the first affirmative

Republican Rant Against Schools Debate in USA

Alfred Charles Snider — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:09:00 +0000

Image via WikipediaThis individual obviously yearns for a past that never existed and even if it did could not be duplicated now (Douglas would give speeches of more than an hour). He may have a point about speaking too fast (unless the audience and judge can understand it) but his moans about having to debate both sides of a question is closed-minded and is an issue that was settled in the USA

FEED: Civil Rights

Jim Menick — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:29:00 +0000

P.A.P. has a great article on the death penalty as a deterrent (i.e., not).

Unless deterrence has somehow become much more effective than it was in the early parts of the 20th century – which is doubtful given the relatively low numbers and humane methods – it’s doubtful that such a relatively small increase in the number of executions during the last decades is the cause of the extraordinary decrease in the number of homicides during the same period. More...

It might be suggested that we here at Coachean HQ are simply extending our own agenda with such items, but, okay, we're anti-guns, anti-capital punishment, pro-anything people want to do that doesn't harm us. We admit it. Deal with it. We're pretty good, actually, at pointing out articles on both sides of guns and CP; as for stopping people from doing things that don't harm us, you'll have to look elsewhere. It's not in our philosophy.

FEED: Civil Rights

Jim Menick — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:26:00 +0000

As we perhaps watch the Supreme Court remove the underpinnings of the laws that protect civil rights of minorities, we might want to look at the idea of testing per se.

Here is a test:

You are in a burning building. Do you want a firefighter rescuer (choose one:)
a. who passed a written test,
b. who has a sister-in-law on the city council member or is of a certain race,
c. who has proven on-the-job performance and successfully passed simulated fire rescues

Answer class? More...

FEED: Civil Rights

Jim Menick — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:06:00 +0000

We here at Coachean HQ were not happy with Heller, because we simply cannot see the inherent legality in the ability to blow each other's brains out. SCOTUS, of course, felt differently. Reason has a good interview with the Heller (pro-gun) lawyer.

The lawyer who successfully argued that case, Alan Gura, has remained a dedicated opponent of all sorts of gun regulations that still stand post-Heller. Senior Editor Brian Doherty talked to Gura by phone earlier this week about the various legal challenges Gura is fighting against state and local gun laws. More...

FEED: Debate

Jim Menick — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:51:00 +0000

According to the Global Debate blog, the Debatepedia has been updated. What, sez you, is the Debatepedia? Good question. Essentially they list umpty-ump subjects and provide arguments pro and con. This can certainly be useful off the top, in any analysis of a topic. I took a quick look at civil disobedience, for example, and there's some perfectly useful material. Can you really pull enough material out of this for cases? Not really. And it's "debate" in the common parlance usage, not the specific academic debate context. Nevertheless, it should be added to the canon of general research sites.

Which leads me to believe that there should be a canon of general research sites. I'll start creating a list over on the right. For that matter, hasn't somebody else got a list somewhere we can crib? I know you're out there: I read the stats. Stop making those cricket imitations.

Happy Birthday, USA!

Jon Cruz — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:00:42 +0000

LEXINGTON, Ky. — From all of us at Victory Briefs Daily, happy Fourth of July!

Debate Summer School Finishes in Slovenia

Alfred Charles Snider — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:55:00 +0000

Dom GorenjeAnja Serc knows what it is like. This is her seventh debate summer school that she has attended in Slovenia. She started as an inexperienced student and now she is a trainer at the school as well as a coach at a leading high school in Ljubljana and an important force in the administration of Za in Proti, the national debate program of Slovenia. The one-week program ends on 4 July 2009.

Iraq Debate Gets Press Coverage in UK

Alfred Charles Snider — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:37:00 +0000

From http://www.spectator.co.uk/alexmassie/3735836/debating-in-iraq.thtmlDebating In IraqALEX MASSIETHURSDAY, 2ND JULY 2009The university debating circuit isn't quite what it once was. Once upon a time it was, if not a closed shop, a cosy cartel organised by Scottish, Irish and English universities with the Australians and the occasional American or Canadian providing whatever passed for

Shanley Brothers Bring Home Speech Success

Alfred Charles Snider — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:21:00 +0000

Teagan, left, and Mason Lende talk about competing in the National Forensics League tournament in June. Six of their Shanley High School peers also competed. Carrie Snyder / The ForumFrom http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/245671/group/News/Shanley brothers take home high forensics honorsIt’s likely most people aren’t too familiar with the Puntland region in Somalia or the status of the

FEED: International

Jim Menick — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:44:00 +0000

There's some country-specific data in this article about failed states. There's an interactive map, and who knew that Australia was more stable than the US?

The global recession is sparking fears that multiple states could slip all at once into the ranks of the failing. Now more than ever, failed-state triage could become a grim necessity for world leaders from the United Nations and World Bank to U.S. President Barack Obama’s White House. All of which puts a fine point on an old and uncomfortable dilemma: Whom do you help when so many need it? More...