[Balding_Eagle]

why do so many in the US still delude themselves that they live in a "free country"?

Because they foolishly compare our freedoms to those the rest of the world has.

[Moltke]

Because they foolishly compare our freedoms to those the rest of the world has.

So is freedom to be considered a relative term? (I'd hope not.) True enough, there's the RTKBA which is second to none in the western world (probably not to places like Afghanistan, Somalia, Zimbabwe, etc., though), but the article of this topic shows how the state blatently preys on its citizens for a few bucks in very petty matters. And examples like this are, sadly, legion, and do bear heavily on basic day-to-day living. A lot of freedom has been lost.