風雲起

我以往很少看美國總統就職典禮直播的, 一般在新聞時段看了精華就算, 今年特朗普千方百計戀棧權位不肯下台, 所以引起我特別關注。特朗普失去twitter這宣傳平台, 頓然失聲, 但本性不改, 臨別秋波也不改吹牛皮的習慣, 自稱自讚, 不亦樂乎。就職時誇下海口講願景容易, 但時不我與、事與願違屢有發生, 但到了下台在即派成績表的時候, 吹牛會即時現形的, 但只要厚顏無恥, 鐵粉如潮, 是足以顛倒是非改寫事實的。特朗普死不甘心, 不去就職典禮, 除了死不認輸、酸到比胃酸更酸外, 就是要維繫那一夥相信他被盜去總統之位的人的繼續支持, 他說自己會回來的, 而且這場抗爭只是剛開始。毫無疑問他會繼續煽惑群眾「起義」。我原本認為拜登上場會對中國更加不利的, 加入特朗普繼續搞"uncivil war" 的因素, (拜登就職演詞所選的用語: We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus -- rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.), 美國將會被內鬥搞殘, 對中國的制衡力度會褪減。演詞這一段不知是否針對特朗普講的:

And each of us has a duty and a responsibility as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies.

拜登的演說, 我最欣賞這句:

And we'll lead not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.

我希望中國堀起, 也盡量以德服人。美國就已做了4年的反面教材, 盡展淫威, 同盟唾棄了(with the excpetion of some lap poodles)。 

就職典禮最耀目的(當然是我個人的感想)是23歲黑人年青桂冠詩人(youth poet laureate)Amanda Gorman吟詠的"The Hill We Climb" 。她一身奪目的黃色雙襟大褸, 小雪初霽, 嬌陽吐豔, 驅走陰霾, 使人精神為之一振。這女生自稱

Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one

她5歲就開始寫詩, 得獎無數。據她講在1月6日這首詩原本只完成了一半, 眼見暴徒攻佔國會才竟夜完成。 雖然她朗誦技巧不算出色, 但她是患有語言障礙曾接受語言治療的。她翻過這座語言的山成為詩人, 為種族歧視抗爭, 但美國這崎嶇的大山, 爬上去的時候上面不斷有大石滾下, 真的能夠這樣嗎:

We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens

香港這座山又怎去翻呢? 大概我沒資格評論這一代庇蔭了抑或負累了下一代, 大概香港的山都移為平地, 根本就沒山可翻了。講山自然想到石, 他山之石可以攻玉, 所以律政司就去找了David Perry QC來檢控香港民主派違法的人, 這御用大律師長久以來都被香港政府聘用的, 這一次的政治風波逼使他退出檢控。政治風波來自英國政界, 前任及現任的外長對他受聘檢控李柱銘等人大肆批評, 指責他埋沒良知, 但外長Raab卻搞錯了事實:

"I don’t understand how anyone of good conscience, from the world-leading legal profession that we have, would take a case where they will have to apply the national security legislation at the behest of the authorities in Beijing, which is directly violating, undermining the freedom of the people of Hong Kong [...] I understand in the case of Mr Perry, in relation to the pro-democracy activists, and of course from Beijing’s point of view, this would be a serious PR coup. There is no doubt in my mind that under the Bar code of ethics a case like this could be resisted and frankly, I think people watching this would regard it as pretty mercenary to be taking up that kind of case."

本案不涉國安法, 外長連責罵的基礎也弄錯了, 貽笑大方。聘用英國御用大律師到香港執業是需要高院首席法官批准的, 本案審批的判詞(RE MR DAVID PERRY, QC)交代了案件的背景, 也列出控罪:

2. In DCCC 536/2020, all the nine defendants are jointly charged with two offences, namely, organizing an unauthorized assembly, contrary to section 17A(3)(b)(i) of the Public Order Ordinance, Cap 245 (“POO”); and knowingly taking part in an unauthorized assembly, contrary of section 17A(3)(a) of the same Ordinance.

違反的是公安條例, 殖民地時代所訂立的法例, 與國安法毫無關係。若憂慮大陸干擾香港法治, 就更加應該鼓勵這些名律師實質體驗, 由Perry去檢控還怕他會打茅波嗎? 本地律師受聘為主控官就是個沒良知的人嗎? 萬一法官把他們定罪, 最後上訴到終審法院也駁回上訴, 當中涉及那些國際知名的非常任法官, 他們全都埋沒良知了嗎? 如果Perry一開始因案件性質敏感及涉及檢疫的問題而不受聘, 當然是堂而皇之的理由, 但他接受了聘書, 律政司的申請也獲首席法官批准, 他是受到英國國內政治壓力才退出本案的。如果主控態度不公平, 隱瞞有利於被告的證據, 在證據充足下, 法官隨便找個理由判被告無罪, 就可能是良知的問題。