Oh Yes, and Speaking of Recruitment

Cough (you're right, Jane, I may cough myself to death).

Do you know what the Bushies have been pushing? From almost day one of the Katrina disaster - or at least as day one as the feds bothered to participate - people in shelters, on emergency transports, in food lines are being bombarded by recruiters telling them it's how they can have the money to start over.

[Parenthetically, I've heard they're mentioned signup bonuses lower than the $10-$15K offered many - I mean - why would you pay desperate people the same? They should be happy with whatever we deign to give 'em, right? - excuse me while I gag.]

I read of one place where parents were complaining because their teenagers would get targeted, lured away from the family group often without obtaining the parents' permission, and then, after gifting the teen with something they aren't normally getting at the shelter, start making a pitch like, "You know, you're just a burden on your poor folks right now. They're desperate and what can you do for them, just sitting in this shelter. But you could make a big difference: enlist and then give your folks your signup bonus. This could make all the difference between them making it or falling apart, hungry and homeless. It's all on you, kiddo, and you can't go back home again no matter what you do."

Now, all of this I've read thus far is mostly done as background, slipped into deeper "color" sections in an article about something like that. But if even any part of this is true, God damn them.