Skittles are a Deadly Weapon

Weaponry is a serious subject, so I don't see how it can be treated casually.DefinitionsPro attempts to postpone definitions until round two. He cannot get away with that, because obviously he could dream up any definition that suited his case. He could define "skittles" as "handguns that shoot 50 caliber hollow-point bullets." He would then have the debate sewed up. No one on DDO would allow such a trick.We must evaluate the resolution as it was presented. A Google search reveal the meaning of "Skittles." http://www.google.com... The search results produce the top two hits as references to "a brand of fruit-flavoured sweets, currently produced and marketed by the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, a division of Mars, Inc. They have hard sugar shells which carry the letter S. The inside is mainly sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernel oil along with fruit juice, citric acid, and natural and artificial flavours. The confectionery has been sold in a variety of flavour collections, such as Tropical and Wild Berry." http://en.wikipedia.org...Further down the page, there is a reference to some kind of weird sport unknown outside of Britain. However, Pro could not possibly have intended that meaning because a sport is not a weapon, and the resolution clearly specifies something that might potential be used as a weapon. A sport is an activity, and activities are not weapon. Further research reveals that the sport of Skittles uses bowling pins also called "skittles" but if words are undefined in a resolution, we are obliged to use them in their most common meanings. We have established that use of "skittles" to men a type of candy is most common, a game next most commo, and a pin way down the list. Use of skittles to mean "bowling pin" is virtually unknown in the civilized world.Skittles weaponizationI grant that skittles could be used as weapons. For example, an enemy could be buried in skittles to such a depth that the weight of covering skittles would place such pressure on the enemy so as to prevent breathing. A depth of approximately two meters could, by my calculations accomplish this. This method is subject to a ravenously hungry enemy eating has way out, but that could be preventing by planning the strike right after lunch. So lethality could be achieved.A second method would be to propel one or more skittles at a velocity greater than the speed of sound so it could kill. Doing so is problematic. If a standard gunpowder charge is used, the skittle would disintegrate from the initial explosion. Possibly a very long tube with a compressed air charge could get the skittle up to the needed speed, but a government grant would be required to do the research. In these difficult economic times such an award is more likely to go to a more common candy such as jelly beans, or it might go to chocolate. I remind my opponent that chocolate is not only popular and tasty, it can be molded into a useful projectile shape. Yes, the money would go to chocolate way before skittles. But even if skittles were successfully weaponized, the skittle would be the projectile not the weapon. Guns are weapons, not bullets.Keep in mind that the resolution requires that skittles "are" deadly weapons, not just that they can be. A Google search of "man killed by skittles" revealed no present use of the candy as a weapon. The highly regarded newspaper The Washington Fancy reports, Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin for his Skittles and iced tea – but it was nothing personal. Zimmerman, a Florida resident, saw the teenager exit a convenience store with the candy and drink. “I was starving,” Zimmerman said. “The Skittles bag sent me drooling.” http://thewashingtonfancy.com...While that is completely understandable, that is skittles as a motive, not as a weapon. No, skittles are not used as weapons.I warn readers not to be distracted by any attempt to distort the clear meaning of the resolution. Trust me, my case is flawless.