An Alaska lawmaker is tries to flout Federal transportation money that holds states hostage to a federal drinking age in exchange for the right of troops to come home from war and legally have a beer;<\/p>\n
An Alaska lawmaker who served in Vietnam is pushing a bill that would allow active-duty service members under 21 to drink alcohol as long as they could produce an armed forces identification card. Those under 19 \u2014 Alaska’s smoking age \u2014 would be allowed to buy tobacco products.<\/p>\n
“It’s not fair that one guy in a fox hole can go home and have a beer while another guy in the fox hole can’t,” said Rep. Bob Lynn, R-Anchorage. “It’s not about drinking, it’s not about smoking, it’s about equality. If you get shot at, you can have a shot.”<\/p>\n
But Lynn’s bill has received a cool reception from the state’s armed forces commanders, who worry it would encourage unhealthy behavior in a military that wants to reduce smoking and curb drinking.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know what the commanders want. But they’re not our parents and we’re old enough to make our own decisions. Tons of service members have had a beer and lived through it.<\/p>\n
Thanks to Paul for the link<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"