What it means to be an American is different for each person and is fundamentally affected by that person's own experiences, which are in turn fundamentally affected by generation and race and gender. But there are touchstones to the American experience that link us together, although rarely in simple ways. For example, I was once talking with an exchange student from the Netherlands who was staying with friends of my family and we were discussing differences between Dutch and American culture. One thing that he mentioned was that Dutch trials are presided over by a judge rather than a jury. "The reason for this," he said, although I am paraphrasing him, "is that judges are experts in the law, they are educated and fair, and it is important to have a professional to determine something as important as an individual's fate." I have to admit that I was horrified at the idea that a single individual would have such power. I had never really thought about the importance of the jury system, but when faced with the thought of putting my fate (if I should ever happen to go to trial) in the hands of a single judge rather
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