密歇根新闻广播 恩格勒出庭作证时很不同情

 

Twenty years ago, John Engler was by far, the biggest figure in Lansing, and perhaps the most powerful governor Michigan has ever had. He understood the legislature better than anyone, largely because he had been in it for twenty years before becoming governor.

He was both respected and feared, and lawmakers in both parties thought twice before taking him on. Times have changed, however, and yesterday Engler, now interim¹ president of Michigan State University, found himself testifying before a skeptical² senate subcommittee.

He was arguing retroactively against a ten-bill package the senate had passed the day before, a package designed to make it possible for minors³ who were sexually abused as long as twenty years ago to file civil lawsuits⁴ for damages. The bills would also allow prosecutors⁵ to bring criminal charges against perpetrators for as long as thirty years after the abuse occurred.

These bills, are, of course, designed to bring justice to the many women sexually abused by former MSU sports physician Larry Nassar. They would, however, have potentially far-reaching consequences for other institutions, including public schools and the Roman Catholic Church, which for years covered up behavior by sexually abusive priests.

What worries these institutions most about these bills is that they would not only lengthen⁶ the statute⁷ of limitations; they would make it far harder for governments and universities to claim immunity⁸ from liability in such cases.

That could potentially cost Michigan State hundreds of millions in the Nassar cases alone. Engler's testimony⁹ wasn't really aimed at the senators, who have already passed these bills, so much as the state House of Representatives, which has yet to consider them.

But the old master may have blundered when he claimed that by even considering these bills the lawmakers were damaging Michigan State's efforts to negotiate with the Nassar victims.

"I have a hard time understanding how that can be true," State Senator Curtis Hertel said. John Manly¹⁰, an attorney for the victims said Engler wasn't telling the truth, and that MSU had been blocking attempts at mediation¹¹.

Rachel Denhollander, who has become the de facto leader of the victims, said flatly that "Engler lied. This is about stopping sexual abuse for us. MSU doesn't share these values."

If he didn't know it already, the former governor learned that to appear less than fully¹² sympathetic to Nassar's victims is to invite political suicide. That's why these bills got near-unanimous support. But here are two unpopular statements worth considering:

Just before the upper chamber¹³ passed these bills, State Senator Mike Shirkey warned that "we're about ready to vote on some things that are precedent-setting and very dangerous," and added "we don't have any clue what the unintended consequences are."

And John Engler said that some of the bills had nothing to do with the survivors¹⁴: "they're all about changing the leverage¹⁵ at the table of negotiations¹⁶."

And both statements are true, no matter how you feel about this issue or these bills. Michigan State plainly brought a lot of this on itself. But its failed leadership won't suffer the costs and consequences of this; we, and future students will.

Speaker of the House Tom Leonard has put off consideration of these bills for at least three weeks. In an atmosphere so emotionally charged, that seems like a sensible thing to do.

Jack¹⁷ Lessenberry is Michigan Radio's Senior Political Analyst¹⁸. 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 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

2 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

3 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

5 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

6 lengthen   

vt.使伸长，延长

参考例句：

• He asked the tailor to lengthen his coat.他请裁缝把他的外衣放长些。
• The teacher told her to lengthen her paper out.老师让她把论文加长。

7 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

8 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

9 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

10 manly   

adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地

参考例句：

• The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
• He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。

11 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

12 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。

13 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

14 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

15 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

16 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

17 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。

18 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。