Posted by madpoet (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 2:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I must have missed that article. I don't always see the print paper. I'm not surprised, though. The Gazette likes to talk out of both sides of its mouth sometimes. Underage drinking is wrong but we'll give media attention to people being drunk and stupid. I think most landlords don't like drunks on their property as they can be very destructive. I remember one apartment building I lived in had some ESU football players living there. They would get drunk (against policy if not the law, don't know their ages) and thought it funny to put their fists through the walls. We had other neighbors who threw loud, drunken parties all the time. We kept calling the cops and finally they were evicted. They totally trashed that apartment and it had to be gutted and redone before it could be rented back out again. I'm not against drinking if you're of legal age and know when to stop but drinking to get drunk is stupid.

Posted by OutsiderJ (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 4:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I doubt very much Emporians for Drug Awareness cares a lick about this story because the students weren't smoking indoors. Besides the fact that, the way I understand it it is illegal to drink beer in your front yard. The "public drunkeness" statutes in most areas fall under drinking in the yard. I think that the porch is okay, but I have known folks (though not in Emporia) that have been sighted for public drunkeness for drinking outdoors in the open. Additionally, I see citations in the Gazette all of the time for people having an open container of alcohol as a pedestrian. What makes these moron's so special. I guess being a senior has its privleges.

Posted by anotherbillionaire (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 4:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Good grief people, stop trying to be so freaking PC about everything and get the heck over it!

News flash, college students drink, and they sometimes do it in public areas. Oh...my...gosh. Heaven help us now!!!!!!

You people are such prudes.

"Whaaaa, the gazette is tainting my mind with its mean pictures. Whaaaa!!!"

Bunch of frickin' babies, the whole lot of you!

Posted by mythoughts (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 4:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ummm, maybe the Gazette was trying to make a point to landlords and others about how stupid something like that looks, ans perhaps they should be doing something about it.

Do ya think that if they show a picture of a house surrounded by weeds, they're encouraging people not to mow their yards? Or a picture of a pregnant woman is a way of saying all women should be pregnant?

I just saw it as a factual report of what was happening on one of our main streets by some dumb kids who are probably going to flunk out, not a deliberate attempt to promote public binge drinking.

What if...what if it was the Gazette's photos of that eyesore on E. 12th that ultimately got the owner to shut it down? Maybe the Gazette could get it razed to the ground by doing an artist's rendering of what a cute little park would look like on that corner. heh heh

Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 5:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Amen, billionaire. From the age of 16 to the age of 26 I had two primary interests: slamming down cold beers and bedding down hot babes. After that, I stopped drinking altogether because my priorities changed. I met a wonderful girl, got married, started a family, and built a lucrative professional career. I lost the desire, need, and time to suck down suds.

College kids drink and act stupid. I did, and you did. Good grief! Get over it! They are having some fun before they have to enter the real world, earn a living, and become overly-sensitive, bored, grumpy, stressed, judgemental curmudgeons like us. Lighten up. Give 'em a break. Don't fall into the trap of becoming one of Walters' Warriors and condemning or attempting to ban anything you don't condone or understand.

With all the critically serious problems we face in this world, nation, and city, I can't believe you people can't find something more important to direct your energy and anger toward other than a few misguided, but fun-loving, college kids tipping a few cold brewsky's and a newspaper photographer with a sense of humor good enough to share it with us.

Geez. Get a life!

Posted by anotherbillionaire (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 5:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Bjnemp

A-freakin-men!

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Now, I think I'll go have a beer in my front yard just to piss people like Rebecca Vannocker.

Posted by hickory (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 5:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

My god.........another holy roller.......don't people remember what growing up was all about? You take risks......you drink beer.......you have FUN!!!!!!!!!.........Hell, they might even smoke.

Posted by USNretired (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 6:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

AH! The lure of the forbidden fruit. It is not like they get a chance to learn to drink responsibly while growing up. My eldest son was a teenager in Italy, and he learned how to drink without any fanfare or hoopla. The younger ones will suffer prohibition until of legal age, then I plan to be around for that first legal drink to drink with them and ensure their safety, but 21 seems a little late to learn a social grace. If the laws recognized the ability of parents to teach responsibility then alcohol would be a lot less of an issue. The children of irresponsible parents are probably already drinking before 21 and therefore less likely to become a public spectacle. The Byzantines couldn't have done more.

Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 9:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Political correctness is, indeed, running amuck. College kids have been drinking since there were colleges, and will continue to do so.

Posted by jmb232 (anonymous) on August 29, 2008 at 2:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The paper made a mistake. By printing this picture it basically promoted this activity. Was it supposed to look "cute"?
Of course then if someone is killed in a drunk driving accident then we will throw up our hands and say "how could this happen". After all its just kids drinking....
I wonder how the enablers above would feel if it was one of their family for friends killed. Then they would want em hung.
I have had the pleasure (several times) of going to a house in the middle of the night and informing the family that one of their loved ones were killed. Any of the able drinking proponents want to come along next time?

Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on August 29, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

jmb232: What a "drama queen" you are! As I recall the photo, the innocent kids were not driving a vehicle. They were sitting in lawn chairs in their own front yard. A few months ago the Gazette printed a photo of the dead birds slaughtered by vandals at the zoo. Using your logic, it would appear they "promoted this activity".

I'm sure you tossed back a few cold ones at that age, too. If not, I bet you were a real bundle of fun to be around.

Posted by sadinemporia (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with the many of you who attribute the picture to typical college life. The majority of us all, legally and illegally, did the same thing. That is one of the perks of college life.

USNretired: do you really think that underage drinking is related to irresponsible parents? Come on, my parents were very strict, however, I, along with many other minors, drank without them even knowing. I didn't go overboard, but I drank, underage...never got caught, thank goodness, or they would have had my hyde! Kids will do whatever they want and the only thing you can hope for is that they think before they act.

Posted by LifeGoesOn (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 3:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

For every new post on this forum, I'm going to drink a beer!

Posted by Paccifier (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 3:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

New Post

Posted by Paccifier (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 3:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

New Post, LGO-- Bet you were looking for this, weren't you

Posted by LifeGoesOn (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 5:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Guess I'll make a post now, still thirsty.....thanks Paccifier

Posted by mythoughts (anonymous) on September 5, 2008 at 11:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

new post - Would it be as bad if they were drinking 3/2 beer? Uh-oh, what if they were doing shots inbetween beers? If it was Miller Light, does it really count as beer? Are the students liable for increasing the amount of noise on that street, and inciting drivers to honk for a non-vehicular safety reason?