Yes I know,...here comes long-winded tugboat again!! (But my first on this thread) I have been through this from first to last and there have been many good arguments one way or tother,..but all in all, a very fine discussion I would say.
As for me, I used to drink a lot in years gone by, but when I quit a heavy smoke habit, I lost my taste for both coffee and booze,..all of it! Now-a-days, I do enjoy the very odd beer on a very hot day, and certainly a glass of dry red with supper. I have instead, become a Coke-aholic, so that is all you'll ever find in my tractor. (If you check the thread on "Cup Holders" you will see my idea on how to keep a drink cold in a Cab tractor).
But I really just want to revert back to the young lad, (Kyle I think) who got this big hoopla in a snit. Yes, he is going against the morals of many of us and his father doesn't seem to mind. BUT,...I think he jumped on board with what he, (in his youth) thought was a "manly" thing to say,..and no doubt would impress his friends and others of such age, and perhaps us too.
However, once he got jumped on, kicked and spat upon for his evil ways, he stepped back and took a look at the situation. Now you must admit that there are not many "people", let alone kids, who, "today", will take responsibility for their actions.
Not only did he protect his father, but he insisted on taking the blame himself and admitting that it happens a lot less frequently than we were thinking and he even was "man" enough to stand up to us (so-called adults) and apologize.
Who among us "rightious-fellows" can deny that we, in our youth, did not sneak a smoke or a beer,..with or without our parents permission? However we were discussing drinking booze while operating machinery,...and I believe young Kyle has seen the error of his ways and will smarten up in future even though he did say he didn't make a habit of imbibing on a tractor. Maturity also means wearing a seat belt at all times! (IMHO)
I was both impressed and encouraged by the words of "Dougster",...when considering this entry. My experiences to this old age (72) have made me some sort of half decent judge of character. Therefore, I strongly believe we should be willing to give this "mature-for-his-age" lad another chance,..before we kick him out of our club. What Say???
I vote "YES".
. . tug
LOL!!! I guess some of the beer was a bit older than I thought!
