日志
美国骂总统可能要坐牢的
热度 7 |||
昨天在北大群中讨论PRC建国初期的一些政策时我提到，一个政府自身安全受到威胁的时候，就会限制公民的基本权利，这是普遍规律。我举了个例子，以前美国骂总统可能是要坐牢的。结果不少同学表示不可置信。这再次说明，即使是北大毕业生对西方民主法治的理解也可能很薄弱，德先生什么含义还没搞透彻。
为什么要以美国为例子？ 人类历史长河中雅典是第一个民主国，然后是罗马共和国（至少是半民主吧），再过了1800多年才出现一个新的民主国家，这就是美国，美国之后的那都是多多少少效仿美国。所以，美国作为民主法治的范例是当之无愧的。以美国为例比以世界最大的民主国印度为例更有代表性。
言归正传，美国骂总统要坐牢的法律有链接为证：http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/sedact.asp。我权且引用其中一段如下：
【if any person shall write, print, utter or publish ... writings against the government of the United States, or either house of the Congress of the United States, or the President of the United States, with intent ... to bring them, or either of them, into contempt or disrepute... shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, and by imprisonment not exceeding two years.】
简言之，谁发表意图引起对美国政府、国会或总统不敬的言论，可以判处两年以下有期徒刑并处以罚款。这一系列法案就是著名的Alien and Sedition Acts. 下面略举一例说明其运用。
有一漠视法律的先生Matthew Lyon 指责美国政府是 "ridiculous pomp, foolish adulation, and selfish avarice" --- 就是说政府可笑、愚蠢、自私贪婪，结果被判刑4个月，并罚款1000美金。那时1000美金还是可观的。四个月徒刑可能是小意思，但美国后来类似的法案把徒刑增加到了20年，见下文。
一个政权在自身安全受到威胁的时候，法律肯定要严格些，等它比较稳定之后，就无所谓了。 美国以前骂总统、国会坐牢，现在可能只管骂。以前中国内部敌人、外部敌人特别多，那时攻击政府，可能会坐牢，甚至当成敌特枪毙。现在在中国骂骂政府、歌颂国民党都没有人理你也就是这个道理。
假如美国哪天又感到受到威胁，风声可能又就紧起来。美国南北战争时期已经建国80多年了，比PRC还多10多岁，那时有人在北方说南方的好话就被判刑或者流放。1918年美国进入一战，又出台了新的法案，禁止对美国政府、美国国旗说脏话、不敬等等，违者可判处20年以下有期徒刑（全文参见附录）... 911之后，爱国者法案就出台了。2003年美国新墨西哥州有位中学生写了首反战诗，他老师拿去念了一下，被开除，学生家长抗议，美军催泪弹伺候，那场景就像是战场。这还是撞掉几栋楼。如果有更大的威胁，法律会更严格，有民主法制观念的美国人就会普遍自觉一些少惹麻烦，而不是像mob一样偏要挑战法律。
附：1918 法案
SEC. 3. Whoever, when the United States is at war, shall wilfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success of its enemies, or shall wilfully make or convey false reports, or false statements, or say or do anything except by way of bona fide and not disloyal advice to an investor... with intent to obstruct the sale by the United States of bonds... or the making of loans by or to the United States, or whoever, when the United States is at war, shall wilfully cause... or incite... insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall wilfully obstruct... the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, and whoever, when the United States is at war, shall wilfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States, or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States, or the flag... or the uniform of the Army or Navy of the United States, or any language intended to bring the form of government... or the Constitution... or the military or naval forces... or the flag... of the United States into contempt, scorn, contumely, or disrepute... or shall wilfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or shall wilfully... urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production in this country of any thing or things... necessary or essential to the prosecution of the war... and whoever shall wilfully advocate, teach, defend, or suggest the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated and whoever shall by word or act support or favour the cause of any country with which the United States is at war or by word or act oppose the cause of the United States therein, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both...."
