>But then what do we mere Europeans know? I was horrified to learn that
>in some parts of north America underage drinking did not mean (as it
>does here) an underage person buying alcohol in a bar, but an underage
>person drinking alcohol anywhere, even in their own homes. The idea
>that in some states someone of 20 years old could be committing a crime
>by drinking a can of beer in private is astonishing.
It was all those damn puritans you guys sent over here in the
17th century; many of them are still alive and kicking. :-)
On the other hand, I wonder if you folks aren't much more than a
couple of sensational newspaper articles away from the same thing.
A few more incidents like the Blair boy's; mix in some newspaper
reports on the extent of teenage alcoholism and "binge drinking"
(in US studies, this is usually defined such that it's equivalent
to having three or four pints within a two hour period [oh, and
anyone who does this 3 or 4 times in a single week is said to be a
hardcore "alcoholic"]); throw in a couple of right-wing anti-drug
extremists talking about the evil spirits (pun intended); and a
couple of left-wing types that are sure they know what's best for
you, and who knows?
- GH
________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
