I think that the story about the Canadian flag pretty much represents the difference between Americans and others in regards to attitudes about freedom. If the situation was reversed, the Americans would have told their neighbors to got to hell and would have kept their flag flying rather than obediantly lowering it and then whining about it for the next forty years. Or, if the Canadians had told other neighbors about the episode, their choice to fly a Canadian flag would have been defended. Thats why Americans are so vocal about freedom, because they are willing to talk the talk and walk the walk.