Michael Baier wrote:

>where is the problem?
>If you are 18, you can join the military, get trained to kill people and
>use million-$-equipment.
>However in most states, you can't order or drink a beer except on-post.

For once I find myself agreeing with Michael (gasp!).  Many of the liquor 
laws in this country are just plain silly.  Several years ago when I was 
living in Colorado, it was legal for people 18-20 years old to purchase and 
consume 3.2 beer.  Under threat from the federal government of losing all 
federal highway funding, the state legislature raised the age to 21.  Never 
mind that there was no evidence that drunk driving among people in that age 
group was higher than for other age groups, nor that those who were driving 
drunk got that way drinking 3.2 beer (difficult to do, by the way).  The 
federal authorities didn't care, of course, that their arm twisting did 
little to improve driving safety - they just wanted to be able to tell their 
constituents that they were "doing something about drunk driving."  
Politicians love meaningless gestures!

Even if you agree that 18-year-olds are too young to be trusted with 
alcohol, it seems at least inconsistent to trust them to vote and to serve 
in the military at the same time we treat them as children with respect to 
alcohol.

John Clogg

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