美国国家公共电台 NPR For Some Colorado Lawmakers, The Death Penalty Debate Is Personal

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Around the U.S., lawmakers are debating whether or not to repeal¹ the death penalty. Last week, California's governor issued a moratorium² on executions there. And Colorado's new governor says the death penalty is outdated³ and expensive. But for some lawmakers in the state who will decide its fate, execution is about much more than policy. Bente Birkeland from Colorado Public Radio has more.

BENTE BIRKELAND, BYLINE⁴: For some lawmakers, the death penalty is deeply personal, none more so than Democratic State Senator Rhonda Fields. Of the three men on Colorado's death row, two are there for the murder of her son and his fiancee. They were killed days before her son Javad was set to testify in a murder trial.

RHONDA FIELDS: It's just a part of my experience. It's a part of who I am as a lawmaker. I mean, it's a constant pain that I live with every day.

BIRKELAND: Democrats⁵ who hold the majority in the legislature are the ones pushing the death penalty repeal. That means Fields, who supports the death penalty, is going against most of her party. The bill is written to only apply to future cases. Yet Fields believes if it passes, her son's killers⁶ will never be executed.

FIELDS: What kind of justice is that for Javad and Vivian, who were doing their civic⁷ responsibility by cooperating with the police? Their whole future was ahead of them. And they were ambushed⁸ and murdered.

BIRKELAND: Governor Jared Polis says if the bill reaches his desk, he would strongly consider sparing the lives of the men on death row. Yet one of Colorado's most high-profile murderers wasn't sentenced to death. James Holmes was found guilty of killing⁹ 12 people in the Aurora¹⁰ theater shooting.

TOM SULLIVAN: It's not a theory. It's not a big-picture thing. We actually lived it.

BIRKELAND: That's Democratic Representative Tom Sullivan, whose son Alex was one of those killed. He supported prosecutors¹¹' push for the death penalty and doesn't want to tell any other family they can't seek what they feel is justice.

SULLIVAN: Even after the fact, there was no remorse¹² from what he had done. There's every indication if he were to have another chance at this, he would try to do it again.

BIRKELAND: Colorado has come close to repealing¹³ the death penalty before. But advocates and the bill's sponsor, Angela Williams, say this is the best chance they've had. Williams says she is keeping her colleagues' experiences in mind.

ANGELA WILLIAMS: And I'm approaching this with all due respect.

BIRKELAND: The Democratic senator feels the death penalty is too costly¹⁴, immoral¹⁵ and not applied¹⁶ fairly. As a black woman, Williams says she worries for her son and other people of color.

WILLIAMS: The three men who are African-American that sit on death row now, they are all from Arapahoe County. They all went to the same high school. Where you live and the color of your skin and how much money you have depends whether or not you get the death penalty or not.

BIRKELAND: Other lawmakers are still grappling with what to do. Democratic Representative Dominique Jackson covered crime extensively when she was a television reporter.

DOMINIQUE JACKSON: I have spent time with the families on both sides. And I've witnessed an individual dying by lethal¹⁷ injection.

BIRKELAND: It was 1999 in California. Jackson says she was there to take down the facts and doesn't remember finding the experience traumatic. But all these years later, it sticks with her.

JACKSON: I remember the smells, the footsteps walking down the hallways in San Quentin, the eerie¹⁸, green glow of the lights. And I remember that man's chest rising and falling.

BIRKELAND: Jackson says as she tries to make up her mind on the death penalty measure, she'll be listening to all sides, including how this issue has also impacted the lives of her colleagues. For NPR News, I'm Bente Birkeland.

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1 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。

2 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

3 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

7 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

8 ambushed   

v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The military vehicles were ambushed. 军车遭到伏击。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。

10 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

11 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。

12 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

13 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。

14 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

15 immoral   

adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的

参考例句：

• She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
• It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。

16 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

17 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

18 eerie   

adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的

参考例句：

• It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
• I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。