Even when it's righteous, an act can still be treated as treason against the state.

Reason told me "treason only leads to ruin," but my emotions pushed back.

I made excuses to myself, thinking, "Treason is way too dramatic a word for this."

That movie has treason against the king as its theme, but it's surprisingly uplifting.

At the negotiating table, we demanded, "We want the 'traitor' label retracted."