Judicial Activism
During her confirmation hearing, Justice Sonia Sotomayor repeatedly, and rightly, assured the Senators that a judge's primary duty was to follow the law that applied to the particular case. The mission of courts and judges is the administration of justice. However, sometimes strictly applying the specific law that applies to a particular case will result in an obviously unjust result. Unfortunately, none of the Senators asked Sotomayor a general question that I would have asked. I respectfu...
Should gay marriage be legal and left up to the states or federal mandate?
I believe in individual rights. I believe that if a person can marry, then what gives you the right to federally mandate that another person cannot get married. I personally am not gay but I do believe in liberty. I do now agree that gay marriage is a constitutional right... that's how I see it... I don't agree with living in a place that has gay marriage but I also do not let my morals twist what we think is clearly in the constitution. And it should be left to the states and the people to d...
Gay Marriage should be 100% legal
We hold these truths to be self evident, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, that they are endowed by their creator with CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, that among these are life, LIBERTY, and THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS." Yes, you will complain that that is the declaration of independence, not the constitution. Here's some news for you. The country was founded on the declaration of independence, and the constitution didn't come for some years later. Actually we were more like the EU for the first few y...
Prostitution should be legal in each state.
1. Prostitutes are not hurting society. They are simply working hard. Naturally, there is no ban on prostitution. It is simply another profession and the capitalist, free government should not hinder this form of work. It is a victimless crime and nobody is hurt. There is no purpose in banning prostitution. 2. One great reason to legalize prostitution: Right now, prostitutes are forced to hire pimps. Pimps are unfortunate. They beat prostitutes and can force them to do whatever they want them...
Congressional Earmarks
On a practical level, we have heard people say that earmarks provide practical benefits not only to people in the area, but the entire country. After all, if one area benefits, the entire country benefits. A bit more analysis shows the flaws in that notion. Supposedly, all federal spending benefits the entire country from job creation, so even if the benefits are concentrate in one area, the whole country benefits from the jobs it creates. OK, if you want to argue that, then why not spend that m...
Should Same-Sex Marriage be legalized in the United States?
Should gay marriage be legalized completely in the United States? Whoever feels against it, please, provide your argument stating why it should stay illegal....
Gay Marriage Should Be Legalized.
ON GUARD! I affirm the resolution: Gary Marriage should be legalized. For the sake of clarity and being terse, the term "gay" will be an umbrella term for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community. I am not arguing in what way gay marriage should be legalized (federal or states), but I'm arguing that it SHOULD be legalized because there is no valid legal argument against gay marriage. Do note that since this is in context of being legalized, saying that God is against ga...
The U.S. should have used atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II in Japan.
I am for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and I will have to prove that the atomic bombings were the most viable option to ending WWII in Japan to win the debate. My opponent will be against the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; and will have to prove that the atomic bombings were not the most viable option to ending WWII in Japan, and will have to prove a more viable option to win the debate. ---Definitions--- should - used in auxiliary function to express obligation,...
On the Death Penalty
I contend that the death penalty is a just punishment for certain types of crimes. The reasoning for this is rooted in basic positive AND negative rights - namely the right to life, the right to defend oneself, and the right to redress of grievances for harm to oneself or one's companions. I don't think anyone contests the notion that there is a basic right to live. In order to exercise this right, we must have a right to defend that life, either by incapacitation or fatality. Furthermore, gr...
LD international Court Resolution
The Resolution box will not allow for the whole resolution so here it is: Resolved: The United States ought to submit to the jurisdiction of an international court designed to prosecute crimes against humanity. This is the Jan/Feb LD topic so I would appreciate it if my opponent was familiar with LD and debated accordingly -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "America now stands as the world's foremost power. We should b...