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rebuttals

I realize that most of you are probably sick about hearing this whole OJ 
Simpson thing, but I think it can serve as a very useful springboard for 
a discussion of rebuttals.

I actually watched most of the trial coverage (no job this summer, so I 
had free time...) and I did not think that it was as clear as the jury 
thought it was.  In less then a day of deliberation, they returned a 
verdict...after over a year of trial time, they made a decision in under 
eight hours.  So I got to thinking about how they could have sifted 
through tons of evidence and how one argument relates to another...ie how 
much does one source indightment take out what they say and then how 
important is that testimony in light of everything else.  

Anyway, the way I figure it, they didn't do that strange calculation that 
we find judges doing these days.  I think, someone please correct me if 
I'm wrong, they listened to the rebuttals, and voted on what was 
presented there.  Let's face it the team of Sheck and Cochran really 
rocked, and Clark and Darden seemed less confident, and in the 2AR, let 
alot of the negative slide through unscathed.  So when you compare the 
rebuttals, it really looks like a win for the defense (the negative 
team).  But the rest of the debate was, and this is just my opinion, 
pretty even and I was leaning guilty (this does not mean i think he was 
guilty, that is another discussion).

Anyway what I was wondering, in the eyes of a judge (or other debaters) 
is this what does happen in debate, or even should it happen in debate? 
By "it", I am referring to the importance of the last two speeches.  Can 
you really look at those and make a decision?  Is it really that clear 
cut?  And if it is that clear cut, why do judges take such intricate 
flows? (I actually had one judge who was even flowing text of evidence, 
and I had another who was reading the paper during my speech)  

Just some question I thought would springboard a good discussion,
Jonathan Honiball

ps. If they ever do get a professional debate league going, my money is 
on Sheck and Cochran!
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Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
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