America is the Land of the Free

Round 4- Closing Arguments. It is the nature of any debate that argument should evolve during the rounds. Debate is a discussion to engage others in determining truth. The initial Statement has not changed. The central points and intent have not changed. Pro claims that now that the meaning of the resolution has been clearly defined, he would not have accepted the debate. Perhaps that is because he cannot defend it. Pro states that he thought the resolution “America is the Land of the Free” was used as a “catchy phrase”. So clearly he does not think this phrase is literally defendable. He would have you believe it means that “America is a free country. ” However that “catchy phrase” is interpreted by many, and claimed by many to mean “America is the Freest Country in the World. ” This is conventional wisdom, and is indisputable. I have shown that America does not lead the world in Personal Freedoms and Rights. There are many countries which are independently determined to be freer. Even Pros own arguments and references prove that. Pro cites a couple of quotes of mine in opening remarks. “America is no longer a Free Society” and “Americans are not free” . Those statements may have a touch of hyperbole, however they are meant to question the degree to which America can claim absolute preeminence in Freedom. Pros sources and references only point to the fact that America ranks somewhere in the top 25 countries in the world in Personal Freedoms and Rights. That defense is very weak considering the resolution is “America is the Land of the Free. ” If any countries can actually claim to be "the Land of the Free"- it would be those which rank in the Top 5 : Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and New Zealand. Cons many arguments show clear violations of Freedoms in 2 ways. Freedom of Speech. And Freedom of Privacy. Nowhere have I expressed embarrassment in the statement that Uruguay – a small Country in deep South America- ranks higher in Personal Freedom. The same is said about all of the Northern European Countries. If there is any embarrassment here, it has been revealed to lie with Pro. In response to the issue of Privacy- it is a very relevant right when considering freedom. Pro claims that privacy is more about “dignity”. I don’t think it’s Dignity that people are worried about when the Government invades their privacy. Privacy is also about defending one’s freedom not to be recorded by the state for their purposes- in secret. A right to privacy means that one should not have to look over one’s shoulder, watch one’s words and statements, and fear that your speech, emails, and locations are being monitored. Just because the dust hasn’t settled on that issue- doesn’t mean that it can’t be debated. The fact is the US government already took excessive steps in surveillance, and that directly violates the notion that we are “The Land of the Free”. Regarding the “grammatical argument”. Yes, the word “The “ assumes exclusivity. The land of the Free- versus “A land of freedom. .. ” Obviously the famous statement implies that America is unique. And that is a central point of this debate. To water down the phrase to say “America is a Land of Freedom” – is to concede the point that this resolution is not defendable. .. .