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Out on a limb: Good historians get history straight

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Steve Corbett: We are duty-bound to provide for well-being of nation’s veterans

Would it be a good idea to &#8230;&#8230; be more mindful of how your alcohol consumption, or lack of it, influences people around you &#8211; especially children and teens?Police reportedly descended on a large, Facebook-touted college party earlier this month in York County, citing 45 young people with underage drinking. Notable only for the number of people nabbed, not for the circumstances, the incident hints at a problem so commonplace that some adults stop seeing it for what it is: a public health issue and a crime.More than 74 percent of Pennsylvania high school seniors surveyed for a 2013 government report said they had consumed alcohol, topping the national average of 68 percent, according to an article last week on pennlive.com. Those people who begin drinking at an earlier age tend to be at risk later for becoming alcohol dependent, evidence suggests.Notably, the average age at which early drinkers take their first sip is around 12 to 14. &#8220;That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s important to start talking early and keep talking about underage drinking,&#8221; according to a 2007 guidebook titled <a href="http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/underage-drinking-community-guide.pdf" target="_blank">&#8220;The Surgeon General&#8217;s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking.&#8221;</a>And that&#8217;s where you come in.Parents, peers and the wider community convey messages to young people about alcohol consumption. What kind of message does your behavior send? During the long Memorial Day holiday weekend, will you attend a patriotic parade and play sports, or do you plan instead to pledge allegiance to a keg?During this season marked by graduations, weddings, picnics and family get-togethers where beer and other adult beverages often flow, will you ensure children and teens are adequately supervised and don&#8217;t imbibe? Will that supervision extend through the listless summer, when kids too often lack routines and productive activities?From Congress to the country&#8217;s Brewers Association, groups have long talked about <a href="http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/" target="_blank">combating underage drinking</a>. The refrain most often heard is &#8220;talk to your kids about the dangers.&#8221; Will you?Will you mention the senseless deaths due to alcohol-related car crashes? Will you discuss alcohol often being a factor in sexual assaults?Will you speak up when you suspect an underage beer party in the planning stages?Or will you pop open a bottle and turn a blind eye?Give us your feedback by sending a letter to the editor or posting comments to this editorial at timesleader.com.Likewise, tell us your ideas for improving the community and making area residents&#8217; lives better. Maybe we&#8217;ll spotlight your suggestion in a future editorial and ask readers, &#8220;Would it be a good idea to &#8230;&#8221;

Our Opinion: Discourage underage drinking by setting good example, speaking up