I am in FULL SUPPORT of the idea that a young person who is old enough to fight for country, sustain injuries or die is old enough to drink responsibily. We are trusting them with guns, tanks and munitions but not booze? Keep serving them if they are members of the military!!

The age of consent (for sex) here is 17. The legal drinking age is 18. yet you can join the army at 16. it is an absolute joke that the government says a 16 year old cannot be trusted to be responsible with drink, or with sex, yet strangely they can be trusted with a gun.

Any graphic war movies are also certificate 18. does this strike anyone as a bit ... inconsistent?

to me this a no brainer...if you are old enough to lay in a trench in some way off country and dodge bullets then by all means, have a drink on me!

I think it's really troubling the double standards we have attached to something as arbitrary as age. It makes no sense to me. Besides, you can line up 30 18 year old kids and half of them would be fine upstanding citizens while the other half would be completely lost in the adult world, yet they are both adults.

I know, the world is out of balance and people are ....I dont know...skewed??

yes they should be able to drink!

War should be illegal?

Drink only if you fight. If you don't fight, you don't drink.

Kids who don't serve thier country are getting alchohal anyway.

How about lets fight only if I am drinking???

Good one! I'll drink to that!!!

Did you know that the last time Congress declared war was 1941?

I am learning about the War Powers Act of 1973 and how it applies to the current Iraq Conflict...everyone may want to have a look:

http://www.milnet.com/war-powers-act.htm

But I digress...

I 100% completely agree with Jincks013.

So how can we be in a war if we never declared it I've always wondered that about the 'War in Iraq'. << probably wrong thread, but Birch kinda brought it up, sry.

And, it is now sucking us into the gutter as far as our economy.

Send your kid to fight in any of the tasteless and senseless wars we have been involved in, that has to make them into adults pretty fast. A drink here or there? Why not? We are sitting back here in our safe little world. They are over there with their lives on the line. Some are actually driving around in vehicles which are a terrorist's dream come true.

this is how i see it..

if you are mature enough to put your life on the line and defend a country that a lot of times you don't agree with.. and be willing to die for your freedom.. and everyone else's.. then you should be allowed to drink.

I personally know people who ARE old enough legally to drink that aren't in the military that SHOULDN'T be allowed.. age doesn't define maturity. Personal values and choices determine that.

^Yes to that.

(I like your avatar, Sandy)

LillyIvy, we are technically in "conflict" with Iraq.


I can tell you this: If I’m ever in a position to call the shots, I’m not going to rush to send somebody else’s kids into a war.

~George H. W. Bush

Why should we hear about body bags, and deaths...I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?

~Barbara Bush

About the quote: Mrs. Bush spoke these words on ABC's "Good Morning America," March 18, 2003.

Our enemies...never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.

~George W. Bush



I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace.

~George W. Bush

About the quote: From a speech at the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development in Wash. DC,

http://www.antiwar.com/quotes.php

Thank you, Birch. ^_^




we know Dubya... we know.






sure YOU won't.. you'll just cheat and get your son voted into office so HE can.



oh... so 'beautiful mind' is another word for ignorant now? I'll keep that in mind.. Thanks Barb. Honestly though.. i think you should keep your belligerent, cretinous opinions to yourself before you make "bad bad" happen... okie dokie First Lady?

Sheesh.