My country 'tis of thee...

O.k., it's not a new notion, but it keeps coming back to me on days like these. Being a wannabe philologist I find syntax quite important, so the question "Are you a Catholic American or an American Catholic?" makes a great deal of sense to me. It matters because nouns and adjectives work differently and, especially in this case, make a great deal of difference. Are you a Catholic who happens to be an American or an American who happens to be a Catholic? Think about it.