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創職業生涯近70年紀錄老人致信肯尼迪大法官，感人肺腑！

(2017-07-11 06:59:50) 下一個

自有傳言說大法官安東尼·肯尼迪（Anthony Kennedy）在考慮明年退休後，自由派人士的擔憂，焦慮甚至恐懼無以言表。如果長期以來比較中立的肯尼迪大法官被一位極端保守的大法官取代，最高法院的平衡和公正將受到嚴峻的挑戰，一個完全右轉的最高法院帶來的後果很可能是毀滅性的，是不可逆轉的。這是將會影響幾代人命運的一個轉折。

做過演員、導演和作家的卡爾·雷納（Carl Reiner）寫了封給肯尼迪大法官的公開信，以一個作家優雅誠摯的文筆，以一個老人感人肺腑的心聲，請求大法官以大局為重，再多“為人民服務”幾年。

卡爾·雷納: 肯尼迪大法官，請不要退休！

親愛的大法官安東尼·肯尼迪，

請允許我首先祝賀你即將到來的81歲生日！

作為一個年長你15歲的人，我可以告訴你：很可能你事業上最美的篇章才剛剛開始。已年過九旬的我剛剛告別了我生命中最豐富、最多產的五年，我覺得自己有責任敦促康健如你的一位八旬老人，暫且不要掛靴（not to put your feet up on the ottoman just yet）。還有很多重要的，有意義的工作在等著你。

我81歲的時候剛剛完成了《海洋11》，又雄心勃勃地準備《海洋12》，而且同時在寫另一本書，那本書的完成帶給了我一個全國巡回簽售。

我懂得你這個年齡意味著什麽。我懂得人生走到那一段遭遇的困難。但現在不是尋常的時候，而你，尊敬的先生，絕對不是尋常之人。

我們的國家需要像你這樣的大法官，他對每一個案子都是公平及人性地去判決，他是忠誠於美國的憲法，而不是黨派。你始終是以你的良知投票，始終是維護我們所有公民的權利和自由。

我相信你考慮過各種選擇，到了這個年齡的人都會這樣。雖然我們的生活不盡相同，我們卻一定也有相似之處。早上起床，如果名字還沒有上訃告欄，我就會吃早餐。你起床後，會與你的助手碰頭，情緒激昂地討論手上案子將帶來的關乎憲法的後果。我則是與我的出版商激烈爭論我接下來三本書的出版順序。

你吃午餐，我也吃午餐。你回到你的法庭，我回到自己的書桌。一天結束之時，你回家去繼續思考你明天將要做出的重要決定，我到樓下與我的朋友梅爾（Mel）一起坐在電視機前，大聲猜測華納·懷特（Vanna White）從帕特·薩亞克（Pat Sajak）身邊走到下一個字母牌跟前需要多少步。（告知一下，一般是6步，有時7步，偶爾8步，絕不會9步。）（見注。）

想象一下，如果你真的從法庭上退下來了，日子將會是怎樣的？這是一個可能的場景：你重溫你無憂的歲月，租一輛紅色大眾汽車穿越歐洲旅行，小駐巴黎，在香榭麗舍大街品嚐咖啡和羊角麵包，然後去往阿馬爾菲海岸，揚帆駛向Marmorata的古老人工瀑布和美輪美奐的翡翠石窯。

你將會有怎樣的感受，當你從報紙的頭條讀到“羅訴韋德案被推翻了”？你是否想到這會毀了一頓美餐？或是毀了一個美好的生活？甚至一個偉大的國家？

我相信我已經把要說的說明白了。現在是淩晨1點了，我就要上樓到我的電腦前送出今天我想到的推文了，因為我能夠這樣做。我有這樣做的自由，是因為有像你這樣的人致力於保護我們的自由和我們的憲法。

就如我的同胞會感激你一樣，我向你致謝！

致禮，
卡爾·雷納

注：華納·懷特（Vanna White）和帕特·薩亞克（Pat Sajak）是美國的一個電視節目wheel of fortune的兩個搭檔主持人。wheel of fortune是個有獎猜字節目，在美國有很高的收視率，特別是深受老年人喜歡。

Carl Reiner: Justice Kennedy, Don’t Retire

Dear Justice Anthony Kennedy,

I would like to start with congratulatory wishes on your forthcoming 81st birthday.

As someone who has almost a decade and a half on you, I can tell you this: It may well be that the best part of your career has just begun. As a nonagenarian who has just completed the most prolific, productive five years of my life, I feel it incumbent upon me to urge a hearty octogenarian such as yourself not to put your feet up on the ottoman just yet. You have important and fulfilling work ahead of you.

When I turned 81, I had finished “Oceans Eleven” and was gearing up for “Oceans Twelve” while also writing another book, which led me to a cross-country book tour.

I know what it means to be your age. I know the problems that come with the journey. But these are not ordinary times, and you, sir, are anything but an ordinary man.

The country needs justices like you who decide each case with fairness and humanity, and whose allegiance is to the Constitution of the United States of America, not to a party line. You have always voted your conscience, and defended the rights and liberties of all our citizens.

I’m sure you’ve considered the various options, as we all do when we reach a certain age. After all, although our lives are different, I’m sure there are similarities. I get up in the morning, and if I’m not in the obits, I eat breakfast. You get up, meet with your clerks and engage with them in spirited discussion about the constitutional ramifications of the important cases at hand. I engage in spirited discussion with my publisher about the release order of my next three books.

You have lunch and I have lunch. You return to your chambers and I to my desk. At day’s end, you go home to ponder the important decisions you will be making tomorrow. I go downstairs and join my friend Mel in front of the television, and we ponder out loud how many steps Vanna White will take when walking over to the letter board tonight after leaving Pat Sajak’s side. (F.Y.I., it is usually six, sometimes seven, rarely eight, but never nine.)

Imagine if you retired from the bench. What would your days be like? Here’s a scenario: You revisit your carefree years, rent a red Volkswagen and travel through Europe, stopping in Paris for coffee and a croissant on the Champs-Élysées, then on to the Amalfi coast, where you’ll sail to the waterfalls of Marmorata and the Emerald Grotto.

How would you feel, while reading your newspaper, seeing a headline that read “Roe v. Wade Overturned”? Do you see how this could ruin a good meal? A good life? A great country?

I believe I’ve made my case. It’s now 1 a.m., and I am going upstairs to my computer to tweet out my thought of the day, because I can. I have the freedom to do that because of people like you who are committed to protecting our liberties and our Constitution.

I thank you, as all our fellow citizens will.

Respectfully,

Carl Reiner

本文首發於“美國華人”公眾號(ID: ChineseAmericans)