[theBuckwheat]

If you want a fun, and sometimes sad, exercise, ask people if they would like to have as much personal liberty as every American had right after the Bill of Rights was passed. I found it very common for people to say they would not.

[ClearCase_guy]

I agree. I think most Americans would have a difficult time defining a difference between Freedom and Liberty, but at some level they know it when they see it. It goes like this:

Freedom means I can do what I want. You can't stop me. I got my rights, it's a free country and I can do pretty much anything I want. Freedom is good.

Liberty means I'm responsible for me. No one owns me. I am not beholden to anyone, and no one is beholden to me. My actions have consequences, and I stand or fall based on my personal behavior. Liberty is about personal responsibility. And man, Liberty is a terrible thing. We gots too much of that!!!

[Fester Chugabrew]

I found it very common for people to say they would not.

There are whole nations of people who prefer group slavery to individual liberty. About half the people in this country ought to move into one of those.