First of all, been here longer than you guys ('98) so I know all about the profanity. Sue me. An occassional expression such as I uttered doesn't get you banned. And sometimes they are highly technical terms. (although admittedly this wasn't one of those times)
Second, my understanding is that (and it is my understanding, so I sincerely apprectiate the education I'm getting) you don't have an analogy to the Fourth Amendment anywhere in your system - got to go review the Magna Carta...been a while. That the police have entirely more power than they do over here...and no, I don't think our police are appropriately restrained on some points. (That doesn't mean I'm anti-police...especially since given I used to be one.) I look forward to the Patriot Act being fully overturned someday as well.
Third, since when did you guys become a sovereign political entity as opposed to a subject? (KT...if you don't understand what I'm talking about let me know...I'll explain it to you.) IF you truly are...that's great.
Fourth...the whole second amendment issue determines where your form of government stands on the issue of who is superior - the individual or the State. Any State that fears an armed populace should be feared. Once upon a time the US operated on the principle that we don't regulate behavior based on the least common denominator and/or what people might do. Sadly that has been changing for some time and we continue to fight against it. However, on balance I think we are still better off than the UK. For the most part the US recognizes that normal people (not politicians) are basically good and firearms are tools.
A similar issue is self-defense/defense of property. A State that doesn't recognize these as the provence of the individual is a State to be feared. Don't bother arguing...go talk to the families of the people the Crown has imprisoned for defendoing their homes from burglars.
No, I'm not a bloodthirsty yank...but I do believe in a self-chlorinating gene pool. And the only places in the US where you can't defend your home/person are liberal utopian cities like Baltimore, DC, New York, Chicago, etc... The same places that point to the UK as a model regarding these issues.
So it appears that the UK and the US are somewhat similarly situated...more UK more free on some issues where the US is less free and the US more free on some issues where the UK is less free. With both countries still attempting to prove John Locke correct in the long run.
Regards.
Thank you for a rather more considered and reasonable response.
One the issue of the citizen-subject distinction,
"since when did you guys become a sovereign political entity as opposed to a subject?"
Yes, we Brits are now citizens. There was an act of parliament some years ago (I forget the Act and the date but I'm sure some other British Freeper can quote you "chapter & verse") which clarified this issue.
The term "subject of the Queen" is just one of those traditional but irrelevant expressions which is still in occasional use.
It applies not only to Brits but to all citizens of countries which are members of the British Commonwealth and which therefore have the British monarch (notionally) as their head of state.
Thus, Australians, Canadians and people of many other nationalies can be described as "subjects of the Queen".
All meaningless in reality of course.
I agree with a lot of your post. The US is more free in some and less free in others. The same goes for the UK.
Both are under fire from Governments that are overzealous in restricting our rights. I hate the idea of ID cards and "patriot act" style legislation.
I think the act that turned us from subjects to citizens was in the 80's and was the citizen act or the government act.
There has been a lot of hyperbole about people in the UK getting arrested for defending their homes. A lot of this is exagerated. I understand that less than 20 people have been found guilty of using excessive force in the last decade. I am relatively pro-gun but am not too sure that introducing US style laws would be possible in modern Britain.