Indian Wars of the 1600s right up to today, we've always had family members in the armed services. My nephew, for instance, was in the Pentagon on 9/11. What I object to in today's BushWorld is the predatory recruitment tactics being used.
So, the thing to do is steal their time, steal their brochures and products, and basically screw with them as much as you can. Involve your kids, tell them it's civil disobedience and ask them if they want to help stop some other kid from getting snookered. No kid at home? Make one up! You can get free tee shirts, hats, all kinds of cool stuff. Is there going to be a booth at a school event? Crowd it up with 'pretend' interested kids. There are only so many recruiters, and they have a finite set of resources. Use up and waste as much of their time and products as you can.

[formercia]

83. They won't make their quota.

Probably sent back to Iraq as a result.

Now, what were you saying about the great time you had in Iraq on your last tour, Marine?

[formercia]

82. Just watch

Someone will submit a Bill to make it a felony for anyone to obstruct a recruiter attempting to contact a potential recruit.