Very interesting and timely. However, as a non American I just can't let this conversation go by without bringing up the Guns issue. Yes, the founding fathers wrote about 'A well armed militia' etc... but there are stats that give the lie to most of the rubbish I read and hear about gun ownership in the US. Regardless of your 'inalienable rights'... gun deaths in the US are over 30,000 per year with over 70,000 non fatal injuries. 100,000+ people per year. No other western country in the world has this problem like the US. Until the good folk of America can clearly see that the almost masochistic love of guns many in the US have, is the root cause of so much death, destruction and social ills that you have, you'll continue to add to the near half million men, women and children who have died this century from gun violence. That figure is worth repeating... that's 500,000 people dead from guns in one country in 16 years with another 1,000,000 people injured. JD had it right when he argued that Australia has a different perspective (thank you Carlos). I don't intend to get into a debate with anyone over your Second Amendment Rights... but figures don't lie.
Gun Deaths per 100,000 of population (circa 2014)
CANADA 1.9 Australia .93 UK .23 Germany 1.01 Japan .06
US 10.54
By all means ya'll talk about the cultural, political and historical reasons for guns... but the figures don't lie.
Stephen