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 OUTH -- Access to civil rights is often restricted on the basis of age, i.e., the legal age at which one may marry, consent to sex, leave school, purchase alcoholic beverages, vote, enter into a contract or drive a car. Consider the data auto insurance companies factor in when setting their rate tables: the judgement of single males under the age of 25 is suspect, and their insurance rates reflect the statistical evidence of accident-prone younger drivers. Contradictions arise. Take the case of the military draft and voting rights. Prior to 1971, 18-20 year olds were thought old enough to kill and be killed while in warrior uniform, but not considered mature enough to vote. This contradiction was resolved by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution [ratified July 1, 1971] that lowered the voting age to 18. The young recruits were not considered a greater risk for driving trucks, tanks or handling other lethal weapons, but then, the auto insurance companies were not being asked to pay the damages should accidents happen. If you are planning for one year, grow rice. If you are planning for 20 years grow trees. If you are planning for centuries, grow men. Chinese proverb We do not count a man's years until he has nothing else to count. Ralph Waldo Emerson Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago. Bernard Berenson |