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-07-AFF-Frontex.docx
File Size	134.54 KB
Date added	September 12, 2020
Category	Archived
Tags	Debate, NCFCA, Policy, Season 21

Frontex is an EU agency that supplements the border enforcement agencies of the individual EU member countries. It also operates a coast guard patrol that searches for illegal migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. It has been greatly expanded and better funded in recent years in response to the migration crisis 5 years ago, but with that expansion there has not been an expansion in oversight and accountability. In fact, Frontex routinely violates human rights, European law, and international treaties governing the treatment of migrants (legal or illegal). While it may seem, to some at least, inappropriate to worry about the rights of illegal migrants, there are some basic standards of human rights that must apply. Some (not all) of them are fleeing for their lives from natural disaster, war, oppression, famine, etc. Mixed in with those could be some just looking for better jobs. Others are trying to reunite with family members who immigrated to Europe earlier. All of these groups show up at various borders or seashores, and often Frontex is called in to handle the mess and the chaos. (Whether you agree with such laws or not…) Treaties signed and ratified by EU members, as well as EU law, require border agencies to give hearings and adjudicate the situation of each migrant to determine if they are valid, deserving refugees who merit consideration for immigration. They should be sorted out one by one. Rounding up all of them and deporting all of them (or worse, abusing them and then deporting them) without a hearing is a violation of human rights, but Frontex does it anyway. And when someone has a complaint about Frontex behavior, the only one they can turn to for filing a complaint is Frontex itself. [“Internal investigations” of law enforcement are always problematic: Imagine you and your family are driving a long and get stopped for speeding. The driver tells the officer: “Don’t worry officer, our family will conduct an internal investigation and if there’s any problem with our speed, we’ll resolve it internally.” If that sounds silly…why do we allow law enforcement to do it?] Frontex needs better training, oversight, transparency, and outside independent monitoring to ensure it complies with human rights. Those who enforce the law need to start complying with it.

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.

Permission & Usage

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