美国反战母亲继续抗议

US Anti-War Mother Vows¹ to Continue Protesting

美国反战母亲继续抗议

 

Since Cindy Sheehan began her protest in a ditch along the dusty road to the president's ranch², Mr. Bush has been careful not to criticize the grieving mother, instead expressing sympathy for her loss and saying he understood how strongly she feels about the war.

 

But as the anti-war protest grows and the president's public approval ratings on the war fall, the Bush administration has altered its approach: maintaining sympathy for her loss, but portraying⁴ her demands for an immediate⁵ troop withdrawal⁶ as dangerous to national security.

 

In Idaho this week, President Bush said pulling out U.S. troops would embolden⁷ terrorists and make America more vulnerable to attack.

 

Bush: I think immediate withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake. I think those who advocate immediate withdrawal not only from Iraq but from the Middle East are advocating a policy that would weaken the United States.

 

Prior to meeting with families of National Guard troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Bush said Cindy Sheehan does not speak for most military families.

 

Bush: appreciate her right to protest and I understand her anguish⁸. I have met with a lot of families. She doesn't represent the view of a lot of families I have met with.

 

Speaking to reporters at her protest site Thursday, Mrs. Sheehan says she has never claimed to speak for all military families, but believes the anti-war group, Gold Star Families for Peace, does reflect the concerns of many Americans.

 

Mrs. Sheehan: I never, ever got up here and said I speak for every single Gold Star family. I speak for every single military family. I've never said that. But I know I speak for thousands of them. I know we speak for thousands of them when we want to know what is the noble cause our children died for. What is the noble cause they are still fighting for and dying for every day?

 

Countering Mrs. Sheehan, the White House introduced a soldier's mother Wednesday with a different point of view.

 

President Bush singled out Tammy Pruett, who now has four sons in Iraq, reading from a letter in which she said that if something happened to one of her boys, she would know he left the world doing what is right for the country.

Cindy Sheehan says she sympathizes with everyone who has lost a family member in the war, regardless of whether they support the president.

 

Mrs. Sheehan: We respect their rights to their opinions because at the end of the day, or at the beginning of this quest we started in the same way: with our loved one coming home in a flag-draped coffin⁹. And if there is any family who says that they believe their child died for a noble cause, I say that is your right. If that helps you get through the day. If that helps you in your pain, because we might not have the same politics, but trust me, we have the same pain.

 

White House Spokesman Trent Duffy told reporters again Thursday that President Bush empathizes with Mrs. Sheehan and those who oppose the war, but he feels fundamentally different about the need to keep up the fight against terrorism. He says there are no plans to meet again with Mrs. Sheehan, who spoke¹⁰ to the president on a military base shortly after her son was killed.

 

Scott Stearns, VOA news, at the White House.

 

注释：

sympathy [5simpEWi] n. 同情

portray³ [pC:5trei] v. 描绘

embolden [im5bEuldEn] vt. 使大胆

vulnerable [5vQlnErEb(E)l] adj. 易受攻击的

advocate [5AdvEkit] vt. 鼓吹

claim [kleim] vt. 主张

noble [5nEubl] adj. 高尚的

coffin [5kCfin] n. 棺材

1 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

2 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

3 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

4 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 embolden   

v.给…壮胆，鼓励

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine,he went over to introduce himself to her.他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• The Prime Minister was steadily emboldened by the discovery that he faced no opposition.发现自己并未遭到反对，首相渐渐有了信心。

8 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

9 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。