Help! Military recruiter called and won't stop till he talks to my son!

[The Backlash Cometh]

Just got a call from 869-4467 "United States G" I immediately figured out it was a recruiter and told the guy to take us off the list because we're not interested. He said he can't do that until he talks to my son. I told him my son is a minor and then I hung up.

He called back! And I didn't answer.

Does anybody know if there's somewhere we can call to make it very clear that our children are not to be contacted?

[livetohike]

1. Here is what I would do:

Register your phone number here:

https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

Then when the recruiter calls, go back to this web site and report him/her.

Ask for his/her phone number and that way you can easily complete the form. Do it today and when the recruiter calls again, tell him/her that you are on the do not call list and consider themselves reported!

[Bill McBlueState]

5. Military recruiters might be exempt from that

Some groups are exempt from do-not-call, like charities. I bet the military is, too, but I'm not sure. Still, it might be a way to get them to back off.

[etherealtruth]

7. I don't think this applies to governmental entities...

...or to charitable orgs

[livetohike]

17. Not sure about the government entities but

I think the rules are posted on the site. I'll have to check.

Well, it may work the first time the recruiter calls. Give them something to think about. :-)

From the www.donotcall.gov web site:

29. If I register my number on the National Do Not Call Registry, will it stop all telemarketing calls?

No. Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most telemarketing calls, but not all. Because of limitations in the jurisdiction of the FTC and FCC, calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities, and telephone surveyors would still be permitted, as would calls from companies with which you have an existing business relationship, or those to whom you’ve provided express agreement in writing to receive their calls.

Edited to include web site info.

[LynneSin]

40. Government is exempt from the DONOTCALL program

they're also exempt from call-blocking. THe DONOTCALL program is only for telemarkters - government and non-profit are exempt

[EFerrari]

124. Practice Phone Safety: Don't pick up if you don't recognize the

caller. Caller ID is inexpensive.

We've done that for years and it works very well. If someone wants to talk to me, they'll leave a message.

[glitch]

153. Yep - caller id is a private secretary for $5/month. Such a deal!

I just wish I had one for the front door.

[HiddenInVA]

177. Caller ID!!

#1 in our household a lot of the time!

Especially if the in-laws call, and wifey isn't in the mood to talk to
her dingy mother....:evilgrin:

[dv8]

182. Caller ID is about to be obsolete

Wait till this service starts up.

http://www.star38.com/

[gulfcoastliberal]

195. What is that?

The website doesn't really have any information. You can already dial *67 to block your number from caller ID.

[KurtNYC]

160. Check this Seattle story

The mother tried many things. This article spareked a thread last week:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/paynter/227497_paynter08.html

clip:
Marine recruiters began a relentless barrage of calls to Axel as soon as the mellow, compliant Sedro-Woolley High School grad had cut his 17th birthday cake. And soon it was nearly impossible to get the seekers of a few good men off the line.

With early and late calls ringing in their ears, Marcia tried using call blocking. And that's when she learned her first hard lesson. You can't block calls from the government, her server said. So, after pleas to "Please stop calling" went unanswered, the family's "do not answer" order ensued.

Eventually the recruiters kidnapped the son. Full story at the link.

[FourStarDemocrat]

203. That is a shocking story! This family was preyed upon.

It seems like the recruiters are so desperate that they are investigating and cherry picking vunerable, single-parent families to enlist their boys. Frightening harrassment. I'm glad that she finally got a lawyer at the last minute to end it.

[dejaboutique]

212. why resort to being a child?

blowhorns? whistles? it is a known fact that some of the people coming back from Iraq are working in recruiting offices, god give the guy a break, he is just doing his job. When they were calling me over and over when I was 18 I handled it like an adult. Why would anyone think of pranking a serviceman???

[Midlodemocrat]

2. Wouldn't that be considered a form of telemarketing?

You don't have a previous relationship with them, and they are trying to 'sell' you something.

Give him the number of a few repugs you know that are supportive of the war.

[katinmn]

103. Be proactive. Look up contacts for your local College Republicans

Republican Party, Republican Wives Club, any particularly RW churches in your town, elected chickenhawks who might want to send their son or daughter, etc. Then call him back with the list and tell him to have a ball!

He'll probably thank you.

[Renew Deal]

193. It's not.

It's considered a government call.

[wakeme2008]

3. Ask him what type of sexual pervert is he and if he calls again you

are reporting him to the Police.

[noamnety]

20. ooooh, that's good

Older man calling, soliciting for an underage boy. I would tell him you are reporting it to the police, and reference the articles about recruiters having sex with high school students. Call him a pervert - he'll think you're crazy, but he won't want the hassle of having to explain he wasn't soliciting for gay sex.

I like it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

24. Unfortunately, the caller was a young man, himself.

It may take a little longer to break him. :-)

[King Coal]

122. Call 911 and tell them he is scaring you.

He'll quit.

[KG]

4. treat him like a stalker

get a referees whistle - next time he calls - let him hear it!

[helderheid]

11. that's my favorite solution!!

[habitual]

12. Fight his arrogance

very, very good idea, he wants to act like he has every right to insist on talking to your son. Then he'll try and make a mandatory appointment which he will threaten to have your son arrested if he does not show up. This has happened before. They are desperate. Blow the whistle.

[The Backlash Cometh]

29. I expect all kinds of intimidation to happen.

I believe my Congressman is Tom Feeney.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

19. Referee's whistle? Nah. Too tame. Air horn! (Just kidding)

Blowing an air horn into a telephone could cause some temporary (or even permanent) damage to the other person's hearing, so don't do that.

[TlalocW]

23. That's my suggestion as well (below)

But I'm serious. Who cares about that fucker's hearing? If he wants to harass someone then he can pay the price for it.

TlalocW

[MurrayDelph]

184. I was thinking air-horns as well,

but if you want to go the whistle-route, get an "Acme Thunderer."
I used one as a drum major; they are strong enough to be heard over
a marching band.

Other option, as mentioned, is to let the answering machine
track everything. To get past the legality question, you can
always leave a message along the lines of:

"You have reached _______. We routinely screen all calls. If
this is a solicitation call, please hang up now, as we do not
accept any offers or requests made over the phone. To leave a
message, please wait for the beep. If we choose to pick up the
phone, the recorder may still be running."

[FSogol]

139. No it wouldn't. Phones have safety limiters to prevent that from happenin

Call the police and say he is harassing you. Bottom line: You asked him to stop call and he didn't.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

170. In my best Johnny Carson voice:

"I did not know that."
Thanks for the clarification.

[chopper]

6. its good...

hang up on the guy. piss him off.

then, when he calls back all pissed off and yelley, tape record his forthcoming tirade.

then, talk to his boss.

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. Ohhhh! I like the tape recorder idea.

But in Florida, you have to let the other party know he's being taped, so he might just hang up on his own after I tell him.

[noamnety]

109. The law looks ambiguous to me

"A federal appellate court has held that because only interceptions made through an "electronic, mechanical or other device" are illegal under Florida law, telephones used in the ordinary course of business to record conversations do not violate the law."

http://www.rcfp.org/taping/

I don't quite understand that, but at a minimum if you tell him not only that this conversation is being recorded, but future ones will be as well, and record that statement as you say it, that should cover you for future phone calls from the same recruiter.

[kster]

192. Your answering machine went on accidently ..nt

[getmeouttahere]

42. If you have an answering machine....

just let the phone ring to the machine, and obviously that will record him IF he leaves a message.

Given their poor record of recruitment recently, he couldn't possibly waste too much time on one person! I think if you don't answer he'll give up faster.

[The Backlash Cometh]

45. I let the second call come in on the recorder.

And you're right, he didn't leave a message. But it was the same caller i.d. number.

[Sir Jeffrey]

I second this approach n/t

[matcom]

8. he is lying to you

YOU are the parent here. tell him to shove it up his fucking ass.

[The Backlash Cometh]

34. Well, I thought I was being brusque just by hanging up on him.

It may have been brusque, but I think it was fear that motivated the action. I've had four years to worry about this day, and now that it came, I don't think I handled it very well.

[Toots]

110. I am amazed you don't wish to sacrifice your child for the GOP

That is how they are going to fix Global Warming. Sacrifice to their God to make it all better. Give us your child and everything will be better....

[noamnety]

9. I don't know how to make them stop

But please have your son read this: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/paynter/227497_paynter08.html because eventually you won't be the first one to get to the phone. And make him aware that any attempts to tell him he isn't interested will be interpreted as a willingness to talk to them, and will just encourage them further.

And also, keep logging when they call - I'd be interested to see how many phone calls they make.

Also, thinking about it, I might invest in an extremely loud rape whistle that I accidentally blow into the phone when they call.

:evilgrin:

[Karenina]

16. Or an air horn...

:evilgrin:

[The Backlash Cometh]

43. Thanks, I printed the article and will give it to my son to read. n/t

[SlipperySlope]

154. a must read

[earthside]

10. Threaten to Sue

Next time he calls tell him that you have contacted a lawyer and will consider filing a lawsuit against the Army if he continues to harrass you and your family. Tell him you are keeping a log of any more contacts and calls from him.

Bad publicity is clearly the last thing the GOPentatgon needs right now for its recruiting efforts.

I'll bet just the threat of a lawsuit will end the calls.

[in_cog_ni_to]

13. Tell him you're going to call the police

and register his harrassment! Don't let him get away with that crap! OR change your phone number and have it unlisted.

[The Backlash Cometh]

48. The police in this right-wing community are probably on their side.

I've learned not to count on them for much of anything.

[TlalocW]

14. Airhorn

Seriously, go buy a fucking airhorn. Blast it into the phone when the ass calls.

TlalocW

[noamnety]

32. airhorn strategy

OMG, this is evil.

"Upon receiving the unwanted phone call you simply whisper some inaudible meaning- less phrase into the receiver such as "trees like green cheese," drawing the callers ear closer to the receiver. Then you place the air horn on the lower part of the phone which you normally speak into and blast away!"

http://members.aol.com/proloser/

[Midlodemocrat]

15. Can you possibly block the number?

I know my service allows me to block specific numbers. Thank God for that, because I don't have to listen to my SIL's psychotic ramblings on my voice mail.

[The Backlash Cometh]

50. What a great idea! Thanks!

[LynneSin]

51. you cannot use callblock for government phone numbers

That was covered on Michael Moore's site

[tblue37]

158. Then they will show up at the door when you aren't there, or

stalk the kid to the mall or the movie theater. They stalked that kid in the article, and nabbed him when his mom was gone.

[Richard D]

18. If he calls again . . .

. . . report him to both the police and the phone company.

[Drifter]

22. Invite him over to the house .....

Send your son to the mall for a few hours.

When the recruiter gets there tell him your son should be home soon, and to have a seat in the living room. See how long he is willing wait.

Cheers
Drifter

[TlalocW]

30. Then excuse yourself from the room

Several times and come back wearing a completely different set of clothes and act as if everything is normal.

Then hit him with a blast from the damn airhorn.

TlalocW

[noamnety]

36. LMAO

I wouldn't invite him to the house though - if he's invited once, he'll keep showing up.

But there's no reason you can't mess with him on the phone. "Hold on, I'll get my son." put phone down on countertop.

Go about your business.


Next call: "Hang on, I just need to turn off hte oven for a second." put phone down on countertop ...

[The Backlash Cometh]

54. If I invite him in once, it might have a vampire effect and he may

decide he's welcome to drop in at anytime. ;-)

[prole_for_peace]

106. they are like vampires, once you invite them in they can

come and go as they please.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

180. That's a very good idea - make him waste all his time

That way, he isn't out recruiting others for Bush's fraudulent oil war.

[Mythsaje]

25. Tell him

to go "Cheney" himself, that your son won't be fodder for the Criminal-In-Chief's foreign wars. That he'd BETTER learn to take no for an answer or you'll be filing harassment charges against him.

Or, in desperation, I'd suggest doing what I used to suggest to women being subjected to nasty crank calls--go out and get one of those old PE Teacher type whistles...and, when you answer the phone, blow into it REAL hard.

Or you could just pick up the phone and hang up repeatedly, until he learns to stop callihg...like sales, it's a numbers game. The more time he wastes with someone who's not going to cooperate, the less chance he has to actually find someone misinformed enough to allow him access to their children.

[immoderate]

37. No don't hang up...

Tell him to hold on. Put down the phone. Go shopping.

--IMM

[Mythsaje]

61. Yeah

that's a good one too. Save another mother's son by keeping him too busy to talk to the lad.

[The Backlash Cometh]

74. Oh, what a great line, "Save another mother's son by going shopping"

[TreasonousBastard]

26. Pushy buggers aren't they...

but there's little you can do. Perhaps trying to find his commander and requesting they not call would help.

Does the kid have any interest at all in joining? Perhaps having him say he's not interested at all might slow things down. Writing "Conscientious Objector" on his draft registration form would back that up, but he really should be one if he does that.

Guerilla tactics may be called for eventually, but that might mean coming up with convincing lies about him that could embarass him later.

Then, there's always giving the recruiter the names of Republican neighbors...

[The Backlash Cometh]

79. It doesn't help that his area of interest is in line with military tech.

I think they'd want him for his tech skills and I don't believe they're going to go away anytime soon.

[Greybnk48]

27. First I told them my son did not graduate

and they said that was o.k. After that I told them (all four branches were calling--not a peep from the Coast Guard) that my son was Gay and an alcoholic. They stopped calling.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

28. Do you know a lawyer...a friend...who is willing to call this guy's....

...commanding officer and make an official complaint about harrassing phone calls from this recruiter?

[The Backlash Cometh]

84. If it gets that bad, I'll hire one.

[Hapameli]

171. Check out the National Lawyers Guild Military Resistance Project

At the time, its LA-based but I'm sure if you call they could give you some free advice. They run free clinics in LA and OC weekly, I think.

Here's the website:
http://www.nlg-la.org/militaryinfo.htm

[tk2kewl]

31. Have your son tell him, in no uncertain terms...

to go fuck himself, and then to volunteer for Iraq front-lines himself, and not to forget to bring a picture of his fuhrer and his Pat Robertson prayer book

[The Backlash Cometh]

87. I may eventually have to put my son on the line, but I'll be sure

the recruiter knows that I'm taping the conversation.

[flyarm]

107. nooooooooooooo once they talk to the kids they never give up!!

from what many parents in my internet group have said..once they get your kid on the phone once they never give up..and some have been told that the parents have no right to intercept the calls!!

several have been threatened!!

do not let your kid talk to them..

[Rob H.]

129. That's what happened to me (see below)

A Marine Corps recruiter kept calling back even after I'd told him I wasn't interested, and this was way back in 1986. I thought he was pretty aggressive then (I kept thinking, "Is this guy deaf? He hasn't heard a word I've said!"), but I can't even imagine what those same conversations would be like now.

I think they figure that if they can talk to you once and then just keep calling you back they'll eventually wear you down. ("Y'know, I've said 'no' to you seventeen times before today, but what the hell. Where do I sign?")

[The Backlash Cometh]

135. Yikes! Okay. Thanks for the advice. I'll take it. Better safe than sorry

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

149. But it is the parent's telephone they are calling on

I have a right to control the use of my telephone! I have every right to intercept phone calls on my telephone!

I would keep hanging up on him or leaving him on hold for hours. As others have said, he won't waste his time for too long.

I like the idea of telling him son is gay - but would not do that w/o son's permission

[EFerrari]

178. He has no right to speak to your son. You are the guardian

and you can refuse to let him speak to your kid. If he persists, ask him if he knows the consequences for stalking a minor.

[EFerrari]

33. I'd get a restraining order. That's stalking.

M%therf*ckers!

[HockeyMom]

70. That is what my daughter did

She was 18 but still in HS. She didn't know that SHE would have to sign the Do Not Call form. He kept calling and calling and calling. It got to the point my daughter was terrified of the phone ringing or that he would show up on our doorstep one day.

She told me she felt like he was stalking her. I told her to TELL HIM THAT. She told him that if he called her one more time she would bring stalking charges against him. He never called her again.

Worked for a young woman, but I don't know if it would for a young man.

[EFerrari]

82. Of course it would, or that would be descrimination!

Check out the stalking laws in your state and take out the order. All you have to do is go to the police station and file a report. The officer calls a judge for a Temporary Restraining Order and there might be one court appearance to get a permanent one.

[HockeyMom]

93. True

At any rate, we have to fight back.

[EFerrari]

121. Another idea: We collect a few of these stories and start writing

OpEds. I'd be happy to put one together as a template.

"Military Recruiters Stalking Our Children"

[HockeyMom]

127. I am willing to

My daughter was a basket case over this.

[EFerrari]

134. I'm sure it was traumatizing for her. Creeps. If you want to write

something up describing what she went through, that would be great. Maybe we can find one or two more parents or principals who were also stalked. You can PM it to me or email me, either way if fine.

[komplex]

35. Yeah!! Don't let your kid make his own decisions!!!

How about your kid tells the recruiter himself he's not interested.

[noamnety]

39. News flash for you

If her son is under 18, she's responsible for his safety.

[komplex]

55. A minor needs parental consent to enlist.

[The Backlash Cometh]

89. Thanks, that is correct. He's still my dependent child.

[gratuitous]

46. The kid's a minor

Or did you miss that? Until he's 18, my son (should any exist) isn't going to make a life-or-death decision without my say-so, either. And even after that age, I hope to raise him well enough that he will come to me for advice on his own volition to talk it over before going ahead.

But back to the original post: Next time the recruiter calls, repeat that you don't want him anywhere near your son. If he persists, ask him for the name of his commanding officer, because you need to have a little chat with that person about his subordinate's inability to understand plain English.

[The Backlash Cometh]

92. I'll get the commanding officer's name next time. Thanks.

[GiovanniC]

47. The Kid Is a Minor

A parent has a right to restrict recruiters' efforts to turn their children into raw materials for Bush's Magical Iraqi Meat Grinder.

Do you leave YOUR children in charge of all the life-and-death decisions that face them?

[komplex]

57. Well, I don't plan on

putting the condom on him when he f*cks.

[GiovanniC]

59. Will You Rent Him a Hotel Room For It?

[komplex]

64. He's going to do it the same way I did it...

in her basement when her parents are at work and nervously listening incase anybody comes in.

Heck, and If I was able to tell a recruiter no at the age of 17 then he better be able to tell a recruiter no at the age of 17.

[GiovanniC]

69. Why Not Rent Him the Hotel Room Then?

It's not like it's up to you to make those kinds of decisions. He's a grown adult and he's old enough to make that decision so why aren't you facilitating that for him?

Bottom line: If you call MY house on MY phone and DEMAND to speak to MY kid about wanting to send him to his potential death, and say you won't quit calling until you do, you are over the fucking line and I will unleash the fires of hell on you.

[komplex]

75. I don't understand you.

He's a grown adult, and if he want's to rent out a short stay hotel then he can, if he doesn't he doesn't.

A minor needs parental consent to join the army. If your child is so easily persuaded into getting his a$$ shot off in Iraq against your wishes, you've got bigger problems than a recruiter calling your home.

[GiovanniC]

91. I Can't Say It Any Better Than This Poster Did

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3882259&mesg_id=3882648

And if you can't understand that, you are thick beyond all hope.

[noamnety]

78. Sounds like the kid has already made his own decision

Unless he's too stupid to find a recruiter's office or look them up in the yellow pages, which I highly doubt, he's made his decision - he doesn't want to enlist at this time. We don't even have the fairness doctrine in the media - why would you feel the military's somehow entitled to enter the sanctity of my home to give their side of the story/marketing pitch to my children?

Gawd, I'm trying to imagine a crack dealer showing up at my doorstep, and me saying "come on in, I'm personally opposed to crack, but I think that's a decision my child ought to make for herself."

[GiovanniC]

86. Exactly

Thank you.

I have a feeling that your perfect analogy will be lost on this person, but it is a great one nonetheless.

[mondo joe]

94. After recruiters call in the crack dealers, credit card companies

Perfect analogy.

Why anyone would want to throwtheir kids to high pressure manipulators of the first order is beyond me.

After having them talk to the recruiters, line up the crack dealers, credit card companies and Scientologists for a private meeting with your child.

[GiovanniC]

38. A Couple of Ideas From a Former Telemarketer

- You could tell him, "Hold on, let me get my son." Then, leave him on hold until he figures it out and hangs up. Repeat as necessary... shouldn't take too long.

- Any loud or unpleasant noise (the whistle listed above is great for this)... Start speaking very softly into the phone. Make him have to strain to hear you, maybe even crank his volume to the max. Then, hit him with the whistle (or stereo cranked way up, or whatever). Make them dread calling your house.

- Chat with him. Ask him his name. When he says, "I'm Sgt. Harris" or whatever, you say, "Sergeant Harris! I've been waiting ALL DAY for you to call. You'll never believe what's been going on in my life." Then, start talking about very uncomfortable things. Say things like, "Sergeant Harris, you should have seen the size of the goddamned kidney stone I passed this morning. It was about as big as a peanut M&M! That might not sound too bad, but can you imagine trying to push a peanut M&M through your peehole?" If he asks again to talk to your son, say, "Oh, he isn't home right yet, but why don't you stay on the phone with me anyway. I haven't talked to anyone all day, and I wasn't done telling you my kidney stone story!"

[katinmn]

44. LOL. How about running through a list of everything you've

eaten for the past week and what's on your shopping list?

[GiovanniC]

53. And Also

The frequency, color and consistency of your bowel movements.

A lot of old people in my family do this anyway. They are just itching to tell you what they've eaten, how often they've shit, and how many people they know have died recently. And I love them dearly, but when they start talking about some of that stuff, I am scoping out the nearest exit, for sure.

[mondo joe]

71. Definitely tell him about how your menstrual cycle may have changed

over the course of your lifetime, and your thoughts about menopause.

[noamnety]

114. I could easily work that into a conversation

"I'm not comfortable sending my son to the military, what if something happens to him? I mean I know the odds are he won't, but what if it does? He's my only son, although I suppose I could have more, but the problem is I'm 45 years old, and I think I might be coming up on menopause. I don't know if you know much about that, but this is the thing, I used to have my period every 28 days, like clockwork, and now that I'm older it seems to be more like 29 days, or sometimes even 30, and the amount of blood seems to have tapered off a bit (enter detailed discussion of rate of tampon usage) ..."

From there you can move into a discussion of in vitro fertilization, and wonder aloud if the military would pay to get some of your eggs frozen, and you could mention that you saw that woman in the coma on tv who is carrying their child to term, and you don't really see what would be so awful about using some of those brain dead women as surrogate mothers, what really would be the harm if they are unconcious anyway?

All this needs to be said without a break where he can interrupt. One tactic I've seen for that is to take take a breath after the phrase "and the amazing thing is" BREATH -- you never want to just end a sentence and take a breath because that will give the other person a chance to comment.

If you go this route, you WILL have to record the conversation for us.

[Divameow77]

96. When a telamarketer calls my husband

always starts flirting with the caller " You sound hot, are you single, (if its a guy) do you like guys" stuff like that. They usually hang up pretty quickly. He figures it can't be sexual harrassment since they called him and he doesn't actually say anything 'sexual'.

It might not work so well for a woman though.

[flyarm]

111. i do that..i tell them about a phoney yeast

infection..but talk real fast and keep talking..and when you run out of breath ask them how they like it that you wasted their time!!

or tell them about the dogs yeast infection!!

but start with the itching first..

works every time!!

[Ganja Ninja]

41. Tell him to eat shit and die.

Then hang up and disconnect the phone cord for an hour or two. Or you could buy an answering machine and let it screen all your calls. There is no law that requires you or anyone else to talk to a military recruiter. So don't be afraid to give them a ration of shit.

[LynneSin]

49. Tape Record the conversation and send it to Michael Moore's website

Hell, I've sent this link already to his site. Moore has covered a ton of the problems parents are having with military recruiters. Next time you see the guy call, let the recruiter know that you are recording the conversation, your 17 year old IS a minor and you make all final decisions and that the tape will be forwarded to your local press AND Michael Moore.

Oddly enough they're so desparate they'll still call. Oh, before you tell the guy he's being recorded - ask for his name, rank and location. Make it official

[ikri]

52. You're missing an opportunity

You can play How long will the telemarketer stay on the line.

Next time they call simply say "Yes you can talk to him, but..." then pick one from the following lines:

He's eating
He's in the shower/bath
He's just putting his bike/car away in the garage
etc.

Ask them if they'd not mind holding on while they just finish up what they're doing. Every few minutes pick up again and say "Sorry its taking so long" make up another weak excuse and say "He should be along any minute".

Eventually the caller will realize that you're taking the piss out of them and hang up. Some take longer than others to realize this. I've read of people who have kept telemarketers on the line for over an hour with this method, even going to the shops and back with the caller staying on the line.

[myrna minx]

56. Tell him that you have contacted a journalist about his

aggressive tactics. The last thing a recruiter wants is more bad press. :shrug:

[Kittycat]

67. I like this... And file a restraining order

Get his name, and file an order that he is harrassing your family. Restrict the order to calls, mail or face to face communication. Something with 50 yards included - that will keep him away from your son at school and other events.

[LibDemAlways]

58. Yesterday Franken had a recent high school grad on

who, as a student, went "undercover" for a school newspaper article about recruitment. He pretended to be a pot smoker and drop-out who wanted to join the Army, and recorded the conversations he had with several different recruiters. They told him how to get a fake diploma on the internet from "Faith Hill Baptist School" and promised to send him a kit that would clean him up so he could pass a drug test. These guys were desperate to get a uniform on him and any ethics they might have had at one time had long since vanished. It was an eye-opener.

[Extend a Hand]

60. put him on speaker phone

and read the "The Long Emergency" aloud to him.

[militaryWife]

62. Let's not overreact here

This guy is just doing his job, and he probably hates it. It is a sucky assignment that most try to get out of- it is a real career ender! They have enormous pressure which partially explains the insanity of the recent news stories. Two calls are not harassment. You are afraid, with good reason, but this guy is not the devil. I think recording would be a good idea, just in case you get a bad apple, and definitely keep a log of the number of calls, but educate your son and all will go well.

just my 2 cents,
mw

[LynneSin]

72. I agree and disagree

I agree that we should not be removing the guys eardrum with a whistle or airhorn nor should we just prank him by letting him hang on the phone all day.


However, if the guy keeps calling and insisting he needs to speak to her son, that is harassment. The kid is 17 and the recruiters are doing some really crappy stuff to meet their quota (check out Michael Moore's site for some of the stories - one kid was carted off and stuck in a room and harassed about what his father would have done. They even took the kids cell phone away so the mother couldn't even find her kid oh, and dad died in Vietnam).

I think the best bet is to record the conversation. Obviously the poster has caller ID and knows when it's the military. Just tape the conversation although legally let the recruiter know. On tape the poster should let the recruiter know that he is not to call, the son is a minor and that further and that future calls will be forwarded to the proper authorities.

You're right about the recruiters - they have a crappy job and they're being pressured to do some really shitty stuff in order to make their quotas. We need to expose this crap and let the military know they cannot get away with this. If they're so worried about military recruitment then maybe they need to start pressuring Rumsfeld and Bush to get our troops out of Iraq.

I see you're a military wife - I hope your husband is safe and btw welcome to DU :hi:

[GiovanniC]

80. On The First Call, There Would Be No Reason to "Prank"

But when he is told that he is not to call the house and he states flat-out that he will continue to call the house until he accomplishes his goal, then he is fair game as far as I'm concerned. I feel the same way about ANY telemarketer. It's not solely a military thing. I pay $40 a month for a phone so that I can contact people I want to contact, and people I want to hear from can contact me. Period.

I don't pay $40 a month so that you can call me at 8:00 in the evening to sell me an exciting portrait package. I don't pay $40 a month so that you can harass me and my family about sending one of my sons off to be blasted into fleshy chunks on the side of the road near Baghdad. That's not what my phone is for, and it is frankly once I tell them they are not to use it for that purpose, if they continue to do so I will make them wish they hadn't.

[militaryWife]

95. thank you

yes, my husband is a major in the army and luckily not deployed to Iraq, but Korea. If I had my way, he would be home right now, wrapped in bubble wrap, but unfortunately, that is not to be.

I am so glad that he never had to be a recruiter. One of our good friends was though, and he could tell you stories that would make you shudder. He HATED it. The pressure is tremendous and he almost lost his job/career several times. A lot of people crack under the pressure. They cannot win.

But my main priority is and will always be not forcing impressionable children into this God-forsaken war. I hope that this situation ends well, and I certainly can see why this parent is anxious. There are just too many stories out there. But so far just two calls is not unreasonable, in my opinion. She is alert and that is good. It is the children with uninvolved parents that will most certainly get sucked in.

mw

[CRK7376]

205. Hang in there with your spouse in Korea!

I spent all of last year in Korea and it was hard on both me and my family too. Glad that year is over!

[Occulus]

99. While we shouldn't be actually injuring the recruiters who call,

WHY NOT keep them on the phone for as long as possible? If they're using these tactics against your son, how many others people are the recruiters trying to do this to? If it's happening to you all the time, how many other people can you save the harassment from by keeping this recruiter tied up for as long as possible?

I'm thinking this tactic could actually save lives, instantly. I'm sure some motherand father somewhere is remorsefully thinking, "oh, if only he hadn't answered the phone that night. If only he had gone out with his friends that night, he'd still be alive."

Save those parents that if only. Keep the bastards tied up on the phone.

(ps- I have never accepted the 'just doing his job' argument regarding actions taken by employees or representatives of organizations who know the actions they are taking 'in the name of their job' are wrong. I never will.)

[noamnety]

90. Do you have a link for that?

My understanding is that you have to specifically APPLY to be a recruiter. It's not like they assign you to that position against your will.

I understand there's continual stress because of the quotas, but nothing like the stress of being in Iraq, watching your squadmates accidentally kill a child. In the grand scale of sucky assignments, being stateside and nondeployable doesn't even rank.

[militaryWife]

101. After command,

my husband was given the option of two jobs, training nat'l guard troops (ACRC) or recruiting. He could have been placed in either one, but luckily went ACRC. Our friend (which I mentioned earlier) did end up switching to recruiting (to get out of a bad situation). Ironically, that situation became even more intolerable.

Of course recruiting is not as bad as war. That goes without saying, please!

I would also add that "stateside and nondeployable" is misleading. They are gone all the time. It was/is very hard on marriages. Of course, most military jobs are.

mw

[noamnety]

118. I don't think it's misleading

Gone a lot, and hard on marriages, I completely agree with. I don't mean to make light of the job or its affects on families.

But nondeployable is a major plus, you can't deny that. Gone 6 days out of 7 a town or two away is very different from being gone 6 months out of 7 overseas.

As far as army assignments go, anything stateside is a blessing at the moment. When the job ends (the end of the assignment, not the end of each day), you can walk away from it, it's not the stuff that will haunt you for life, not in the same way.

What happens to recruiters that don't meet their goals?

[militaryWife]

168. what happens

to recruiters? I honestly don't know. I could ask my friend, but since I've not dealt with it directly I can't say- I do know that it can end a career with only a few years until retirement (being fired from a position in the military is a big no-no). I do know that she was worried about his confidence and self-esteem (I know some might find that funny, but it isn't). I guess he was given a very hard time and really verbally abused.

I definitely know what you mean about not being haunted by the stateside assignment vs. war. War really is hell and that is precisely the reason it really should be used only as a last resort, instead of saying that to placate the public.

[VLC98]

208. My husband was an AF recruiter about 5 years ago.

If he didn't make goal he had to drive to the base he was assigned to, 200 miles away, at the crack of dawn on a Saturday for "training". This consisted of being humiliated, having to stand up in front of his superiors & other failing recruiters and explain why he didn't make goal, when in fact he was working harder than at any time in his 15 year career.

[CRK7376]

206. ACRC is very tough,

especially for those AC types that have not dealt with the Guard or Reserves before. Plays hell with your family weekends and then there are the Unit AT's that come up all the time....

[AllegroRondo]

169. No, they can order you to be a recruiter.

You don't HAVE to do it, but if you don't your career is shot.

[JLW]

123. Parents have to sign for minors anyway.....

Actually if he is a minor and you have properly educated him, then let him talk to the recruiter. (Only if indeed the recruiter is telling the truth about having to speak with your son..) Parents are still required to sign a consent form before the lad runs off to boot camp. Without that signature...recruiter boy gets nada....Or so that is the way it was when they tried to grab me out of high school in the 90s...Took a year and a half to get out of the mess...

[The Backlash Cometh]

133. I agree that two calls are not excessive, BUT, he said he wouldn't

take my son's name off the list until he talked to him, and the second call confirmed to me that he intends to persist, and it's a matter of time before he gets my son on a call when I'm not home. I know my son can say "no" on his own, but I don't know if he's saavy enough to recognize it if the recruiter attempts to mislead him in anyway.

[mondo joe]

63. Nicely ask him to stop calling. If he calls again tell him that the next

call will be reported to the press.

[flyarm]

112. doesn't work from what all my friends say..

they are like fleas..once they get you ..they keep coming back ..then they get beligerent!!

[Bozita]

65. Parents need to prevent these contacts by notifying the kid's school ...

... in writing.

Either hand carry it to your son's counselor or send it by certified mail with return receipt.

You've got to stop this before it starts.

[CRK7376]

207. I sent a letter to both the

Superintendent of our county school system and to our son's Guidance Dept asking that they remove our son from the list they provide to recruiters....Don't know if it will help. SOn just turned 16 a month ago so we have some time, but we are looking ahead to next spring when he turns 17 and the recruiters start calling. As a military guy it will be intersting to see the tactics the recruiters use against my son. My son is absolutely not interested in joining, he's seen me go TDY, Afghanistan, Korea etc... too many times to have any interest in joining. If the unthinkable were to happen and he were to express an interest he would be directed towards the Coast Guard, Air Force or Navy......But I truly don't see that happening...

[HockeyMom]

66. Contact your son's school

You should have been given a Do Not Call form under the Leave No Child Behind Act. If you child is under 18 and you sign this form, the school district CANNOT give his information to the Military. If the student is 18 and over, THEY can sign the Do Not Call form. Since you didn't sign the form and he already has your number, I don't know if signing it now would prevent him from calling. I supposed you could sign the form and change your phone number. The school would then be under no obligation to give the recruiter the new number.

I cannot believe people still don't know this.

[donco6]

115. Here's the NCLB wording:

SEC. 9528. ARMED FORCES RECRUITER ACCESS TO STUDENTS AND STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION.

(a) POLICY-

(1) ACCESS TO STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION- Notwithstanding section 444(a)(5)(B) of the General Education Provisions Act and except as provided in paragraph (2), each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students names, addresses, and telephone listings.

(2) CONSENT- A secondary school student or the parent of the student may request that the student's name, address, and telephone listing described in paragraph (1) not be released without prior written parental consent, and the local educational agency or private school shall notify parents of the option to make a request and shall comply with any request.

(3) SAME ACCESS TO STUDENTS- Each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as is provided generally to post secondary educational institutions or to prospective employers of those students.

[The Backlash Cometh]

137. Thanks. I didn't know about the letter.

But I will write one to the counselor.

[Eloriel]

68. Forget tne police, and air horns and such

I'm sure police won't do anything unless you get into the realm of rape, kidnapping and so forth. And you aren't there yet. :evilgrin:

I'm afraid with whistles or air horns that you might (a) be brought up on charges yourself for some kind of assault and/or (b) might make him just mad enough, and determined enough, to up the ante. "This woman is NOT going to defeat me!" You know the type.

First thing, check with your phone company. I do think you might be able to block the number. Or, consider changing your number (if you can do that, I'm not entirely sure).

By all means, if you don't have caller I.D., GET IT!

Second thing (or maybe even first) -- Make sure you and your son are on the same page on this, and then together carve out a coping strategy with him. If you have caller I.D., maybe it's as simple as letting the damn thing ring. Or picking it up and saying, I'm not interested and hanging up.

Other than that, I think the delaying tactics -- putting the phone down and leaving it, and talking on and on and on are the best tactics. But if you never answer the phone, you won't even need those.

[mondo joe]

73. Can't block the government. But a notice that the press will

be called if it persists might help.

[The Backlash Cometh]

140. My son and I are on the same page, that's for sure.

And I've given him my permission to hang up if he picks up by accident. The problem always is, that you go out of your way to teach your kids to be polite and courteous, and to love your country and be proud of being an American, then Bush happens and all that good common sense goes to hell.

[in_cog_ni_to]

76. I JUST now thought of this! We have "Privacy Manager" on our phone. GET IT

if you can! If a BUSINESS calls, Privacy Manager takes over..."So and so is calling. Press 1 to accept the call, press 2 if you do not accept the call." They take it from there and tell the company that you will not accept their phone calls. If they know they can't get to you, they'll stop calling. How did they get your son's name and phone number?

on edit: "Privacy Managaer" shows on your caller ID so you know it's some company calling you. MOST of the time I don't bother even answering those calls.

[The Backlash Cometh]

141. Hmm... I've not heard of this service, but will look into it.

[Rob H.]

77. Sad to say, he may not stop even after he talks to your son

When I was 17 and about to graduate from high school way back in 1986, a Marine Corps recruiter kept calling even after I'd told him I was going to college in the fall to major in Journalism. His response: "There are journalists in the Marine Corps--and you can earn money to pay for college while you're in."

He probably called back two more times and I continued to tell him I wasn't interested. Finally my mom grabbed the phone and angrily told him, "He's going to college in the fall! He's not joining the military!" He must've said something about earning money for college, because then she said, "He has a scholarship to pay his tuition."

After she hung up, he never called again. Maybe telling him your son has a scholarship to attend college in the fall could work for you, too.

I hope this was helpful--best of luck to you both! :pals:

[mondo joe]

81. Or say "He's in his bedroom listening to Barbra Streisand records

and ironing his jeans."

That might give 'em a clue.

[CitrusLib]

97. And then add...

...but his boyfriend Steve might be interested. Can I give you his number?

[Logansquare]

83. Every time he calls, read the Constitution out loud SLOWLY

Don't allow him to talk, just keep on reading in a loud clear voice until he hangs up. Repeat as many times as necessary.

[wtmusic]

85. What always works

Seriously.

I had a phone company soliciting me for months. All you need to do is say, "Yes, he would like to talk to you, can you hold on for a minute?" then put the phone down. Leave it down.

Three times, and you will never hear from him again.

[LSK]

88. if your local Congressman is a democrat, contact him

[The Backlash Cometh]

142. I'm in hell's kitchenette. Right-wing county.

[BringEmOn]

98. Get these two to sign on the line, then you can talk to my kid.....

[demgurl]

100. Sorry, didn't read thread before I replied....

my suggestion was already given!

[The Backlash Cometh]

143. Thanks for posting anyways. You're the 100th poster to this thread.

Unfortunately, all you win is a lot of good advice.

[Lowell]

102. Tell him Great!

As soon as my son gets out of jail for sodomizing the neighbors dog and finishes his rehab for heroin addiction I think the military would be good for him. Are there still any openings for dog handlers at Abu Ghrab? Then give him the number to the local Republiscum headquarters.

If he calls again report him to his commanding officer.

[The Backlash Cometh]

144. LOL! Thanks for the smile. I needed one today.

[AX10]

104. This is stalking. It is a criminal act on his behalf.

especially if your son is a minor.

[flyarm]

105. get a police whistle..or a metal whistle...and when he calls...

blow his ears out!!

its your phone and you have the right to do that!!

i once had a sicko calling me..and the detectives in milwaukee told me to do that..and it worked!!

and i have told many friends with kids who keep getting called to do the same..to put the whistle by the phone on a ribbon and when they call start blowing!!

and most have said it works..they stopped calling after a couple whistle demonstrations!!

[Bozita]

108. Could the adult kid sign over "Power of Attorney" to his folks ...

... for all matters relating to the military?

??

[Horse with no Name]

113. Get a tape recorder and record some "War is evil""No more killing"

"Not in my name""Not my son""Illegal War"

Chant this over and over and over--might take a few days to make the tape,lol.
Anyway, when he calls, just say hold on--then put the tape up to the phone and walk away.

[TlalocW]

117. Naw, get War by Edwin Starr

War *HUH* What is it good for?
Absolutely nothin'
SING IT AGAIN!
War *HUH* What is it good for?

TlalocW

[TlalocW]

116. Okay, a little racially insenstive but...

Next time he calls, get all your family together, and when he starts talking, yell into your phone in a bad Arabic accent, "JIHAD! PRAISE ALLAH!" Then have your family all yell (in falsetto), "ALALALALALALALALALALALA!" like a chant.

Either that or have you son talk to him in a really bad lisp and answer the phone with, "Well, HELLO, SAILOR!"

TlalocW

[The Backlash Cometh]

146. Okay, you get a chuckle too.

[trogdor]

119. Out him.

Tell them he's at a GSA function at school.
(tongue in cheek, of course)

[The Backlash Cometh]

148. My son does have a very dry sense of humor.

He once summed up his life this way, "Mom, this is my future: Geek, Geekier and Geekiest."

[TlalocW]

120. Someone said it earlier

But I'm changing it a bit...

Tell him that this is the week that he's with his father and give him the phone number to whatever Republican organization you hate most is in your city.

TlalocW

[Clark2008]

125. Look, I understand the guy was pushy and rude

but, he's just doing his job. And he's probably got pressure from hell to meet recruitment levels.

First, I'd try that with him - the sympathy approach, "I know they're making you do this and this idiotic war is making it harder... blah, blah, blah." Then tell him, under no uncertain terms, that he is to refrain from calling, your son is a minor and, if he does it again, then you will have to contact his superior and your congressmen/women to put a stop to it.

There is no reason to go off half-cocked and blow things in his ear. Jesus, where's the civility? It really is NOT this guy's fault he's having to recruit under Shrub's evil wars.

[noamnety]

175. "Where's the civility?"

I think she used it up the FIRST time he called and she said they weren't interested. That was civil.

Once the recruiter announces he refuses to stop harrassing her, on HER phone, to get to her child, sorry, but the time for politeness is over.

Nobody is obligated to be Miss Manners when faced with controlling or bullying behavior.

[Clark2008]

200. Oh, I understand that it's frustrating.

My point is that it's frustrating to the recruiter guy, too.

Do you really think he wants to do this? I don't.

I think he knows the kettle of fish he's in, but it's his orders.

And orders aren't like directives.

[noamnety]

214. To be blunt, I don't care

Yes, it's frustrating for him. Yes, it would suck to have to drive 200 miles to go get humiliated for not meeting his goal. It would suck hard, and I would not want to be in his shoes.

HOWEVER. That does not obligate me, as a civilian, to serve as his accomplice in recruiting my child, in any way. It does not obligate me to willingly be interrupted, repeatedly, in the privacy of my own home. It does not obligate me to do something that is against my own best interests.

I'm a teacher. Most of the time it's great. Sometimes it sucks. Sometimes we have funding problems bceause of enrollment, I've lost pay because of it. Tht's my problem.

People in the community aren't under any obligation to be polite if I start calling them up at home, repeatedly, trying to coerce them into sending their child to my school, and refuse to stop even when they request it. They aren't under any obligation to be polite, even the first time, frankly. And certainly not if my demands aren't even along the lines of "send your kid to my school" but rather "I'd like you to get pregnant and crank out more kids because our school needs a higher enrollment." We're talking life and death issues that affect an entire family.

It would suck for me if my boss ordered me to start doing that, and it would suck if it affected my career (getting half pay this last year sucked, worse than driving 200 miles once a month.) But that's my job, my problem. It doesn't entitle me to demand access to your kids.

I have the same attitude when solicitors come to my front door. I don't answer. It's my door, if I chose to answer it I will. I'm pro-choice on that. They can stand out there and ring the bell for 15 minutes if they like, and I damned well don't care if they hear the tv is on. They aren't entitled to have access to my house to conduct their business.

[tsuki]

126. Why are they calling children when there are so many chickenhawks

around? Have them call the campus Young Republican Club.

[Midlodemocrat]

128. Tell him to call you back when the Bush twins enlist.

And you will let him talk to your son.

[King Coal]

130. You know what? It would be against the rules to tell you what I would do.

But he would stop. My son is 17 and just came back from Daytona where they won a national ROTC drill competition. He tells the recruiters he is not interested and not to call. I'm sure glad. Saves me from doing what I would do.

[EFerrari]

194. I would do that, too. Thanks for not getting us dusted.

:hi:

[Blue Diadem]

131. Do not let him speak to your son..he will just keep calling and calling

I made that mistake several years ago. They didn't stop bugging my son for years. They are doing that to the girls now too. My son's fiance told me that she got numerous calls from a recruiter.

I saw a recruiter strolling the University yesterday. I wondered why in the summer months when enrollment is so much lower. Then I remembered that Boy's state is taking place this week. Yep more high school kids, Jr's I think.

[democrat_patriot]

132. Call the police, get a restraining order.

If he calls from the same number, call your phone company and have it blocked.

Pick up the phone and let off an air horn into it.

Tell him your son is a minor (again) and the recruiter sounds like a stalker pedophile.

"My son's not here, he's in Europe for 8 months studying"

"My GAY son isn't here?"

[Jacobin]

136. Go to your local registrar of voters

Have them print out the list of registered republicans in your area.

Call the recruiter and ask him for his fax number.

Fax him the list of names and addresses of republican voters and tell him he should use that tack when calling them. They voted for Bush's War so they should send their children to die for Bush's War.

:-)

[The Backlash Cometh]

150. Those voter lists are not available to everyone.

You have to be a registered PAC or a candidate running for office, for example. But those lists are available to recruiters, so they probably already know.

[Catfight]

138. Forward your number to the WH

[BigBearJohn]

145. Tell him your son is gay

[WolverineDG]

147. if he keeps calling back

on the first call, tell him that you now consider his repeated calls to be harrassment & if he calls again, you will call the police & file telephone harassment charges against him. Then if he's stupid enough to call again, call the cops (non-emergency line of course) & have the officer write down the numbers, dates, & times of all the calls recorded in your caller id box. if he left messages, especially threatening ones, have the officer listen to those as well & write down what is said in his log book. then get the police report number, wait a couple of days, get the report, then go down to the police station or DA's office & file charges.

(this will work in Texas, not sure about your state).

Here's another trick that will work in Texas: If the recruiter shows up at your house, demand that he/she leave. If they do not, call the police & ask that the recruiter be given a criminal trespass warning. Hopefully, the recruiter will be dumb enough to hang around for the cops to show up. This means that if they show up again, you call the cops & the recruiter gets busted for criminal trespass. If they send a different recruiter, though, you'll have to start at square one, but really, how many recruiters would they have in your area?

dg

[mzteris]

151. several years back

when my daughter was graduating from HS this one guy kept calling - he kept thinking SHE was a HE - anyway after about the third or fourth time, I acted all interested. (I guess he didn't keep notes or something....) I asked questions leading him to "promise" all kinds of BS - about college money, duty selection, base selection, etc...... so I told him "WOW, this sounds great. Just let me call my brother - he's a full Bird currently at the Pentagon (which was true, btw) - and go over this with him and see what HE has to say."

I never heard from the guy again..... LOL..

[Mairead]

152. Get his name and rank, and ask for his boss's phone number

Tell him you intend to lodge a complaint because he refuses to stop calling although your kid is a minor.

[Tux]

155. Depending on age of your kid

You could ask the recruiter to prove he is with the military and not a child molester. A quick call to his commander to explain that your son is receiving harassing phone calls from a recruiter who likes young boys.

Or

Tell him your son is going to be turned from gay to straight by Jesus once rehab is done. Then ask the guy if he has a special relationship with Jesus and would like to talk about it. Give his home address/phone number to Jehovah's Witnesses.

All in all, have fun and try to get a lawyer if it continues.

[BR_Parkway]

156. Tell him he's not home, he's gone to a Pride Parade.

[nadinbrzezinski]

157. Yes his command, ask to talk to his command

senior NCO or officer and remind them it is against the rules to talk to a minor

Oh and add to that your federal repts

Oh and here is a funny story, happened some years back... my hubby is a PO1, and starts receiving calls from a recruiter PO3, the kid did not stop harrasing him until my husband contacted his Chief and pointed out he gave teh kid a lawful legal order.

Oh in your case.... write a letter to the paper, call the national media, and expose this... mike mallloy will gladly listen as well as big eddie... reason for this... they hate national exposure

;-)

[ls317]

159. Question???

First how old is your son??? Second is your son is of High School age There is a provison in the No Child Left Behind Act .Section 9528 that schools are required to give military recruiters students information if there grades are avg to below avg.
Mainly they are attempting to find the ones that are not going to go to college
You have to go down to his school and sign off stating you wish not to be contracted by armed forces recruiters

[The Backlash Cometh]

185. Interesting. My son doesn't meet any of the qualifications you metnion.

He's very qualified to go to college. And he's under-aged. On the young side of 17.

[elehhhhna]

161. Guys coming back from Iraq are being forced to work recruiting offices.

Just say you're your son and tell him to blow away.

[noamnety]

172. Claiming to be your son is good for at least one call

If he says you don't sound like a guy, you can act extremely offended. "What are you trying to say? Are you saying I sound like a girl? what right do you have to call my house and randomly insult my masculinity?" (and then break down sobbing)

[ls317]

162. Section 9528

‘‘SEC. 9528. ARMED FORCES RECRUITER ACCESS TO STUDENTS AND STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION.

‘‘(a) POLICY.—

‘‘(1) ACCESS TO STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION.—Notwithstanding section 444(a)(5)(B) of the General Education Provisions Act and except as provided in paragraph (2), each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students names, addresses, and telephone listings.

‘‘(2) CONSENT.—A secondary school student or the parent of the student may request that the student’s name, address, and telephone listing described in paragraph (1) not be released without prior written parental consent, and the local educational agency or private school shall notify parents of the option to make a request and shall comply with any request.

‘‘(3) SAME ACCESS TO STUDENTS.—Each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as is provided generally to post secondary educational institutions or to prospective employers of those students.

‘‘(b) NOTIFICATION.—The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall, not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, notify principals, school administrators, and other educators about the requirements of this section.

‘‘(c) EXCEPTION.—The requirements of this section do not apply to a private secondary school that maintains a religious objection to service in the Armed Forces if the objection is verifiable through the corporate or other organizational documents or materials of that school.

‘‘(d) SPECIAL RULE.—A local educational agency prohibited by Connecticut State law (either explicitly by statute or through statutory interpretation by the State Supreme Court or State Attorney General) from providing military recruiters with information or access as required by this section shall have until May 31, 2002, to comply with that requirement.

[The Backlash Cometh]

186. Thanks! Great reference.

[unhappycamper]

163. If you live in FL, you can shoot them thru the door when they ring your

doorbell. That might be a nice point to bring up.

[The Backlash Cometh]

187. Well, how about if I just put up a bucket of water over the door sill

to douche them with?

[unhappycamper]

191. That should work nicely.

You might want to put a little bleach in the bucket to kill the germs in the water.
:rofl:

[FourStarDemocrat]

204. LOL! One benefit of living there I suppose. :) nt

[BiggJawn]

164. Harrassing telephone calls used to be a crime.

May still be in your state. File a police report.

Or just put your son on the line and have him say "Feck off. You and the Hum-Vee you rode in one"

[Twist_U_Up]

165. Tell him hes gay

and that he just left for Canada to get married

[mdelaguna2000]

174. Does the gay excuse really deter them?

Can you really just "say" they're gay? How do they "verify" this?

I have thought about this (my son is 19) - where do we find out the details?

Thought about Canada, too.

[Joacheme Misrahe]

183. No, it does NOT work

I'm 20 and I AM gay and when I get the calls and tell them so they usually say something along the lines of "Who cares? Just don't tell. There's no reason you can't join."

Further, I have several friends who are also gay that are serving right now. From what I can tell they don't care unless you end up on the news about it & they can't ignore it.

[Occulus]

202. .

removed- inane

[salin]

209. response.... but sir (or madam)... I did just tell...

[FreedomAngel82]

166. What I would do

is tell them to fuck off (in a nice way of course) and if they don't see if you can take action against them. They're harrassing you if they keep coming. They used to call here all the time a couple years ago (before Iraq) and just bug the hell out of my brother and for no reason at all. But finally my Mom told the guy who called that if he doesn't stop calling and bothering us she'll talk to his boss. After that they have never called back.

[AllyCat]

167. Try this website (leave my child alone)

http://www.leavemychildalone.org/

[Skwmom]

173. Sign up for call blocking. e/o/m

[Ilsa]

176. Next time he calls, pretend to be your son.

Then say whatever you want. I bet they can't do much about that.

[Stuckinthebush]

179. When they ask for your son, say..."Speaking"

The recruiter will say, "May I speak with your son?"

You then again say, "Speaking. I'm {son's name}".

Keep up until he finally either accepts that you are your son or hangs up. If he hangs up and calls back, keep doing it. He'll finally realize that he is wasting his time.

If he accepts that you are a young male with an extremely high voice, then so be it. Listen to him and then say, "Hell no. Do you think I am that stupid to sign up for a worthless war just to get my head blown off by an IED? I won't be Bush's cannon fodder! Good day, sir. Please do not call again!"

[roguevalley]

181. go to michael moores site or cindy sheehans and see if they

have links to people who can tell you how to beat this. There is a way but I forgot what it was. Sorry, honey. My baby went through Bosnia. I know how you feel.

[TorchTheWitch]

188. Here's what my neighbor did

several months ago. Next time the recruiter calls ask him to hold on for a few minutes and apologize that it may be a little while as your son is in the process of putting on his prosthetic limbs since you just finished giving him his bath.

The recruiter hung up, and they've never heard from another recruiter again.... they'll still go after kids who are claimed to be mentally/emotionally deficient, gays, alcoholics and drug addicts, but they do draw the line on kids without all their appendages.

Incidently, her son is 19 (nearly 20).

[realFedUp]

189. Support H.R. 551 - Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005

· H.R. 551 – Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005

Please support H.R.551, the Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005, which amends section 9528 of No Child Left Behind. H.R. 551 prohibits military recruiters from contacting students unless these minors and their parents specifically "Opt-In" and consent to receive such communications

http://www.kintera.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=irKQL0NSE&b=700165&action=2621&template=x.ascx

[w8liftinglady]

190. opt out

http://www.militaryfreezone.org/
has a form you can fill/submit to prevent schools from releasing your child's info to recruiters(although it may be too late in your case).I would simply inform him you are recording the call,and will contact the media if your son is harassed further.It's too late for my oldestbut I will not allow my other 2 boys to talk to recruiters.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

196. block the number

[Warren DeMontague]

197. Here's what I would do- Tell him to "hang on, one second".

Then give him a good half hour of the Grateful Dead. Maybe a 35 minute Dark Star jam from '74... some really raunchy pigpen.. or May of 1977 is always nice, if you can stomach all the Donna.

Rinse. Repeat.

[Liberty Belle]

198. Keep a big whistle by the phone. Next time he calls,

blow it as loudly as you can!

[SoCalDem]

199. change your phone number..

and don't ever put your "real" phone number on anything you fill out..unless it's a job application:)

[Liberty Belle]

201. Here's how I got rid of one who kept calling my son:

"My son is valedictorian at his high school. He's been accepted at a fine college and has a promising future ahead of him. Why on earth would you want to ruin that by conning him into going to Iraq, where he could be slaughtered or maimed in a war based on lies? Have you no conscience? None? I don't know how you can look yourself in the mirror.

He never called back.

[VLC98]

210. No offense, but do you think...

a kid of average (or below) intelligence, who will probably struggle to get a job at all, deserves to be a target for recruiters?

[Coexist]

211. here are two resources for parents:

http://www.LeaveMyChildAlone.org

http://www.militaryfreezone.org

[Pathwalker]

213. If it's YOUR phone number, he can't continue to call WITHOUT

your permission. Period. Since your child is a minor, you decide WHO can speak to your child, otherwise it is stalking. That phone is under your name and you pay for that privilege, and you own the rights as to WHO can use it. Period.

Can you BLOCK the call?

[realFedUp]

215. Anyone else seeing recruiters at high school graduations...

in full uniform, in full view of everyone...
like butchers waiting with candy and flowers
for their meat.