Basic Downloads

Are you new to speech and debate? The following downloads are for you. They contain introductions to various events that the Monument Membership explores. These downloads are updated every summer to prepare for the new year of competition.

Your Basic Downloads Source Material for Season 22:

File Name	S21-Policy-NCFCA-06-NEG-Dublin-1.docx
File Size	73.91 KB
Date added	September 3, 2020
Category	Archived
Tags	Debate, NCFCA, Policy, Season 21

The “Dublin Rule” sets the parameters for what country has to take primary responsibility for processing a migrant who shows up unexpectedly/illegally at one of the borders of the European Union. The default rule is that the first country the migrant comes to has primary responsibility, but this places an extraordinary burden on EU countries that happen to be geographically disadvantaged to be close to crisis zones exporting many migrants.

The affirmative makes a strong case that the Dublin regulation has some serious flaws. When looking at the state of the European Union’s immigration policy, it seems to make sense that Dublin should be improved. However, there’s a crucial question that you can’t lose sight of. Why has Dublin reform been discussed and debated for so long (the latest version of the regulation was passed 7 years ago) yet no reform has actually been made? Why is this so difficult? Because as broken as the status quo might be – as much as we might like to make things better – no one can come up with a solution that is better than the current situation. The EU Parliament’s proposal is no different. You may hear about “the Wikström report” from the Affirmative side. It is an EU study published recently that advocates the AFF plan, which was also was recommended by the EU Parliament (but never adopted).

This NEG brief focuses on Solvency and Disadvantages. The underlying philosophy behind much of these cards is that the problems are caused by something other than Dublin, usually individual member states’ policies and the way they treat asylum applicants. Therefore, changing the Dublin regulation won’t solve for these deeper issues. On top of this issue of solvency is the transfers disadvantage. Interestingly, this is actually promoted as a good thing in the affirmative plan, as it intends to help with responsibility-sharing. Unfortunately, this “advantage” is shortsighted, as the EU’s immigration system is unequipped to deal with even current attempts at relocation. It would be irresponsible to overwhelm the system even further. Other disadvantages stem from the fact mentioned above that there are good reasons the SQ hasn’t reformed Dublin yet: Such reforms would surely fracture and divide the EU. And we provide here several serious impacted DA’s on why it’s bad if the EU is fractured/weakened.

Download Your Preseason Documents, too:

You may still access Season 21 downloads here.

All Season 22 Basic Downloads will be updated by August 31, 2021. They will remain available through Season 22.

Easy Entry to the World of Speech and Debate

All Members have access to the digital copy of Easy Entry to the World of Speech and Debate by Chris Jeub. Download it below or order a hard copy.

Season 22 Release Schedule

Monument releases content all year long, from one national tournament to another, in what we call "seasons." We are entering Season 22 (2021-2022). For a list of all Member downloads for Season 21, click here. The following is the general release schedule for Season 22:

End of Season 21 - Officially archived on June 28, 2021. The new Season 22 releases begin July 5, 2021.
July-August - The first Monument Monday releases July 5, 2021. Basic informational material will continue through the summer (e.g. summaries, resolutional articles, etc.).
August 30, 2021 - End of the Pre-season, beginning of the official year of Monument Speech and Debate.
~~Christmas~~ Thanksgiving 2021 (we finished early!) - All foundational downloads are complete! Summaries of all releases are now available.
Through March 2022 - BONUS material released to members on a more as-needed basis using our Coaching Request Form.
April-June, 2022 - Qualifier and Nationals Preparation work is arranged...and Monument Members will be prepared to win!

Season 22 Debate Resolutions

Resolutions for Season 22 are posted here as they are announced by various speech and debate leagues.

Policy (all season):
- NCFCA: "Resolved: The United States Federal Government should significantly reform its policies regarding convicted prisoners under federal jurisdiction."
- NSDA: "Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its protection of water resources in the United States."
- NSDA Vote for Season 23 (Due December 15, 2021):
  - OPTION 1 – GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE – Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its support of multilateral greenhouse gas emission reduction regimes.
  - OPTION 2 – GLOBAL GEO-POLITICAL CRISIS: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES – Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in one or more of the following areas: artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity.
- Stoa: "Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform the use of Artificial Intelligence technology."
Lincoln-Douglas:
- NCFCA (all season): "Resolved: In the context of innovation, the proactionary principle ought to be valued above the precautionary principle."
- NSDA releases six resolutions through the year:
  - Sept/Oct Novice: "Resolved: Civil disobedience in a democracy is morally justified."
  - Sept/Oct Varsity: "Resolved: The member nations of the World Trade Organization ought to reduce intellectual property protections for medicines."
  - Nov/Dec: "Resolved: A just government ought to recognize an unconditional right of workers to strike."
  - Jan/Feb: "Resolved: The appropriation of outer space by private entities is unjust."
  - Next release is due February 1, 2022.
- Stoa (all season): "Resolved: In the field of biomedical engineering, restraint ought to be prioritized over scientific advancement."
Other Formats:
- Big Questions Debate (all season): "Resolved: On balance, societies benefit from religious belief and practice."
- Public Forum for Sept/Oct: "Resolved: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization should substantially increase its defense commitments to the Baltic states."
- Public Forum for Nov/Dec: "Resolved: Increased United States federal regulation of cryptocurrency transactions and/or assets will produce more benefits than harms."
- Public Forum for January: "Resolved: The United States federal government should legalize all illicit drugs."
- Public Forum's next release is due January 1, 2022.

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