Spectre’s Sayings

I’ve been saying that for a long time now. And now that 100 university presidents have floated the idea, people are finally talking about it.

David Harsanyi, of the Denver Post, has a good opinion piece called Let’s Chuck the Drinking Age.

An excerpt:

What happens when presidents from more than 100 of the nation’s best-known colleges call on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18? Well, a brigade of hyperbolic mommies start screaming at them, that’s what.

In the Amethyst Initiative, college presidents have offered a rational, if counterintuitive, plan. Let’s stop treating young adults like wards of the state. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (naturally) replied: No debate allowed.

There is plenty of empirical evidence suggesting that the drinking age of 21 is counterproductive. To begin with, it bars parents from educating their own children about alcohol and, like all prohibitions, it fosters criminality.

Read the whole thing. He makes very good points.

I tried Allagash Dubbel Ale last night.

The beer came in a 4-pack of the short, 12-ounce bottles with twist-off caps.

It poured a light reddish-brown color with a small, short-lived head. It had a very pleasant aroma: rich, with a fruit scent that I couldn’t quite pin down further. I wonder what kind of hops they use to make this beer. The beer was dry, but not so dry as a Westmalle Dubble (which I had had not two nights before), with a bit more body. The flavor was pleasant, albeit I thought a bit less in the way of hops bitterness would have made it even more balanced. But all-in-all, a very nice beer.