NCFL LD topic 2010

I'd like to begin by thanking my opponent for the debate. (: I make a promise to be civil. :D Hahah. I'm also not competing in CatNats, so feel free to use any ideas, if you like. "...recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..." [UNudhr] I agree with this statement. I stand in affirmation of the resolution that Resolved: The United States Government has a moral obligation to afford the same rights to all people on U.S. soil. I'll begin by listing a few definitions for clarification. Constitutional rights: simply put, constitutional rights are rights given or reserved to the people by the U.S. Constitution, and, in particular, the bill of rights, or the first ten amendments. This is defined by the Legal Dictionary. [http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com... rights] People: Defined by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights as "...all members of the human family..." [The Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be found at http://www.un.org...] US Soil: All 50 states and the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories or outlying areas which include the American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Midway Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. [http://www.usa.gov...] My value for this debate will be morality, as it is inherent in the resolution. Morality is defined by the Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology as the relation of conduct or character to the moral standard. The criterion for measuring this value will be minimization of dehumanization. I'll post brief arguments and taglines and allow my opponent to do the same before I go into detail. (: Contention one: Faithfulness to founding documents and international agreements. [a] The Constitution Constitutional rights include freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition, bear arms, no quartering of troops in homes, no unreasonable search and seizure, major ("capital and infamous") crimes require indictment, no double jeopardy for the same crime, no self-incrimination, right to due process, right to just compensation for property taken by eminent domain; in criminal law, right to a speedy trial, to confront witnesses against one, and to counsel, trial by jury, right to bail, no excessive fines, and no cruel and unusual punishments, unenumerated rights are reserved to the people, equal protection of the laws, no racial bars to voting, no sex bar to voting, and no poll tax. [legal dictionary] The United States government has an obligation to remain faithful to our founding documents, and to give the same rights listed above to all people on american soil. [b] The United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Considering this Pledge has 32 articles, I'll keep it short and sweet. "Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, ...Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge, Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction." [UNudhr] •All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. To read the rest, go to the link posted above, under my definitions. The Government has an obligation to be faithful to both of these documents. Contention two: Respect for humanity. In other words, minimization of dehumanization, which is my value for the round. Let's also talk about justice and freedom for a second. "...recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..." [UNudhr] I'd like to point out, that according to Maslow, Freedom and Justice and Orderliness (or peace) are necessary for one's self-actualization. Nearly everyone feels they need these things. If we take away rights from some, we're taking away from that person's self actualization. Dehuminization is very self explanatory ; To make one feel less than human. Is this moral? No. Thank you for the round. I'll post more detailed arguments later. Do you do cross examination, or no?