The US isn't really a land of religious fervor, supposedly dominated by rabid, bible-thumping Christian fundamentalists. That's a highly inaccurate view of our nation, though one believed by a surprising number of Europeans. We're still under a perfectly secular form of government, abortion (and other rights of free individuals in a free society) are still perfectly legal virtually everywhere, and the leading films, books, music, videos of our popular culture is hardly the stuff of fervent fundamentalists. Nor will this situation change at all in the future, despite the absurd belief by some that John Ashcroft is the leader of the Christian Taliban.