密歇根新闻广播 对枪支理智的呼吁

 

I'm not big on ideology¹. I've known communists and Ayn Randers, and both live in closed systems that are substitutes for really having to think.

The communists are pretty much limited to a few websites these days, and I don't get the sense that middle-class teenage boys still read The Fountainhead as often as they did.

But this nation is still in grave peril² from one ideology that costs us thousands of lives every year.

I am talking about Second Amendment³ absolutists, which is a fancy name for gun nuts. These people believe the right of anyone to own a military-style killing⁴ machine is far more important than preventing the slaughter⁵ of tiny children.

That's not an exaggeration; look at how they reacted after the elementary school massacre⁶ in Connecticut. This insanity⁷ is holding us all hostage, and those under its spell are threatening to make the situation worse.

For an example of how we've come to accept this nuttiness as normal, look to today's Detroit News, which reports that the Republicans who control our legislature think we need to get rid of all training requirements for concealed⁸ weapons. They are itching⁹ to pass other bills that would allow anyone to take concealed pistols into day care centers, bars and hospitals.

Speaker of the House Tom Leonard, R-Dewitt, a man who wants to be Michigan's next attorney general, thinks this would be a great idea. He told the newspaper that he doesn't think gun laws are a good idea because the bad guys wouldn't obey them.

And then Leonard added "and that is why I have stayed so focused on dealing¹⁰ with our broken mental health system."

Now that's fascinating.

Why have I never met a psychiatrist¹¹ who thought giving mentally ill people easier access to weapons of mass destruction could help fix our mental health system? Perhaps because mental health professionals are seldom bankrolled by the National Rifle Association.

Actually, the point of this story was not how crazy this all is. It was that our lawmakers are annoyed because they need to wait a decent interval¹² after the mass murder in Las Vegas before passing what they call their "constitutional carry" package that would do all the things I mentioned earlier, plus allowing you to take a concealed weapon to your college dorm, the church confessional, or let a frustrated¹³ and drunken gambler take one to a casino.

Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, is also frustrated.

"It seems like every time we get at a place where we can move some of these things, some sort of incident happens that gives people pause, so we're gonna pause."

People are so rude these days. After all, you'd think the guy who murdered 59 people in Vegas could have been more sensitive to our legislature.

State Senator Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, thinks we'd all be safer if guns were hidden in every classroom. "It'd be a big deterrent," for the bad guys, he said. He seems to have missed the fact that school shooters never expect to come out alive.

There may be some tiny hope that Governor Snyder will veto this insanity when it reaches his desk, but you can't count on that. You can, however, let him and your lawmakers know how you feel. Personally, I feel I'd like to live.

Jack¹⁴ Lessenberry is Michigan Radio's Senior Political Analyst¹⁵. Views expressed in his essays are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management or the station licensee, The University of Michigan.

1 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

2 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

3 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

6 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

7 insanity   

n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐

参考例句：

• In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
• He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。

8 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

9 itching   

adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The itching was almost more than he could stand. 他痒得几乎忍不住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My nose is itching. 我的鼻子发痒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

12 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

13 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

15 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。