I find your behavior just as bad, if not worse, than the immature guys that made the joke. Karma came around and bit yo. As such, no one in the community will have any respect for you anymore...
I agree with your conclusions regarding recruiters.
Most all of them will tell you they are shackled by their clients; and I don't blame them for being treated like that since they are charging large amounts of money.
I am so torn as well. CC and BB hardly did anything to distance themselves from online vendors. Their prices suck, services suck, and they don't offer enough variety and/or higher end items.
Even if it was legal, I would run as fast as I could in the other direction. Think of it this way: what happens if you start the job and come to find out the company is into some shady business and you wanted to quit?
I think another problem is that I have met people with previous experience in engineering who aren't as "consultative" as they could be.
Most recruiters hide behind the infamous line of "well, it's what my client wants and they pay the bills." Just because they pay your salary doesn't mean they are always right. If your client has the hiring expertise and time themselves, why are they hiring you? I'm not saying to completely ignore their needs, though. I am saying that the recuriter has to be more than a paper pusher and just simply tick boxes.