17-Year-Old David McSwane's Sting Operation Busts Recruiters

[babylonsister]

Run time: 04:45 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq2_JSnZoRQ   Posted on YouTube: September 23, 2007 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: September 23, 2007 By DU Member: babylonsister Views on DU: 10682

 

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. K&R

Thanks for posting this vid.

[Divine Discontent]

2. GOOD FOR HIM!

they're more than happy to throw your school kids under the military industrial complex bus to get profit and bodies to burn up in their war engine...


they're SICK.

[ljm2002]

3. Great work!

Good for Mr. McSwane!

[The Doctor.]

78. My pc has been down and I'm on a laptop that refuses to run youtube videos... could you perhaps

illustrate exactly what happened?

I get the gist that the recruiters did something bad, but I don't know what.

[ClayZ]

4. K and R

[f the letter]

5. That is a great idea

Smart man. i wonder how many others are going this far without making news

[emlev]

39. this kind of BS from recruiters is common practice n/t

[NV Whino]

6. So the army not only lost a potential recruit,

they've (one assumes if it is investigated properly) lost an additional two soldiers. Somebody better teach those boys math.

[Scriptor Ignotus]

7. speaking of which...

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/9/21/211030/911


So now the editor, David McSwane, is in trouble.

While the Collegian is editorially independent, CSU retains a measure of control though a 10-member faculty-student Board of Student Communications, which can fire the paper’s editor-in-chief, David McSwane.

In a letter addressed to the university community and Collegian readers, Jeff Browne, director of student media, said he is planning to launch an internal investigation into "the decision-making process" followed in publishing the editorial.

[msongs]

9. maybe it is illegal to record a conversation without telling the recorded party eh?

[lateo]

12. It depends on the state.

Where I live it isn't.

[chervilant]

19. Oh, no,

Bush fixed all that, don't you remember?

Now, it's only illegal to promote truth...

[pitohui]

21. not if you're a party to the conversation

it can and usually is illegal to tape a conversation if you are not involved in it (i.e. spying, wiretapping, stalking)

however if you and i are talking, then you don't have an expectation of privacy from me, because after all you are right there telling me whatever it is that you're telling me

taping is not and should not be any more illegal than taking notes on the conversation, it's just a memory aid

this was settled on a federal level with abscam many, many, many years ago (admittedly there are some states that have flakey rules, but the federal ruling is correct IMHO) -- otherwise all undercover work is inadmissable

if you don't want people to repeat the things you say, don't tell the person the thing you don't want repeated

[FREEWILL56]

44. I believe that it is also ok in the case of

the one being recorded is comitting a crime especially when on the phone so I would think in person wouldn't be as regulated as that is. I doubt they did much to those 2 soldiers anyway except transfer them to do it elsewhere.

[WileEcoyote]

51. Probably got them a promotion...

And don't think that their commanding officer wasn't in on the deal. He's the biggest liar of the bunch.

I put them all in a worse category than a dope dealer to teen agers.

[FREEWILL56]

70. You are probably right.

That statement the commander made seemed like it was a memorized responce to getting caught and why the soldier was so quick to refer it to his commander as normally one would think he wouldn't want his boss to know what he was doing for fear of reprisals. There aren't any reprisals that's why, and it would be a good thing if somebody could track this further to gather more info for proof of wrongdoing to our kids. I wouldn't doubt that when their tours are over or if they get hurt or killed that they could get out of giving benefits to the kids because of lying to them on the application. This royally stinks.

[WileEcoyote]

75. For those of us who lived through Vietnam

this isn't much of a surprise...

Military recruiters can be worse than a lying dope dealer to your kids in school.

[lonestarnot]

65. Nope 's not

snot...snort... :rofl:

[pitohui]

24. don't know if it will help but i was happy to vote "fuck yes" in the poll over there

i think i like this young man's grit and attitude!

[jayschool]

36. Clarification

The Board of Student Communications must hear all complaints against the editor. We've had more than 50 as of tonight. The meeting is Tuesday night on campus. Letters of support may also be submitted to the Board through the President of the University.

Take care,

Jeff

[The Doctor.]

72. Can't see the video, but I got $10 that says the 'director of student media' is also

a member of the CYR.

[jayschool]

73. Hello

Nice to meet you, and look above your post before you assume something.

Take care,

Jeff

[The Doctor.]

77. As I said, I didn't see the video. Question;

"Precisely what is the basis for these 'complaints' and who are they from?"

Can you answer that Mr. Browne?

[The Doctor.]

82. Hmmm... What's your point?

I assume we will see no more of you here. I've looked at enough to make that assumption.

Sad, you might have learned something.

[msongs]

8. this type of recruiting may well be the norm, quotas must be met nt

[cboy4]

10. I especially enjoyed the mock rage by the Lt. Col.

He could be up for an Oscar next year.

As if he doesn't know what's going on. Please.

[bos1]

46. I am pretty cynical too

and when I saw this, I just thought that the student has shown what all the recruiters do. But I decided to give the Lt.Col. a benefit of the doubt

[ClintonTyree]

49. His feigned indignation was a bit over the top....

wasn't it? :rofl: The only thing he's upset about is that they got caught doing it.

I can't imagine the pressure these recruiters are under to fulfill their quotas though. Shit always runs downhill and these guys are at the bottom of the hill. I'm in no way sticking up for them and their loathsome recruiting tactics, but I wouldn't want to be in their boots at the end of each month they don't meet their quotas.

It's time to re-institute the draft. When ALL Americans start feeling the squeeze of Bush's stupendous blunder THEN, and ONLY then, will you see this insane war come to a screeching fucking halt. Until then, it's someone else's war, with someone else's kids dying.

[Chulanowa]

64. Are you draft age?

And are you aware that the oft-referenced Veit Nam war ended, not because of the draft, but because it dragged on for ten years with zero progress and thousands of fatalities?

[ClintonTyree]

76. Yeah....

I'm 57. Do the math and tell me where I was during the Viet Nam war.

[Chulanowa]

80. I have no idea.

Given that everyone I've met espousing the great idea of a draft was busy guarding keggers in Canada, or going AWOL from their national guard base to go to Florida strip joints for cocaine at the time, though...

But hey, it's not nice for me to assume like that, I suppose. So tell me, as a Veitnam combat vet... exactly how many American teenagers are you willing to put through what you went through? Round up to the nearest thousand if you don't have an exact number in your head. How many more caskets do you want to see? And make no mistake here, ClintonTyree, that is exactly what you're asking for - a whole lot more dead American kids. You should know damn well that a draft, even for the dumbest war ever, will not stop the people in washington who make the decisions. They only answer to money.

So again, please tell me. How many 18 - 40 year olds do you think it will take? How many ruined families would be enough for your plan, y'think?

[ClintonTyree]

83. My point.....

is that it will make the prosecution of this war fall across the entire socio-economic spectrum of America. As it stands right now this war is being fought by the poor and those who see no hope for a future other than military service. It's been that way in most wars.

I'm suggesting that a draft would STOP this war in a freaking heartbeat. When this sordid, illegal war is shoved in the faces of ALL Americans and becomes something other than minor nuisance to them, THEN we'll see immediate action to stop it.

I don't want to send a single person into war. I'm not suggesting the draft as a means to provide more cannon fodder for our Armed Forces. I'm suggesting the draft as a method to WAKE AMERICA THE HELL UP! Nothing else seems to be working. Protests? Bah, the MSM won't even cover them. Why? Because this war doesn't touch a great majority of Americans. If this war is made to touch them, and touch them DEEPLY, then we'll see overwhelming positive action to halt the atrocious war machine of this country.

Congressman Charlie Rangel has had this opinion from the start of this war and he's correct. Until ALL Americans are made to share the burden of this madness it will be business as usual.

[Chulanowa]

86. Well, I obviously disagree...

I don't think a draft would halt this war. I also have to laugh at the idea that it would fall across the whole economic spectrum. That's bull, and I think you know it. Money bought kids out of the draft then, and it will sure as hell manage that same feat now.

What will happen, is a lot more men and women will be sent into warfare before they're even old enough to light up a smoke. A lot of them will die, and more will come back, scarred in mind and body. These are the only things we can be certain of with a draft.

The idea you're speaking of is the use of violence to move politics. You think sending rich kids off to Iraq will scare their families enough that they'll start making noise about the war, too, the idea that shedding the blood of these peoples' kids in a war is going to turn them against that war. Fact is, if you're going to lean on a violent or intimidation solution, it's far more efficient to turn the torches and pitchforks onto the people who actually make policy.

[krkaufman]

50. Not sure about that Oscar. That was some pretty bad acting. n/t

[trogdor]

68. I put the pwnage on his ass.

Seems there is no shortage of Lieutenant Colonels standing ready to defend the Chimp (and all troops past and present) from taunting and "character assassination," as he puts it. I mean, somebody's feelings might get hurt, and the terrorists will win.

News flash. Saying "fuck (somebody)" doesn't constitute a character assassination. Whispering some innuendo against the person does. Apparently, they don't teach English 101 at West Point.

[Pierzin]

11. This is two years old... why talk about it again???? not new???

Most of the time I love your posts, you do a great job of posting, and most of us really love your intelligent views and opinions, I am sure.
But isn't this recycling an old news story???

Truth seeking DUers will remember this story as soon as they say "Faith Hill Baptist High School", it was all over the liberal talk shows for like a week.

A quick google search of "Faith Hill Baptist High" gives us this result;
http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_118125046.html

and isn't Faith Hill still alive, BTW??

I am just pissed off today because congress voted to continue the Iraq War again this week, but the MoveOn Betray US ad got more air time than the fact that the Freepers and some spineless Dems carried the day and defeated a recent Democratic attempt to get our troops out of Iraq. !!!!!! No thanks to the spineless Democratic senators in congress who carried the water for the White House, again.
And as Bill Maher said, "Next week Democrats will vote on whether to give Republicans just part of their lunch money or all of it."

[babylonsister]

13. I had no idea it was two years old.

The date of the youtube video is today and I found it at MM's site, from today. So sue me.

[Yukari Yakumo]

15. MM points out the vid is 2 yrs old in the "About This Video" area. {nt}

uguu

[minnesota_liberal]

32. Somebody posted old crap on YouTube?

Wow. That's never happened before.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/02/eveningnews/main692497.shtml

[DRoseDARs]

18. God forbid people post old videos. We must NEVER see the past. nt

[Mottolaworld]

47. Yes, if you missed the truth the first time, May you never learn the truth

Lessons are learned everyday. But those who deceive hope you never learn the truth.

[pitohui]

25. clearly a lot of us didn't see it the first time

"videos" is not LBN, it's fair game to put something out there and if everyone has already been there, done that, then it will sink on its own

[pnorman]

37. It's "brand new" to me too!

I've been following DU COMPULSIVELY for the past 2 or 3 years. I probably hit it at least a dozen times a day. Still, some my friends occasionally refer me to DU postings that I had never heard of until then. DU is VAST!

Here's my favorite item on military recruiters:

*************************************************************************
Parent-trap snares recruiters
The tune changes at some homes when they hear 'sign here'

Thursday, August 11, 2005
By Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Staff Sgt. Jason Rivera, 26, a Marine recruiter in Pittsburgh, went to the home of a high school student who had expressed interest in joining the Marine Reserve to talk to his parents.

"I want you to know we support you," she gushed.

Rivera soon reached the limits of her support.

"Military service isn't for our son. It isn't for our kind of people," she told him.
>
>
>

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05223/552161.stm
***********************************************************************

pnorman

[Pacifist Patriot]

60. Sorry, but new to me. I'm not sure how it slipped past me actually.

[Yukari Yakumo]

14. I'd say get this to KO but...

This clip is over two years old.

Though I wonder if the recruiters (who are often desperate to meet quotas) still play the same game.

[MethuenProgressive]

16. All anti-War kids should follow his lead. Here's how:

Since there are only so many recruiters: Take up their time, use up their resources, mob their booths and offices and take every freebee you can get.

[tbl92666]

17. Two years old, or not...

We still have a broken corporate media in this country, evidenced by the mockrage over the Move On ad, this past week. The fact that a 17 year-old high school journalist did the job that the mainstream media should be doing is as big a problem today, as it was then.

[Skink]

23. This is the first time I've seen it.

I guess maybe the MSM tried to cover this up. We should ask Rather.

[Lasher]

69. And you can be sure nothing has changed.

Many's been the new recruit I have seen showing up for basic training, to be told that if he didn't have it in writing the recruiter's promises meant nothing.

[pitohui]

20. wow two thumbs up would watch again

always nice to see a young person w. talent and moxie, kudos to mcswane

[hisownpetard]

22. K&R. This kid's gonna go far. n/t

[The Wielding Truth]

26. Yesterday. This seems like him. Still kickin'.

http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_265183050.html


:kick:

[The Wielding Truth]

27. I wrote a little note to save his job. If you want to, here's the

address.

mailto:[e-mail]

Office of the President
102 Administration Building
0100 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-0100
[phone]

[LaStrega]

30. Bravo

I wrote, too. Mr. McSwane should be applauded.

(I'd not seen this before, either.)

[Acadia Blue]

81. I am going to write also. I hate these Nazi Pigs so much. Free speech

to them is only their right to speak and no one elses.

[The Wielding Truth]

84. I got a reply email yesterday which only says that they are not

responsible for the firing of McSwane.

Only the students on the committee to regulate these matters can decide how to handle this.

The Administration did however reinforce the rule, at their school, that it is within the school newspaper's rights under
the fist amendment to write anything they want.

That to me is en(courage)ing.

Thought you might like to know.

[hisownpetard]

31. Thanks for the link. We might be seeing the next Carl Bernstein or Greg Palast. Remember his name!

[emlev]

40. Hmm

The headline is repeated in the article as "F*** Bush," and McSwane is quoted as saying,

"In retrospect, I would not do the same thing," he said. "I think that after this, we can make a similar statement in a more professional manner."

Like what? "Fuck (P)resident B***?"

[Cha]

74. I wondered how David McSwane

could be the sting recruiter guy and the editor-in-chief of the Colo State newpaper that read "Fuck bush"!?

Two years have elapsed and this is perfect! What a guy!

[The Wielding Truth]

85. Yep. Cool. Check out post #84.

[The Wielding Truth]

28. babylonsister, you are very timely.... view my posts

:toast:

[ooglymoogly]

29. No question they need more cannon fodder to fight in *'s fools errand trading lives for oil

Now pushing 4000 dead and god knows how many maimed to near uselessness and they are willing to lie cheat and sell their souls to get them. This kid is just what is needed to fight the immoral.

[whistle]

33. I wonder if this young 17 year old will now be subjected to a life time

...of "Swift-Boating" discrediting. He has already exposed himself to potential drug investigations by saying publicly in the interview that he admitted to the recruiter he had a drug habit which he could not kick even though he said it was part of a sting operation. What legal protection will he have in the future to claim immunity against false charges? I hope he is not counting only on his rights under the U.S. Constitution! :yoiks:

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

34. I think the officer's words were spun.

I mean, obviously they'd been rehearsed, but I don't think he was saying what we thought he was saying.

"Let me tell you somethin', sir. I'm a soldier, and I have been a soldier for twenty years. This violates trust, it violates integrity, it violates honor, and it violates duty."

Judging from his manner, I don't think he was talking about his subordinates' misconduct, but about the punk kid who played "gotcha" with his men. That's what it sounded like to me, anyway. Someone at the network could have snipped that one soundbite out and spun the rest of the story around it, so he would look like a responsible commander instead of a crazy person.

[stlsaxman]

38. yeah i too thought the officer was talking about the journalist!

he was venomous as all hell!

[LaStrega]

45. my fear ... too ... ugh n/t

[valerief]

35. I'm surprised the military isn't kidnapping kids for the army. Or maybe

they are. I wouldn't be surprised.

[NoGodsNoMasters]

41. I'm not surprised..

Military recruiters are worse than used car salesmen. They did the same thing with a kid i went to high school with, getting one of those drug kits to beat the drug test,etc. They will literally do and say ANYTHING to get you to sign on the dotted line, white supremacist affiliations? Fine. drug problem? Fine. These people have no scruples or conscience. I see them as just slightly superior to pedophiles. They both prey on young people.

[Castleman]

42. I had a recruiter call me a terrorist sympathizer...

...when I chucked him out of my restaurant for bothering my crew. I told him all three of the guys were potheads that did major meth as well, and he told me it wouldn't be a problem to get them in. I told him to get the fuck out of there and stop harrassing people into joining the Bush facist regime, and he told me I was a terrorist sympathizer. I then told him he could recruit his baby killers elsewhere, and if he had a real problem with it, he and I could settle it after work. He never showed. The wuss....:-)

[BeliQueen]

48. That's awesome

Good for you!

[stlsaxman]

71. stlsaxman HI5's Castleman!! TWICE!! n/t

[piesRsquare]

43. Mighty Fine Work! n/t

[WileEcoyote]

52. Military recruiters were under orders to do that crap.

The obvious indication is that they were doing these risky, illegal maneuvers because they were under orders to do them. It's the whole corporate mentality crossing over to the armed forces: "Do anything, say anything lie, cheat, steal, whatever it takes to make the sale".

And I'll go a step further: These young punks were under coercion to do this by their lying commanding officer. As if he didn't know what was going on!

"Hey kid you better get me that quota or your ass is back off to I-Rack!. Ya hear me KID? OK now git to it and on the double"

[happygoluckytoyou]

53. NEW CONTEST....

HOORAY..... WE HAVE A REAL JOURNALIST OUT THERE----- BRAINS, AND NOW FAME

IS IT ILLEGAL TO TAPE...BLAH BLAH BLAH...

WHAT A HEROIC YOUNG MAN TO PUT HIMSELF IN FRONT OF THE "LEGALITY" BUS TO SAVE AMERICAN LIVES AND THE MILITARY NAME

BETTER THAN A SNIPER PUTTING CANDY OUT ON HALLOWEEN IN IRAQ AND SHOOTING ANY CHILDREN WHO COME TO EAT IT


THE CONTEST-----
YOUNG ASPIRING JOURNALISTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY SHOULD FOLLOW THIS EXAMPLE...
FORCE RECRUITING OFFICES TO EITHER FOLLOW THE FUCKING RULES OR STRIPSEARCH YOU ON THE WAY IN...
(ANY RECRUITER GETTING A BONER WHILE SEARCHING YOU IS KICKED OUT FOR BEING GAY, IF YOU GET ONE YOU CANNOT
ENLIST UNLESS YOU BLAME IT ON THE COCAIN)

[Froward69]

54. AND thats not All for this Ballsy young man!!! FUCK BUSH

read more... he is in college now and still making waves... or at least testing the bounds of our Dictators ilk...

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_5705846,00.html



:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :popcorn:

[Froward69]

56. CSU is COLORADO State University

[The Backlash Cometh]

55. So, is did business practices encroach in military objectives?

Or is this strictly a military blooper?

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

57. When a recruitment ad come on TV

I change the channel.
Not from my house they won't.

[johnlal]

58. I'm really surprised that the military is still recruiting.

Of all of the functions that have been outsourced to private industry, you would think recruiting would be a natural. The private company would do all the dirty work leaving the military with plausible deniability. It's a disgusting idea, so I'm surprised it hasn't been done yet.

[codjh9]

59. Holy f-ing s__t... Good for this kid in exposing more two-faced bullshit. n/t

[lonestarnot]

61. Darn no sound. What's it say?

[leftysopaw]

62. i lied

in 1978. got me in. i was just a pothead. but my recruiter told me that at the aafes building i would be interrogated many times over. i was happy, though, because my recruiter hooked me up with a h.s. diploma and a g.e.d. from pasadena city college.

[go west young man]

63. The Colonel at the end is full of shit.

He knows exactly what they do to get youngsters in. He's the one putting the pressure on recruiters to meet they're quota and I'm sure he doesn't care how they do it. He just threw the underlings right under the bus when he got caught. Quick and sharp. The real news story here though is that a media organization actually went out and did some real reporting. That's the miracle here. How did that happen? I'm shocked. Of course the young man provided the investigative backbone but the news outlet actually ran a story showing our military in a fucked up light. Miracle.

[rateyes]

66. McSwain might be the first one drafted...

when/if it's ever reinstated. Bet someone besides himself is tapping his phone.

Good for him, though.

[ejbr]

67. Wait a minute

It violates honor, it violates integrity, it violates duty. Why does General Betrayus come to mind?

[minnesota_liberal]

79. David McSwane: In the news again

Now raising waves as Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper at Colorado State University.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3005079

[AnotherGreenWorld]

87. Video's down...