Yes, I think it is totally absurd to card someone obviously old enough to drink. But, hey we just can't trust the judgement of storekeepers, bartenders, waitresses, etc.

I agree that there should be no problem with a drinking age of 18. If they can vote and fight for our country then they should be able to drink. If it was such a big deal though, to drink alcohol prior to the age of 21 then maybe 18-21 year olds should speak up, register to vote, and vote.

I guess the older crowd should speak up, register to vote, and vote to get the law changed so obviously older folks don't have to show ID to drink alcohol. What's obvious? 40, 50, retirement age?

When I was underage I thought it was a ridiculous law and even now that I am in my later 30s with 2 kids I still think it should be 18. Is this possibly a law that may be able to be changed easily within 20 years as the generation who put the over 21 law into place passes on? I hope so.

When it come to alcohol or drugs it's the adults who set the pace and teach kids by their own behaviors. Prohibition has always been a stupid idea. It just makes the allure more heightened to rebellious teens. The fact that grown-ups lie and the government lies about drugs soon becomes obvious to kids. Most of them think, "Hey, if they're lying about pot (and they do, sometimes out of ignorance and other times only to control substances for monetary means), then the kids figure,"Hey, maybe they're lying about heroin or crack too. We ought to try it." We glorify alcohol in every way possible. Drinking has become a national competitive sport and "boogie til you puke" is an acceptable method of adult behavior almost everywhere you go.

Can you imagine a world where alcohol was treated like nicotine? Can you imagine a world without any commercials inviting young kids to buy alcoholic products or movies that didn't show mature successful people enjoying getting high on booze ? Last month a new line of kids' drinks came out that looked like teeeny wine coolers. How blatant is that? Why do we glorify some substances and call others evil? Plain and simple, it's all about control and power.

To me alcohol is far more dangerous to our society than either pot or cigarettes (oh, dear, I know...I know...this is a very unpopular view). But literally millions suffer health and mental health problems from drinking, and domestic violence involving alcohol is huge. Fetal alcohol syndrome creates new generations of fuzzy thinkers, and drunk drivers kill a lot of people. The loss of time at work is also more astronomical than most people think. Of course few reliable studies are done on this, so who knows?

In spite of my fears involving the results of alcohol, I am not for prohibitions being placed on it. Hopefully life teaches people lessons, and laws for actual crimes commited under any influence help enforce the knowledge that over-indulging in mind altering substances (including alcohol) can have serious consequences.

How many people truly believe in their hearts that it isn't necessary for young people to drink in order for them to have a good time? How many parents actually buy alcohol for under-aged drinking parties. They won't let their children have a small glass of wine when their eight at the family dinner table like in other countries, but they will purchase alcohol for a full blown bash in the basement for their high-school age kids to party on down.

It's no wonder our kids are confused. It's like we show them that growing up means being able to get f*cked up, that you have to be a grown-up to handle it. Then we act surprised when they start wanting emulate grown-up behavior.

I imagine a lot of kids think if they're only going to be able to drink when they're 21 then should start early so you will know what drinking is all about. Kids today are trying alcohol at like 12 years old because they know without a doubt it will be a large part of their life someday. They are preparing themselves.

Then kids also see that Paris Hilton just got paid $1 million for her dysfunctional drinking and sad behavior. You didn't hear many people expressing sympathy for the fact that Paris is a very sad girl in spite of her money and probably hurting. How many parents were pointing that out to their kids? Instead many were sucking up every detail of her life as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

Drugs and alcohol have been around as long as people have been around, so they obviously have their place. They might even play some necessary role in our lives. But if that's the case, shouldn't people more familiar with them instead of relying on second hand information? That way the knowledge they pass on to their kids will be honest and personal.

Banning things always makes them more attractive. It's a law of nature.

Those who think children should be far removed from the truth about alcohol and drugs, that these substances should be totally prohibited until you're 21, simply have no faith in kids. They think without prohibitions every kid in America would soon be shooting up and swilling whiskey in the school cafeteria.

To me that's a very negative viewpoint.