George W. Bush lied about Weapons of Mass Destruction forcing his fellow Americans to kill and be killed in a war. Lyndon Johnson lied about the gulf of Tonkin incident forcing his fellow Americans to kill and be killed in a war. Richard Nixon lied about the secret illegal bombing of Cambodia and Laos forcing his fellow Americans to kill and be killed in a war. Ronald Reagan lied about about trading arms for hostages in the Iran Contra Affair causing the deaths of many.
They all lied about how their wars were being prosecuted. They hailed inflated body counts and hung "mission accomplished" banners as signs of success. All lies.
Until the end of the Viet Nam era our government conscripted 18 year olds, gave them guns and told them to blow the brains out of our enemies be they 18, 80 or 8. Now 18 year old volunteers do the same.
Our government can lock an 18 year old in an isolation cell in a maximum security prison.
Our government can flush poison into the veins of an 18 year old until dead for committing heinous crimes.
It is the height of hypocrisy to defend the morality of ordering 18 year olds to kill other human beings in war and be executed by our government for criminal offenses and then deny them the moral right to have consensual sex with any partner of their choosing.
In America we encourage 18 year olds to vote for the commander in chief of our armed forces who is also the person who can take our country to war. And yet many Americans dishonor and disrespect the moral right and maturity of 18 year olds to choose a bed partner.
Our prurient puritanical views and obsession with sex is unhealthy and unwise. It's time to put things in perspective.
President Obama throws open the windows of transparency while mayor Adams continues to guard the darkened cave of public housing statistical data. Sam Adams avoids any public discussion much less admission that paying public employees more than a thousand dollars a month for health insurance is unsustainable and an insult to taxpayers. For this Sam Adams must and will be held accountable.
Mayor Sam Adams must be held to account for his public policy positions NOT his private peccadilloes.
Richard Ellmyer