The Big Kahuna ask, Is war the ultimate thrill for the young?

As the father of two teenagers, I often wonder what takes place inside those heads made of solid concrete. Impulsive decisions, extreme risk-taking and a belief in one's invincibility exemplify the typical teen.

Many laws and policies codify the belief that wisdom comes with age. The minimum age requirements for public office start at 21, depending on the office. A minimum age of 21 is also required to legally gamble or purchase and/or use alcohol, tobacco or handgun ammunition. Statistics show those under 25 demonstrate an inability to adequately assess risk, providing insurance companies justification for their rates. Some rental car companies require prospective customers to be a minimum of 25.

All of this conventional wisdom is supported by a National Institutes of Health study that found the human dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex is one of the last brain regions to mature. This region, responsible for controlling impulses and weighing risks, does not fully develop until the mid-20s. In the words of one periodical, the pre-25 brain is "a turbocharged car with a set of brakes still under construction."

Given conventional wisdom, laws, statistics and medical research, one must ask if it is conscionable to send people aged 18 to 21 into war. After all, if they aren't capable of properly assessing the risks of drinking, smoking, gambling or driving a car, how can they properly assess the risks inherent to combat?

Because of their proclivity for thrills and their inability to foresee possible consequences, it's shamefully easy to encourage young people to fight in a war such as the one in Iraq.

A cynic might even argue a president who wanted such a war and a Congress that won't stop it are actually counting on immature dorsal lateral prefrontal cortexes to keep it going. After all, as Sen. McGovern said, it's the "old men" who keep "dreaming up wars for young men to die in."