VOA标准英语2010年-Battle Continues Over US Rules on Gays

Last week, the Pentagon announced changes in enforcement of a 1993 U.S. law that compels gay service members to hide their sexual orientation¹.  If discovered, homosexuals still face discharge from the military, but the regulations stipulate² new rules for investigations³.  In the last of a two-part series, President Barack Obama's promise to fully⁴ repeal⁵ the ban on openly gay military service, and the opposition⁶ it is generating.

In his January State of the Union address, President Obama said the following. "This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are," he stated.

That call renewed a long-simmering debate over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" - the U.S. law that allows gays and lesbians to serve in the armed forces so long as their sexual orientation remains⁷ a secret.

 

Several high-ranking military officials back the president's call for repeal.  Defense⁸ Secretary Robert Gates testified on Capitol Hill. "I fully support the president's decision," he stated.  "The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it."

The Chairman of the Joint⁹ Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be "the right thing to do". "No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow-citizens," he said.

But chiefs of individual military branches who would be tasked with implementing¹⁰ a policy change are less enthusiastic about repealing¹¹ "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".   Marine¹² Corps¹³ Commandant James Conway recently said that, if the ban is repealed¹⁴, he would urge separate living quarters for homosexual and heterosexual personnel.  He has also said that current policy "works" and should remain.

"This particular argument has to do with the supposed right to declare oneself to be sexually attracted to a certain segment of the population, and insist on continuing to live in the most intimate proximity¹⁵ with them.  Retired¹⁶ Marine General John Sheehan said. "In my experience, homosexual Marines create problems on the battlefield."

Bills to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" have been drafted in the House and Senate.  Backers of ending the ban point to America's closest allies, like Israel and Britain, that ended bans on gay service members with little if any apparent consequence. 

"Nobody will say that the Israeli army is not a very effective fighting force, New York Congressman¹⁷ Jerrold Nadler said. "And they have had gays and lesbians in the military, openly, for a long, long time."

During a visit to Washington, British Member of Parliament Nick Herbert gave a similar assessment¹⁸. "In the U.K., we have allowed gays to serve openly in our military for 10 years.  No one, no one can credibly¹⁹ claim that our troops' effectiveness serving alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan has been compromised by this policy," Herbert said.

But some argue that America's armed forces bear unique responsibilities and burdens on the world stage, and that any potential disruption to the military should be avoided in wartime.  Senator John McCain of Arizona was a Navy pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam.  He opposes repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

"It would present yet another challenge to our military in a time of already tremendous stress and strain.  Our men and women in uniform are fighting two wars and guarding the front lines against a global terrorist enemy," McCain said.

President Obama repeatedly pledged to end the ban on openly-gay military service during his successful 2008 campaign.  Backers of repeal cheered the president's January announcement, but some worry that the Pentagon's efforts to study the matter amount to a delaying tactic²⁰ that will give opponents time to mount a campaign stoking anti-gay fears and stereotypes²¹.

Two gay Iraq War veterans recently chained themselves to the White House fence to draw attention to their cause, and pledged similar acts of civil disobedience until the law is changed.
 

1 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

2 stipulate   

vt.规定，（作为条件）讲定，保证

参考例句：

• International rules stipulate the number of foreign entrants.国际规则规定了外国参赛者的人数。
• Some manufacturers stipulate the price at which their goods are to be sold.有些制造商规定出售他们生产的商品的价格。

3 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

6 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。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

10 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

11 repealing   

撤销，废除( repeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In addition, repealing the alternative minimum tax would also help. 此外，废除替代性最低税也会有所帮助。
• Repealing the investment tax credit. 取消投资税款扣除。

12 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

13 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

14 repealed   

撤销，废除( repeal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The Labour Party repealed the Act. 工党废除了那项法令。
• The legislature repealed the unpopular Rent Act. 立法机关废除了不得人心的租借法案。

15 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

16 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

17 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

18 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

19 credibly   

ad.可信地；可靠地

参考例句：

• I am credibly informed that. 由可靠方面听说。
• An effective management software ensures network to run credibly. 一个高效的网管软件是网络运行的可靠保证。

20 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

21 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》