BeIR/webis-touche2020 huggingface dataset:
in a democratic society, felons should retain the right to vote

Do the names Carrie Lenz or Cindy Brown ring a bell? Probably not. They were 26 years old when Tim McVeigh stopped them from ever voting again by bombing the Oklahoma City Federal building. Carrie and Cindy were in good company. There were 166 others in that one felony crime. The Bureau of Justice lists over 847,000 homicides since 1960. If all those people had lived out their normal lives, that would affect over 9 million presidential votes and over 18 million municipal votes. My value is justice. Justice, according to the Encarta Dictionary, is fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are made. There is nothing fair that felons like these are allowed to vote while many victims cannot. My criterion is upholding the equal treatment of citizens. Equality in a democratic society is never reached when you subtract victim voices while adding felon voices. The ONLY way to achieve equal treatment of citizens is to negate the resolution that in a democratic society, felons ought to retain their right to vote. A felon, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is someone who has been convicted of a serious crime. They may be currently incarcerated or released. ---------- Contention 1 Felons have chosen not to vote. Committing a felony requires premeditation and intent. The consequences of felony convictions are widely known to include no firearms, no elected offices, no jury duty and no voting. My opponent agreed in cross examination that a vote could not be changed once cast - so, in order to treat a felon like other members of society - the felon's decision not to vote should be honored by society.
Marijuana is good for you. Period

When I hear things about how marijuana contains more tar than a cigarette or that marijuana is a gateway drug because it takes aways special inhibitors in your brain that are supposed to instictivly make you not do drugs. Marijuana is an all natural plant and helps the body and mind.Researchs show that in study where the same chemical in marijauna was given to rats and it showed a rapid production of cells in the brain.As apposed to cocaine or other drugs off the "big list". Last but not least The goverment knows marijuana is good, obviously why they give it to critical patients who have the worst diseses', but the reason the make it illegal is because they cant make and money off of its simplicity to grow. Tobacco isnt as easily grown, so people will buy it, but most people could just grow marijuana in their backyard or home if they wanted to.
Marijuana is good for you. Period

Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're a Ron Paul supporter. I can't believe that you would make such a statement. Marijuana has been proven beyond any doubt to be very harmful to both your body and mind. Not to mention the fact that it directly affects the people around you in a very negative way. The public safety hazards are obvious. In Britain as many as 1 in 10 motorists involved in serious accidents test positive for marijuana. And figures as high as 37% have emerged from studies in urban areas of the U.S. The amount of tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing chemicals inhaled in marijuana smoke are three to five times greater than that inhaled from the same amount of tobacco smoke. This is simply a fact and to deny it is nothing short of willful ignorance. "Marijuana is an all natural plant and helps the body and mind. Researchs show that in study where the same chemical in marijauna was given to rats and it showed a rapid production of cells in the brain." What "research" are you referring to? The main chemical in weed is THC(delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) which is directly responsible for the many negative effects weed has. The common list of short-term effects are: 1. problems with memory and learning 2. distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch) 3. trouble with thinking and problem solving 4. loss of motor coordination 5. Anxiety and Paranoia Those are just the mental effects. The short-term physical effects include: 1. Tremors 2. Nausea 3. Breathing problems 4. Reduced blood flow to the brain The long-term effects are even worse: 1. Increased risk of chronic pulmonary disorders, including cancer 2. Psychological dependence requiring more of the drug to get the same effect. 3. Increased risk of infertility in women 4. Reduced sperm count and abnormal sperm cells in men 5. A-motivational syndrome . 1. Lose interest in setting and achieving goals. . 2. Stop caring about things that used to be important to you. . 3. Neglect school, work, chores, personal health, and their relationships. . 4. Delinquent behavior and aggression 6. Permanent damage to thinking and reasoning ability. 7. Difficulty sustaining attention. These are facts that are backed by countless studies and the information is readily available. your last statement about the government knowing that marijuana is good but bans it because they can't make money on it is absolutely preposterous. Look at the facts. The effects are clearly negative and your denial of this shows nothing more than a complete lack of reason.
Capital Punishment

My contention is that the death penalty should not be a form of criminal punishment in the United States. Pro will argue for its continued use. First round is acceptance.Please only take this if you are willing to spend your time on it.Rules (Automatic loss if broken) - Arguments must have original material within them, no mindless plagiarism.No semantic arguments, it is quite clear what is meant by capital punishment and there is no need for a definition.No forfeits.
The Environmental Protection agency finds no basis for existence in the U.S. Constitution

0. I have NOT conceded that some environmental regulation is constitutional. I have said that regulations would only be constitutional where they affected ONLY the states and not private citizens, and ONLY where it would clearly prevent an impending conflict. Government, clearly, was never intended to make every state-set standard (remember that environmental regulations CAN take place strictly at a state government level, per their own constitutions) exactly the same but only to prevent the dissolution of the Union. In no case have environmental problems, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Gulf oil spill, or even the Cuyahoga River Fire (which occurred before the federal regulations were enacted) ever come close to threatening the Union. To deal with arguments 4 and 5, the 'poisoned river' scenario has already been played out in the aforementioned Cuyahoga River fire (Common knowledge, no source required, just Google it if you have questions) and in no way threatened the Union. 1. It is painfully obvious that the states are not land 'owned by the government,' they are the sovereign states that ratified the constitution. The states do not belong to the United States, they therefore do not fall under this clause. States are not 'territory or property belonging to the United States,' they ARE the United States! 2. The Louisiana Purchase was constitutional, NOT under the general welfare clause, but under the power of the executive to make treaties with foreign nations and the Senate to ratify them. 3. None of your arguments fall under an actual specific power of Congress or the executive, so while they sound exemplary they are empty and powerless. Environmental regulations do not protect the right to life, they obviously do not present obstacles to the efficient functioning of the militia, and they do not prevent impediments to commerce. A polluted river does not prevent shipping on that river, but an unconstitutional regulation is what DOES impede commerce. To summarize 0. Environmental regulations do NOT meet criteria because they affect individuals, not just states. 1. The states are not property. 2. General welfare clause is not a separate power (Federalist 41, I believe) 3. Elastic clause is not a separate power 4 and 5. No. In addition, these regulations bypass the federalist system itself, in which most power is reserved in the states with the federal government only acting to represent the whole of the union (dealing with foreign nations) and preserving the Union. Regulations at a federal level are unconstitutional, (at a state level they are allowable) as the founders made very clear.
The Environmental Protection agency finds no basis for existence in the U.S. Constitution

Rd. 1 is for acceptance only. This is a debate of political philosophy asking whether the EPA is constitutional. Please do not argue from common law (i.e. Supreme Court cases) but only on the document/interpretation itself. This seems odd, but it is because constitutional law in this country is mostly unrelated to the actual constitution. This debate centers on whether the original intent of the constitution would allow for an agency regulating (setting standards for) the actions of the people with regards to the environment. Constitutional: Finding basis for existence in the document itself, interpreted by the philosophies of the Founding Fathers. EPA: The Environmental Protection Agency in its regulatory capacity.
Presidential Debate; Lannan13 vs. The debate kid

Welcome to the presidential debate. I'm Lannan13 and I represent the republican party.RulesCussing isn't poor conduct it's actually encorageno ff.Other members on this site can bring up questions in the comments and they must be answered unless it is past round 4.In this debate you will bring up your running mate in round 2.The main issues in this debate will be but are not limited to abortion, gay marriage, deficet, drones, foreign policy, voting rights, welfare, social security, electorial system, and more.In first round you must state your Moto.First round you state your party and where you're from. Other then that it's acceptance. No new arguements made after round 4.Your Vice President canidate must be from Debate.org Feel Free to ask questions any time.I'm Lannan13 and I'm from Topeka, Kansas and I'm here to work for you.
Presidential Debate; Lannan13 vs. The debate kid

1. Abortion I agree late term abortion is really screwed up! My opponent is missing the fact that we need parental permission before any abortion or you're going to see a mass wave of murderous abortions for no reasons.2. Gay MarriageI'm offended that that f*cking pagan that I'm running against is disgracing the sacred art of marriage. This is the reason America is screwed up is because we have turned from God and nations that go against God don't go very well just look at USSR and North Korea. We should continue to let states to decide the legal status of Gay Marriage.3. Voting RightsMy opponent says that there is more shark attacks then Voter fraud. Well that's a fVcking lie http://www.slate.com...(Before 2012 election). So you can see there is a screwed up democratic system in America. What we need is to get dead people off registry and we need to require a photo ID to knock down those status.4. Foreign PolicySyria- We need to see how the Syrians sort it out but there has just been too much deaths. The war against terror hasn't been a failure because we’ve killed Bin Laden and we haven’t seen a terrorist attack on US soil since 9-11. North Korea- We agree. 5. Welfare & Social Security We agree that welfare needs to be reformed but my opponent needs to state how we need it to be reform it! The people have the right to know what their government is doing behind closed doors. On Social Security we should destroy it or reform it substantially! 6. Drones The only reasons that they are p*ssing other countries off is because the only time we use them is when the terrorists come out. They come out at weddings of their family members so that is why you here all the time, “Child and 2 women killed in drone strike!” ALL THE TIME! So we must continue our use in order to keep terrorists at bay. 7. Deficit Indeed we need to eliminate needless spending. That’s why I proposed the destruction of Social Security… But we need to better our economy while we’re at it so that’s why we need to bring jobs back, start off shore drilling (stop reliance on foreign oil), and use the Platinum coin to pay back China! We also need to keep inflation down so people can afford crap again and we can improve our relations with the Latinos. 8. Electoral System My opponent agrees with me. 9. Gun Rights No we should leave the status quo as is everything is fine it’s just that the wrong people get their hands on guns.
Presidential Debate; Lannan13 vs. The debate kid

Abortion: Pro choice but against late term abortion. I think everyone can agree that late term abortion is kind of messed up Gay Marriage: For it, straight people treat marriage like crap anyways. Marriage use to mean you could sell your daughter to a stranger in exchange for three goats and a chicken and that the definition of marriage evolved. This should mean that a little change should be fine. Voting rights: There are more shark attacks on people then there is Voter fraud, its a non issue and to exert effort to try to fix it whent heres so much sh*t to fix is laughable. Foreign Policy:Now I don't think Sanctions are the best. There are better ways to handel foreign conflicts. We don't need another needless war in the Middle East. They are definitely to costly and not worth the trouble. Syria: Let them sort it out, theyre doing pretty good now anyways and again, we dont need another needless war in the Middle East North Korea: Same idea as Lannan. Welfare Social Security: Reform it until it is efficient and profitable. Its an answer that is vague enough to work and far less drastic then Lannan's idea. We should raise the retirement age and that should even things out a little. Drones: Still use them but reign in how frequently they are used to curb civilian deaths. Otherwise we may end up pissing off countries that were our allies and have a much bigger problem on our hands. Deficit: We need to stop needless spending. If i have the choice to save me money for college, fro a car, fro my future or to buy that new video game. I would want to save that money. I will reign in needless spending and push for a balanced spending amendment. Electoral System: I agree that the electoral collages should tally votes. That way the people have more of a say in who goes into office. Not only what a handful of people think, a whole state, a whole country fighting to get the right person in office. Gun control: We wil not take out guns. All we need to do is enforce increased background checks for purchasing guns and leave it at that. Its something that all sides can agree on that doesnt go too far.
THW make vaccines mandatory

The concept of herd immunity is based on many false assumptions - 1. Humans are not herd animals for a start. Humans are tribal and family orientated. Herds are only herbivorous animals that graze on grasses. 2. Herd immunity is based on a live or active virus which kills the weak members and leaves the stronger members. Vaccine is not a live or active virus, thus the concept is false by its own definition. 3. Assuming that vaccination does protect against disease; the concept is still false. This is because those that are vaccinated would still be carriers of the disease. 4. Animals in the wild don't get disease. Disease is only a human problem which is caused by humans changing their diet to an unnatural one which nature never intended. Not to mention the many dangerous chemicals which can infect their food and water supply. 5. I have shown on many previous posts that disease occurs because of improper diet and chemical poisoning and has nothing to do with germs. As Antoine Bechamp said, " germs are the result of a disease, not the cause of it". 6. The human immune system is iodine based. The immune system only works if the humans has an adequate supply of iodine in their diet. The 5 vitamins groups (A, B, C, D & E) are also important in preventing disease. 7. Eating grain, sugar and dairy products is unnatural for humans. If you eat these products in large amounts you will get sick. Grain causes leaky gut syndrome which allows bacteria from the gut to enter the blood stream. This is what makes people sick. Thus, it is not the germs that are the primary cause; it is the fact that the grain foods have caused an inflammation in the gut which has opened the walls of the gut. 8. Bad halogens can disrupt and replace iodine which causes a break down of the immune system. These chemicals include chlorine, bromine and fluorine. Many medications, anti-depressants, drinking water, tooth paste, fire retardants, pesticides, fungicides and cleaning agents contain these dangerous chemicals. 9. I have previously proven that formaldehyde and DDT is responsible for the Ebola out break in Africa. People have been caught dumping formaldehyde in wells in Africa. These people then sell bottled water at inflated prices. Thus, the so called 'Ebola outbreak' is just a man-made disaster caused by unscrupulous individuals who are profiteering from other peoples misery. http://beforeitsnews.com... https://thepeopleschemist.com... http://inner5pac3.blogspot.com.au... Thus, we can see that immunisation is just a big money making scam and that vaccines should be banned entirely.
Spanking is child abuse.

The only argument you have made is "no one has the right to touch someone else with out consent" and how can I debate with out an opponent who can't tell me reasons why they are right. So, far you have only stayed on one reason. So, in order for me to state my reasons I must bring in other information and never once did I get off topic. Spanking is a punishment not child abuse and is disappointing that people older than me do not know this.
Spanking is child abuse.

Now, I'm going to look on your side of the spectrum real quick. If spanking is child abuse then taking away a child's toy is stealing. Now back to the real world taking away a toy from a child is a basic form of discipline and so is spanking. This is the problem, the prism your looking through is unrealistic and only going through your story. Rather than the two people who have commented so far on this debate saying how at the end of the day it gave them an edge on top of other people.
Spanking is child abuse.

Spanking is not child abuse because it teaches a kid not to do whatever they are doing. As a child I was spanked because I gave an attitude or didn't listen to my parents and frankly looking back it made me who I am today because I respect my parents and do what I'm supposed to do like chores and doing well in school. Also spanking is not used on a daily basis, most of the time parents talk to they're kids the first time they do something wrong about how what they did was wrong.
Christianity rejects the Words of Christ: "A house divided..."

War and Peace can never co-exist, Christians must fight War to maintain the image of Peace. This is not hypocrisy. Proverbs, " The Fear of God is to hate what God hates." and " The Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom." One cannot come into Wisdom without first hating what God hates, or they do not truly acknowledge or accept wisdom for it itself. And one cannot come into Christianity without accepting the Holy Baptism, of the Waters of Heaven, Wisdom. Truth
Christianity rejects the Words of Christ: "A house divided..."

A kingdom divided cannot stand. Mankind has never been divided. Language does not divide mankind. Racism does not divide mankind. Politics does not divide mankind. Religion does not divide mankind. Wealth and poverty does not divide mankind. War does not divide mankind. Disease of any kind, (even the ancient leprosy) does not divide mankind. Not even death can divide mankind. We are one. Whatever happens to one of us happens to all of us. If a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump then the Holy Ghost is much greater than all the leaven everywhere past/present/future all added up together. If even a little bit of the Holy Ghost enters anyone then...
Christianity rejects the Words of Christ: "A house divided..."

again my opponent does not insinuate in any form that Christianity rejects the Word of God. furthermore, man fell because Adam and Eve deviated form God in their acts, their behavior, their ambitions, desires and motivations. these poor qualities of leadership, parenting, partnership, and lack of consideration for the self and the world, lead tot he collapse of humanities security and success. My opponent is trying to play word games*
Christianity rejects the Words of Christ: "A house divided..."

The subject at hand is going to be dealt with then we can address Con's grammar problems- When sin entered the human race according to Genesis it was absolute and complete. All human beings fell because of Eve. First Eve fell which equaled one half of all humans at the time. Then Adam fell subsequent to Eve's falling. Adam's fall took down the other half of all the human beings at the time. Then all of Adam and Eve's offspring had the sin nature passed down to them. All of the human race fell immediately upon Eve's fall. My opponent is playing a word game. The Bible says- "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." Eve fell and the entire human race was infected by sin. We have no choice. Sin is our nature because we have been infected. Christ has said- "A kingdom divided cannot stand." The human race is united in sin. And we are still standing. We are all of us united by our sin nature. And we are at peace with that. It is only when the 'do gooders' start their preaching and teaching of repentance that the trouble starts. The 'do gooders' should take a page out of Michael the Archangel's play book and- "Bring not a railing accusation against Satan." That is if the 'do gooders' desire peace.
Christianity rejects the Words of Christ: "A house divided..."

Con's opening should lift all believers to the very heights of heaven. But- I live on the Earth. I need something more practical. Something that can be used to defend the faith. All practical Christians must strive to bring those Christians with their heads in the clouds back down to reality. How are the practical Christians to do this? By begging and pleading? Christians don't beg. No, there is a much better way. It is called- Compressibility We practical Christians will bring those impractical Christians into a dive. And as they are coming down from the clouds they gain more and more speed until their craft is brought under the Law of Compressibility. The impractical Christians as they are coming down will lose control. In this way the impractical cloud dwellers must face the enemy here on the ground. Argument number 1: Adam and Eve: "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." Galatians 5:9 Observation 1: When Eve fell there were only two humans on Earth. Therefore When Eve fell she took exactly half of the entire human race with her. Observation 2: It took some time for the serpent to talk Eve into committing sin. Therefore Her act was not instantaneous Observation 3: When Adam came into contact with Eve, (after Eve's fall) he immediately followed her into sin. Therefore a) Adam's sin, (unlike Eve's) was instantaneous b) Eve's fall ended in taking the entire human race with her Conclusion: "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." Galatians 5:9 Cross reference Galatians 5:9 with 1 Corinthians 5:6 and Matthew 13:33
Christianity rejects the Words of Christ: "A house divided..."

It is a sin to have a division in the Church. Denominations in Christianity is a form of heresy, and is not a means of practicing Christianity. It is a sin to use the Lord's name in Vain, and to divide the Church weakens the faith of those who have not any. And int his way, those who destroy faith by using the Lords name in Vain are condemnable by their sins on Judgment day. Therefor I accept this debate because Christianity by definition cannot reject the words of Christ. Christianity is to accept the Wisdom of God into your life and your mind, and relish int he joy of such a thing, and to rejoice int eh perfect omnipotency of God's will and vision which is the only true form of perfect pertaining to our hope and happiness.