I am fascinated by my recent realization that the American mindset is alien to the rest of the world. I enjoyed Frank_B, Jenni's and others posts on this subject.
The following video is a cliche to many Americans, but for those (like zft?) who view Americans as "crazy gun people"....watch it ALL THE WAY TO THE END:
Dr. Suzanna Hupp Testimony to Congress on the Second Amendment
Her point at the end is crucial to understanding what it means to be American. That video helped me shake off my NPR/BBC programming many years ago.
Freedom is having a choice. Americans are indeed still free to choose thanks to our 2nd amendment, and our overlords are very aware of this fact.