I just wanted to come back to you, because you helped me to pick up on something that I completely forgot about, an expression that I hear a lot of Australian kids use, that never sat right with me, and, I couldn't put my finger on the reason, until this reply about experiencing freedom.

I'm in my late 40's.

I can remember being in elementary school, and, if someone wanted to do something that others thought was ill-advised, you might even see an 8 year-old shrug his shoulders and say, "Hey. It's a free country," and encourage everyone to move on.

I assure you that 8 year-old didn't know dick about rights or the law, but, from a young age, culturally, people are encouraged to take a live and let live approach. Brits and Aussies call it 'horses for courses.'

The Australian expression, though, that I hear in place of that, out of the mouths of Aussie kids of about the same age is "I'm allowed to." That's three words, but, they way they say it is important. They make it sound like two words.

The first word is "I'm," as in, "I am."

The second word is, "....allowdoo." That's how they say it. "...Allowdoo."

It wasn't until I started looking at this from a Commonwealth angle that I realised that, even in expresssing a sense of freedom or autonomy, there is a perception that rights are granted by a 3rd party, and, without that right, the impulse to try that unnamed thing wouldn't have even been considered.

Ever ones to discredit the Yank, there will be people who say, "Well what about your constitution? People are always banging on about their right to do this, or their right to do that."

This is true, but, if you listen to the syntax, the impulse precedes citation of the right. What you'll commonly hear is, "I can (do X) if I want. Besides, the Constitution says I have a right to (do X)."

See the difference?

The person is expressing a personal sense of individual authority, not describing how far off the lead his or her owner allows him to go. The Constitution is seen as a supporter of that right, not a creator of it.

It's not a duty to have a gun. It's an option. It's like a rider on an insurance policy. It's like Extras Cover. You can if you want to. It's your choice whether you do or not. It's not encouragement to go out and get a gun. It's a forbidding of the government to create a law that says that it is illegal for you to have one.

That said, some people really do go out and get one. The vast majority don't. It's a right, not an assignment or duty.

But, there is a big difference between "I can if I want to," and, "I'm allowdoo."