Should Same Sex Marriage Be Left to the States?

The Supreme Court recently announced that it would be hearing two cases involving same sex marriage, both of which have implications for states' rights to recognize same sex marriage. The high court will examine the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal¹ law which says that states that prohibit same sex marriages do not have to recognize the same sex marriages of the states (there are currently nine plus the District of Columbia) where it is legal. It also says the federal government does not recognize same sex marriages, blocking same sex spouses² from receiving the numerous federal benefits their heterosexual³ counterparts⁴ are eligible for.

The court will also weigh in on Proposition⁵ 8, California's voter-passed state referendum⁶ that overturned⁷ the judicial⁸ ruling making same-sex legal in California.

How the court decides both cases could be watershed⁹ moments for gay rights activists; the decisions will almost certainly effect what role states can play in recognizing same sex marriage. Some, including President Obama, say states and states alone should decide whether same sex marriage is legal within their borders. Others, including many activists on both sides of the same sex marriage issue, say the federal government must have the final word on same sex marriage.

Should same sex marriage be left to the states? Here is the Debate Club's take:

http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-same-sex-marriage-be-left-to-the-states

1.      federal (adj) 美國聯邦政府的

2.      spouse (v) 結婚；(n) 配偶

3.      heterosexual (a) 異性戀的，異性的；(n) 異性戀者

4.      counterpart (adj) 對等的；(n) 極相似的人或物

5.      proposition (n) 提議，建議

6.      referendum (n) 公民投票權

7.      overturn (v) 推翻

8.      judicial (a) 司法的，公正的，審判的

9.      watershed (n) 分水嶺，轉折點

Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi movie

It was a long time coming, but the first biopic¹ based on the life of Burmese(緬甸語) pro-democracy² icon Aung San Suu Kyi—The Lady, to be released in the U.S. today—could not have reached the world’s movie screens at a better moment. Although the Luc Besson–directed flick³ focuses on the long nightmare of oppressive⁴ military rule in Burma (now known as Myanmar)—during which Suu Kyi famously battled the junta⁵, even facing down a line of armed soldiers—the film comes at a time when the country finally seems to be on the path to democratic reform.

The Lady stars Malaysian-born Michelle Yeoh as Suu Kyi, who was sentenced⁶ to multiple house arrests over the past three decades. The audience watches her spend 15 years as a lonely and dejected⁷ prisoner, playing the piano and listening to the BBC. Critics have complained about the melodrama⁸ of such scenes, but agree that Yeoh captures the poise⁹ and steely determination of Suu Kyi. “I lived and breathed her for four years,“ the actress said.

The movie ends with a message of hope and defiance¹⁰, and it’s no small irony that Suu Kyi won a parliamentary¹¹ seat in the real-life elections, held April 1. Suu Kyi’s victory marked another milestone for the government, which recently released political prisoners, signed cease-fire agreements with militias, and relaxed restrictions on the media and her party, the National League for Democracy.

Readers of this magazine have seen the country evolve as a destination, too: Contributing editor Susan Hack explored Myanmar’s hermetic¹² temples and untouristed¹³ lakes and rivers in October 2007, but in the aftermath¹⁴ of government crackdowns¹⁵, Paul Theroux in August 2008 described the Burmese as “the worst-governed, belittled, and persecuted¹⁶ of any people.”

And today, thanks to the government’s loosened grip¹⁷, the country is becoming a hot spot. “It’ll be the destination for 2012,” says travel specialist Phoebe Weinberg. Her ideal itinerary¹⁸ combines Yangon, beautiful Inle Lake(茵萊湖), and a four-night cruise from the majestic city of Bagan(浦甘) to the cultural hub¹⁹ of Mandalay(曼德勒) on the Orient-­Express’s luxe Road to Mandalay (four-night sailings from $2,560 per person). And whether you decide to sail the Irrawaddy(伊洛瓦底江) or merely go to the theater to see the movie, we’ll all be watching the latest chapter of Suu Kyi’s story, which is unfolding before our eyes.

Written by Colin Hinshelwood

  April 13, 2012

http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2012-04-13/the-other-iron-lady-movie-myanmar-aung-san-suu-kyi

1.      biopic (n) 傳記片

2.      pro-democracy (n) 親民主

3.      flick (v) 彈

4.      oppressive (v) 壓抑

5.      junta (n) 軍政府

6.      sentenced (v) 被判刑

7.      dejected (adj) 垂頭喪氣的

8.      melodrama (n) 音樂劇

9.      poise (n) 平衡

10.  defiance (n) 蔑視

11.  parliamentary (n) 議會

12.  hermetic (adj) 密閉的

13.  untouristed 人煙稀少的 (它不是單字 un+tourist) 

14.  aftermath (n) 後果

15.  crackdown (n) 鎮壓

16.  persecuted (v) 迫害

17.  grip (n) 控制 (v) 握緊 

18.  itinerary (n) 路線，旅程

19.  hub (n) 中心，輪軸