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自由社會最重要的制度之一是rule of law。Oxford Dictionary對rule of law的解釋是：The restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by subordinating it to well-defined and established laws.（以清晰和確立的法律，約束肆意的行使權力，這就是法治。）
Rule of law是香港法制的重要原則，亦受《基本法》保障。Rule of law的實質意義，Department of Justice（律政司）有這樣的闡述：
At the heart of Hong Kong』s system of government lies the principle that no one, including the Chief Executive, can do an act which would otherwise constitute a legal wrong or affect a person』s liberty unless he can point to a legal justification for that action.
（香港政府系統內貫徹着一個原則，就是任何人（包括行政長官）除非有法律根據，否則不可作出構成法律過失或影響他人人身自由的行為。）
用叉食炸雞犯法
法律面前人人平等，人人受法律同樣的保障，要rule of law有效運作，大家自然都要尊重法律，不過有些法律，真的很難值得尊重。皆因真是十分古怪。這不是說一些與西方文化差異很大的地區，即使先進發達的美國，奇怪、難明、荒謬或無聊的法律每個州都有。Reader』s Digest一篇文章」Here are 50 of the dumbest laws in every state」就羅列了不少。Dumb解不能言語的，也解愚蠢的。Dumbest就解最愚蠢的，那就看看有多dumb。
For chicken chompers（大聲咀嚼的人）in Gainesville, Georgia, 「finger-lickin』」 is not a suggestion – it is mandatory（強制的）. Thanks to a 1961 law added to the city code as a publicity stunt（宣傳噱頭）, it is illegal to eat fried chicken in 「the poultry capital of the world」 with anything other than your fingers. A tourist was 「arrested」 for such a chicken-forking violation in 2009.
在喬治亞州的Gainesville市法律規定食炸雞一定要用手，用刀叉會被捕。這條1961年通過的法例旨在宣傳這個市的炸雞，但2009年真有遊客犯例被拘捕，不過大概也是宣傳手法。
加州Chico市則有這條法例：
It is illegal to build, maintain, or use a nuclear weapon within Chico, California city limits. A law that began in the 『80s as a serious anti-nuke（反核的）statement has taken on a second life as an Internet joke, mainly due to the purported（據稱的）consequences: In addition to self-annihilation（自毀）, the infraction also carries a $500 fine.
明文規定市內製造或使用核子彈是違法行為，違者可被罰款五百美元。
後袋禁放雪糕筒
攝影師Olivia Locher在I Fought the Law書中亦搜羅了美國各州的古怪法律，並以影像陳述。有些法律今時今日看似荒謬，但在當年確有其作用，例如在褲的後袋放雪糕筒是犯法。Olivia Locher解釋：
The legend（傳說）suggests that it became common practice for horse thieves to lure（餌誘）horses away with ice cream cones. The horse, unable to resist the sweetness, would follow the thief, resulting in a situation where the burglar（竊匪）could announce, 「I didn』t steal him, he followed me!」
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(文/子慧)
