VOA标准英语2013--美国人继续讨论国内监控项目

 

Discussion on US Domestic Surveillance Continues 美国人继续讨论国内监控项目

CAPITOL HILL — Top U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials say the government’s vast domestic data collection activities do not infringe¹ on citizens’ privacy but do help identify and defeat terrorist threats.  Officials testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee hours after the Obama administration released documents detailing telephone data collection programs exposed by former intelligence contractor² Edward Snowden.

美国国会——美国顶尖的情报人员以及执法人员称，政府大量收集国内数据不但没有侵犯公民的隐私，而且还可以帮助识别与打击恐怖威胁。官员们向参议院司法委员会证实了这一说法。早前的几小时，奥巴马政府公布了关于通话记录数据采集的详细计划。这些信息采集的计划，也正是前美国国家安全局技术承包人爱德华·斯诺登披露的。

Revelations that the U.S. government collects telephone records have unnerved many Americans, according to committee chairman Patrick Leahy.

参议员司法委员会主席帕特里·克莱希揭露，美国政府收集电话记录使很多美国人很气馁。

“I think the patience of the American people is beginning to wear thin. But what has to be of more concern in a democracy is the trust of the American people is wearing thin," he said.

克莱希说：“我认为美国人民的耐心已经开始逐渐消失了。但是在一个民主国家中更值得关心的是，美国人民对政府的信任也逐渐消失了。”

Wednesday, the Obama administration released previously-classified documents on the extent and limitations of federal telephone snooping.

周三，奥巴马政府公布了有关之前分类的联邦电话窃听的广度与限制文件。

“These are telephone records maintained by the phone companies. They include the number the call was dialed from, the number the call was dialed to, the date and time of the call and the length of the call," said Deputy Attorney General James Cole. "The records do not include the names or other identifying information. They do not include cell site [cellular telephone location] or other location information, and they do not include the content of any phone calls."

副检察长杰姆斯·科尔说：“这些包括了呼叫号码、被叫号码、打电话的日期时间以及电话时长的电话记录被电话公司保护着。这些记录不包括名字或其他身份识别信息，也不包括呼叫位置等其他地址信息，更不包括任何电话的通话内容。”

Actual monitoring of phone calls requires special court authorization³.  Overall, data collection has helped defeat terrorists, according to National Security Agency Deputy Director John Inglis.

国家安全局副局长约翰·英格利斯说，电话的实际检测需要特别法庭的授权。总的来说，数据的收集有助于打击恐怖分子。

“There were 54 plots that were disrupted over the life of these two programs," he said.

英格利斯说：“在两次有关生命的活动中，摧毁了54次密谋。”

The House of Representatives recently voted down a proposal to limit telephone data collection.  Similarly, senators showed no inclination⁴ to terminate the programs - but did express dismay over the lack of voluntary public disclosure. 

众议院最近否决了一项关于限制电话数据收集的提案。相同的，参议员们也没有结束这个项目的倾向，但是却表达了因为不自愿公开曝光信息的沮丧。

There was no organized plan for how we rationally declassify⁵ this so that the American people can participate in the debate.

“We have a lot of good information out there that helps the American public understand these programs," said Democrat⁶ Sheldon Whitehouse. "But it all came out late.  It all came out in response to a leaker [Edward Snowden]. There was no organized plan for how we rationally declassify this so that the American people can participate in the debate."

民主党人士谢尔顿·怀特豪斯说：“其实我们有许多好的信息可以帮助美国公众了解这些项目。但是现在已经太晚了。这些都被看做了对泄密者（爱德华斯诺登）的回应。我们之前没有计划好如何合理的解密这个项目来让美国人民参与到讨论中”

Vast data collection has a chilling effect on freedom, according to Jameel Jaffer of the American Civil Liberties Union.

“People who know the government could be monitoring their every move, their every phone call, or their every Google search will comport⁷ themselves differently.  They will hesitate before visiting controversial websites.  They will hesitate before joining controversial advocacy groups.  They will hesitate before exercising rights that the Constitution guarantees," he said.

美国民权同盟的贾米尔·贾弗说：“大量的数据收集有对自由的寒蝉效应。”（一个法律用语，特别在讨论言论自由或集会自由时，指人民害怕因为言论遭到国家的刑罚，或是必须面对高额的赔偿，不敢发表言论，如同蝉在寒冷天气中噤声一般。寒蝉效应的发生，将导致公共事务乏人关心，被视为过度压制言论或集会自由的不好后果。）

Not so, says Robert Litt, general counsel in the office of the Director of National Intelligence.

“Collection of this kind of telephone meta-data from the telephone companies is not a violation⁸ of anyone’s constitutional rights," he said.

Litt said that disclosure of the programs has damaged the government’s ability to protect the nation. 

贾米尔·贾弗说：“人们要是知道政府可以监视他们的每一个动作、每一个电话或者他们的每一次在谷歌上的搜索，他们还会和原来一样自如么？他们会在参加有争议的团体时犹豫，也会在行驶宪法保护的权利前犹豫。”

1 infringe   

v.违反，触犯，侵害

参考例句：

• The jury ruled that he had infringed no rules.陪审团裁决他没有违反任何规定。
• He occasionally infringe the law by parking near a junction.他因偶尔将车停放在交叉口附近而违反规定。

2 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

3 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

4 inclination   

n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好

参考例句：

• She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
• I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。

5 declassify   

v.撤销保密

参考例句：

• These reports were only declassified last year.这些报告去年才被撤销了密级。
• Does the president have the power to declassify information?总统有权利解密相关信息吗？

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 comport   

vi.相称，适合

参考例句：

• His behavior did not comport with his office.他的行为与他的职务很不相称。
• A judge should comport himself authoritatively.法官举止必须要庄严。

8 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。