[saubeidl]

Sure, that is the de-jure definition of 'American' that a lot of good folks in the US also adhere to - I know many of them personally :).

However, that's not the de-facto definition of the US as a geopolitical player right now and Europe can't afford to pretend those two are the same.

[thejazzman]

American values are what they are. Whether they're perceived that way is something else. And whether the people who hold those values are hypocrites or have any self-realization is irrelevant to the fact that the people believe they have and practice free speech.

[trod1234]

It appears you misspoke. We are clearly talking about two different things.