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Re: New Topics Announced!

Glen Strickland
Emporia State Debate

At 11:22 AM 7/3/96 -0400, you wrote:
>I have a number of comments regarding the topics.
>
>First, I applaud the committee's moves to explore the possibility of more
>limited topics.  I think the limit to air pollution is an interesting
>idea, but I thought the limit to animal rights or the Endangered Species
>Act was even more interesting, given that it is substantially more limited.
>
>Second, I fear that the committee's efforts towards limits may be
>seriously compromised by changing the wordings around in so many
>different ways.  Specifically, I fear that phrases such as "regulatory
>reform" or "increase regulations that" are likely to be too broad.
>Specifically, one may "increase regulations" or "adopt regulations" which
>in fact only create exceptions to existing regulation, making the topic
>essentially bidirectional, depriving the neg of valuable ground.
>
>Third, I was surprised by Prof. Stricland's comments regarding animal
>rights.  This is a policy topic.  It calls for action by the federal
>govt.  And the idea that the neg has no ground is quite wrong.  For one
>thing, the neg could, I believe, argue that while we needed to adopt
>policies (counterplans) which are more attentive to animal welfare, we
>should not confer real RIGHTS on animals.  Also, the substance of debates
>on such issues as animal experimentation, eating meat, protecting
>habitats, and so forth, seem to me to be quite interesting.  If one is
>terribly worried about the "rights" language, then I suggest that the
>committee consider something like:
>
>That the USFG should increase substantially protection of the welfare of
>non-human animals.
>
>Case areas:
>Animal experimentation, medical and otherwise.
>Pelly Amendment, other trade sanctions
>Vegetarianism promotion
>Ban traps, etc.  Fur is murder stuff.
>Habitat protection, especially deforestation
>Humane treatment of strays and pets (non-human companions--sorry)
>Regulations on factory farms
>
>
>I could keep going, but not too much longer.  Several of these areas have
>been debated casually in NDT over the past few years;  I found them among
>the most interesting things we have debated, and I think they would bear
>more serious study and would more than sustain our interest for a season.
>This topic has clearly limited subject matter, much more limited than the
>big environment topics.  It has a clear direction.  Finally, I reject the
>argument that it is totally outside of the area of "environment":  The
>ESA is at the heart of most debates about environmental regulation, many
>of the case areas are clearly environmental in nature, and anyway I am
>unsure what the impact of this argument is.
>
>I'm hungry  and it's lunch time, so I'll quit.
>
>Keep up the good work.
>
>dp
>
Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
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