With Scots across the Highlands pouring in to vote today on whether or not Scotland should achieve independence from the UK, Americans have never felt so connected to a country they know impressively little about. When asked about what they make of the long history of animosity between England and Scotland, and the place this vote has in that history, students at Gustavus had this to say:

“Their independence is a huge deal to them, and to me as well. I’m part of one of the clans, The Johnson Clan, to be specific. So this issue really hits close to home.” – Galen Johnson, First Year

“So sad to see another nation fall under the control of the Islamic State.” – Sarah Eckelburg, Super Senior

“I don’t see how anyone could be in favor of Scottish Independence. I mean, it’s all Jolly Old England! Can’t they just go out, toss some logs around and get it out of their system?” – Kara Ludeborg, Sophomore

“Frankly, the UK should want the Scots to have their own country. I’ve seen the parades and I wouldn’t want Scots running around my streets blaring the bagpipes at all hours of the night, which is the most important part of traditional Scottish Culture as I understand it.” – Paul Tigh, Senior

“This is really gonna come down to the King of Scotland, Sean Connery, and whether he’s serious about dealing with the Loch Ness Monster. If he can step up, maybe that will prove to more people that Scotland can be it’s own nation.” – Ellen Tyrol, Senior

“Isn’t there a Daniel Day-Lewis movie about this? – Mark Marginie, Junior

“What do I think of Scottish Independence? Well, I posted a photo of Mel Gibson from Braveheart with his freedom quote on it. I think that makes my stance and understanding of Scottish culture very clear.” – Laura Anders, Junior

“I was as heartbroken as all my brothers in Scotland when their Prime Minister, Ned Stark learned that the Royal Baby was a bastard and was beheaded by the Queen on top of Big Ben.” – James Martin, Sophomore

Notably Absent from the discussion was the issue of ownership of oil off the coast of Scotland, questions over what the new Scottish currency would be, any mention of England’s long history of generally being awful to their neighbors to the north, or, most importantly, whether we’ll see an interruption in Scotch production.