"TV-licensed news is generally considered to be a puppet of the government"? Well, in the UK the BBC news service is pretty well-regarded. Not perfect, I grant you, but by no means a government puppet. Sky may win media awards, but that's a completely different point, isn't it? And of course, Murdoch never ever influences Sky.

I think what most people fail to understand is the cultural gap between the UK and the USA in this regard. We start from different cultural assumptions about guns, I think. The USA mindset often includes "the right to bear arms" as a fundamental part of the culture. The American revolution and it's cultural consequences are embedded in the many of its citizens think. British mindset is often geared to a nostalgic desire for a past with less violence, where the village policeman was able to carry out his duties without recourse to firearms. Regardless of the truth or otherwise of these viewpoints, they are part of the cultural memes.

The WW2 analogy isn't a great one. Yes, Britain was in a bad position in 1939 because of underinvestment in the armed forces, and an unwise view of Nazi Germany. But that was a question about warfare, the right of the state to defend itself against aggression, and appeasement. The Right to Bear Arms discussion is more about the activities of the individual citizen arming or not arming himself in self-defence in his daily civilian life.

A better question might be to answer why so many slashdot readers lap this stuff up as if it were some kind of bizarre universal truth about the UK. It might well happen in isolated places, but not everywhere. Get a grip, lads. Is it any worse than the CIA blasting Barry Manilow at Noriega?

Agreed. Nice to have a considered response; thank you.

You know, while I appreciate the sentiment about Google, here, I'm getting heartily fed up of the over-use of the Ben Franklin quote on slashdot. It's thought-provoking and makes a good rhetorical point, but it fails any attempt at decent analysis. All people deserve liberty and safety, in a "we hold the following truths to be self-evident" sort of way, so no one should be said not to deserve it. And by its wording it strongly implies that "liberty"==="essential liberty" i.e. all degrees of liberty are equally essential, and somehow denigrates the concept of "temporary safety".

Yeah, I'm probably quoting Mr F out of context, and I'm not a political philosopher, so I'm sure my argument isn't watertight. So sue me. But I do feel that in some quarters the quote is designed to appeal the claque in here, in much the same way that "think of the children" - that much-mocked phrase - is used to appeal to the reactionary corner of society. It actually stops people from analysing the problem in hand by triggering some kind of American/Liberal hindbrain reflex.

Can we think about it a little more, that's all I'm asking.

Wrong on so many levels. Unless it's a troll in which case, hey you win. As has been pointed out elsewhere, most perceptions of WIlliam Wallace in popular culture are driven by that awful Mel Gibson film which could not have been more innacurate if it had a plasticene Grommit alongside Wallace. I can't speak for Quakers, but certainly a lot of settlers like the Puritans were intent on setting up their own theocracy in the new world as well as escaping persecution at home. Did Canada break free? I don't recall a Canadian War of Independence? No, it was done piecemeal and largely peacefully. I don't care if they have the Queen on their notes; at least no one pretends the British Crown is infallible like some of people in the US who believe the Founding Fathers were but a little lower than the angels. As to Civil War we've had ours thank you very much and it didn't solve much. Meanwhile the USA is full of far too many people who think that if you talk like Alan Rickman you must be the bad guy. Give me a break. We don't brainwash our kids every morning in school by making them worship a flag either. Polemic? Yes, of course. I've visited the USA many times and have found most people to be regular guys. I don't form my opinions of the USA based on the National Enquirer and one chap who emigrated to England from the States who I met in the pub. I suggest you take a broader look around. The UK is full of idiots of all political shades and colours just like any other nation. I don't want live in a country where you can't feel safe unless you have a gun. Fine. You do? Fine, your call. Just get a grip.

After 12 deaths, you need hyper-advanced aliens from another planet to grant a new regeneration cycle? Does Davros take over? I'll explain later.

"No taxation without representation was English law". I don't think so. Rightly or wrongly, there were a lot of people who were taxed without the right of representation at the time. "No taxation without representation" was a radical concept at the time, and deserves to be recognised as such, but it wasn't English law.