2007年VOA标准英语-Some US Soldiers' Families Join Opposition to I

By Brian Padden
Washington, DC
31 January 2007
 
watch Anti war rally report

Opposition¹ to the war in Iraq continues to grow in the United States.  A recent survey by the Los Angeles Times (newspaper) says 70 percent of Americans now disapprove² of the way President Bush is handling the war.  And anti-war rallies around the country are attracting tens of thousands of protesters.  Those speaking out against the war include the families of some U.S. troops serving in Iraq.  VOA's Brian Padden reports on the anti-war movement within the military community.   

 
Protestors recently marched in Washington to have their feelings known to Congress and the president

Fran Middleberg is a reluctant peace activist³.  Her son has served in Iraq with the U.S. military.  "Bring them home now!  Support our troops! I understand the necessity of a military.  I understand defending our nation.  But there was no imminent⁴ threat [from Iraq before 2003].  And if my son's going to be put in harm's way, then there has to be an imminent threat."  

Fran Middleberg is one of a growing number of military families that are speaking out against the war.  She is part of an anti-war group called Military Families Speak Out. 

Nancy Lessin co-founded the group, which now has more than 3,200 members.  Many of these families have lost loved ones in Iraq.  "And as of today we have 3,067 of our loved ones who have been killed in a war that should never have happened, and hundreds of thousands of Iraq children, women and men who have died in this war.  And what we think is that the continuing military occupation -- a war based on lies -- is what is breeding the fire and the fuel.  And what we need to do is to stop that.  It's the only way to put things right."

 
A display during the protest rally in Washington
The anti-war activists⁵ are calling for an end to the Iraqi occupation and the immediate⁶ withdrawal⁷ of U.S. troops.

Mike Wysong, who represents over two million members of the group Veterans of Foreign Wars, says the U.S. military community still overwhelmingly supports the war and President Bush's military policies.  He says anti-war protests are harming the troops.  "I think it hurts the troops in the field.  It hurts their morale⁸, [and] they don't have confidence in the mission they are performing.  And it's certainly ... detrimental⁹ to the morale of our troops."

Supporting the troops has been the rallying cry for war supporters.   But military families who have anti-war views say the best way to support the troops is to bring them home.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 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。

8 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

9 detrimental   

adj.损害的，造成伤害的

参考例句：

• We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk.我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。
• He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health.他不相信吸烟有害健康。