How is it possible in the US...?

You can join the military at 18 but you aren't forced to. Theres no draft so its completely voluntary. And is beer that important to you as a citizen? When i think of the rights that we have in the US, not being able to drink until 21 isn't a major problem.

ray a

What makes me laugh is that almost everyone who drinks starts off by drinking "underage" and the politicians who make these stupid laws and the cops who enforce them also did this. Today's generation of parents spent their teenage years drinking and getting high and now they get all righteous at the idea that their kids might have as much fun as they did. Maybe they're too lazy to teach their kids responsible behavior and so they let the State play parent--always a bad choice. What I suspect is that many members of my Baby Boomer generation (I'm 48) think they invented youth and want to stay young forever and so resent those younger than they are and want to punish them. And then, like the old fogeys they are, they whine that the kids today have no respect!!! Do we deserve respect?

shortfuse

Once I was in a motel bar in Ft. Benning, GA, near the huge military base. A bunch of soldiers were there and the bartender was giving one of them a hard time about his ID. She turned to me and said "I just don't think he's 21." I wanted to say exactly what the questioner did about being able to play with guns and risk his life, but I didn't want to be the "Ugly Yankee".
I just hope I'm not in any bar when some 18-to-20--year-old paraplegic Iraq vet is told, "Sorry, kid, you're not old enough."
I know there are states in which you can be tried as as adult as young as 14. It seems that whether you're an adult or not is defined by how convenient it is for those in power to have you be one. You're an adult for things that are punitive or unpleasant, but not for any of the perks.
Young people should really get together and pressure the politicians. They want to take away Social Security, but the old folks get out and vote, so they can't. The same thing could happen with the drinkng age if enough people (and not just young people) made it an issue.

judy "ORIGINAL"

you should be thankful for that, and imagine youngsters can not buy it, and you have a lot of alcoholics kids already?????

rolex

beacsue politicians has their own aims ,their aim is to support the team of conservatives in USA to take oil of the middle east and this has begun with the war of iraq to take its oil then will go to iran so as to control it

so
the policy is encoraging people to join the army ,deceving them that they are fighting for the honor of USA and when they fell dead ,no one cares

soldiers are killed everyday and billions of doallars are wasted everday in this war.

it is a bad war and THE US policy must be changed.

nature lover

Some don't drink. You can drink overseas if you are 18 and you can't drink in the desert anyway. Not as bleak as you think.

TomT

You are comparing apple pie and a can of nuts. (with minors being the can of nuts - of course.)

I Believe!

I agree, totally as a forty year old man, the double standard is a joke.

gooddwill

Because at age 18, you are still around too many minors and this would provide them access to beer, etc.

You cannot drink just because you are "overseas". Local laws still apply off base. Break them and find out how fast your CO will teach you this.

Jane

I have to agree with you. However, I don't think you will find a legislator to take on that issue. Too controversial.

billy

BECAUSE AMERICAN LAWS WANT TO DICTATE PEOPLE'S LIVES. THEY WOULD RATHER GRANT YOU A LICENSE TO KILL BEFORE YOU EXPERIENCE ADULTHOOD.

helloeveryone

There is some sort of logic to that, but I guess too many people are afraid that 18 year olds in the US just can't handle it. BTW, that same logic was used by supporters of the 26th amendment that lowered the voting age to 18.

Because 18-21 years olds as a demographic have the lowest voting turn out of any age group.

atlas

Since lots of under-21 people break the law, why not just send them off to Iraq when they're caught? Nothing would teach them a better lesson about the righteousness and morality of their country and how BAD it is to dringk than being blown apart and never walking again. God bless America!!

michael g

because the definition of a camel........

is a horse designed by the government

i don't see the moral, of killing being a sin and illegal............

unless your president says otherwise?

how did he get the moral hi- ground ?

by spending 50 million $ to win a 300.000$ job??

how is he getting his return of the investment??

and we are trusting him with our tax money??

unless he has some special formula ,that we don't really want

to know about.

if you can find an answer to your questions in this i have done

my job

Cuz America sux, but everyone's supposed to pretend its great.

Sahara

This is an old argument. I think 18 is too young for the military and for alcohol assumption. Both can be harmful to your health. Only men can be drafted for the military so if you allow everyone 18 and older to drink there will be more social problems as a result because young people aren't smart enough to be responsible and use good judgment. Unfortunately some adults aren't either but we give them a good chance or try to. I don't know what the big deal is. Alcohol has a lot of bad side effects.

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