Tournament: Golden Desert | Round: 1 | Opponent: R1 | Judge: R1
I affirm.

 V: GOVERNMENTAL LEGITIMACY. 

Because states must reconcile divergent interests, their policies must focus on concrete concerns of citizens. Rhonheimer: 

MARTIN RHONHEIMER Prof Of Philosophy at The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. “THE POLITICAL ETHOS OF CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY AND THE PLACE OF NATURAL LAW IN PUBLIC REASON: RAWLS’S “POLITICAL LIBERALISM” REVISITED” The American Journal of Jurisprudence vol. 50 (2005), pp. 1-70

It is a fundamental …  also the rulers.

AND, experiences rather than individual identities have moral significance. Shoemaker summarizes Parfit:

Shoemaker, David, "Personal Identity and Ethics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2008 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.).

By way of explanation, ..  Matter (IDM) view.

Thus, the standard is minimizing suffering. 

CONTENTION ONE:

SUBPOINT A: Overfishing is incredibly common and threatens almost all of the region’s reefs. Burke et al 1: 

Lauretta Burke, Katie Reytar, Mark Spalding and Allison Perry, “Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle.” July 2012. World Resources Institute. CC.

Local pressure on …  the region’s reefs
AND, action is required now – critical levels will be reached within the next quarter century even with static projections. Burke 2: 

Lauretta Burke, Katie Reytar, Mark Spalding and Allison Perry, “Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle.” July 2012. World Resources Institute. CC.

Threat in 2030 …  be even higher

SUBPOINT B: Regional demand for fish is growing – current supply will fail by 2030. Foale et al 13: 

Foale et al. “Food security and the Coral Triangle Initiative.” Marine Policy Volume 38, March 2013, Pages 174–183. DT. 

Urbanisation is increasing …  strategies and outcomes.

PLAN: The six member countries in the Coral Triangle Initiative will prioritize environmental protection over resource extraction in the Coral Triangle region by implementing and expanding policies including Marine Protected Areas, erosion-control measures, and fishing co-management partnerships. Countries will de-prioritize marine resource extraction, implement necessary enforcement procedures, and target critical areas first. I reserve the right to clarify. Burke 3 explains: 

Lauretta Burke, Katie Reytar, Mark Spalding and Allison Perry, “Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle.” July 2012. World Resources Institute. CC.

We hope this … to such efforts.

The Initiative explicitly prioritizes environmental protection over resource extraction. Jakarta Globe 12: 

Jakarta Globe. 7/14/2012. “Indonesia Steps Up Its Diplomacy for Coral Triangle and ‘Blue Economies’.” DT. 

The Coral Triangle … environmental protection efforts.

CONTENTION TWO:
Overfishing kills biodiversity and disrupts the ecosystems
Center for Ocean Solutions 13: Center for Ocean Solutions, “Pacific Ocean Threats and Impacts: Overfishing and Exploitation.” retrieved Dec. 27, 2013
Among all of … such as snorkeling.

AND, overfishing is the primary cause of marine ecosystem degradation. Craig 1: 

Robin Kundis Craig. 2003. “Taking Steps Toward Marine Wilderness Protection? Fishing and Coral Reef Marine Reserves in Florida and Hawaii.” McGeorge Law Review Vol 34: 155-266. Hein Online. DT. 

Declines in fishing …  ecosystem biodiversity generally. 27

AND, coral reef ecosystems are especially dependent on biodiversity and thus provide the strongest link – the impact is extinction. Craig 2:

Robin Kundis Craig. 2003. “Taking Steps Toward Marine Wilderness Protection? Fishing and Coral Reef Marine Reserves in Florida and Hawaii.” McGeorge Law Review Vol 34: 155-266. Hein Online. DT. 

Biodiversity and ecosystem … not necessarily unique.

CONTENTION THREE:   

FIRST IS REEFS: Coral reefs k2 dev Burke 4: 

Lauretta Burke, Katie Reytar, Mark Spalding and Allison Perry, “Reefs at Risk Revisited in the Coral Triangle.” July 2012. World Resources Institute. CC.

Hundreds of millions … dependence on reefs.
SECOND IS FISHING: Overfishing has taken trillions of dollars from citizens in developing countries. Arnason et al 1:
Ragnar Arnason, Kieran Kelleher, and Rolf Willmann. 2009. “The Sunken Billions: The Economic Justification for Fisheries Reform.” The World Bank and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Arnason is a leading fisheries economist and professor at University of Iceland. Kelleher is the Fisheries Team Leader at the World Bank. Willmann is a Senior Fisheries Planning Officer in at the UN. DT.
The loss of …  base year harvest.
AND, I control the strongest internal link to growth – South Pacific fishing has a substantial impact on other economic sectors. Arnason 2:
The upstream and downstream  kilometer of reef (Cesar 1996). 

Economic interdependence as a result of growth and increased exports decreases the risks of war.
Yee ‘05 (Tan Yan Yee—Royal Military College in Duntroon, Australia from 1987-1988. He graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with a B.Sc. (Econs) degree in 1992; “Democratisation, Interdependence, and the Prospects for Future War: THE THEORY OF INTERDEPENDENCE, The Liberal vs The Realist View”; Journal of Singapore, July 18, 2005.

Four other subsidiary … war from happening.?¶

And, growth is empirically key to curbing poverty Brockman, 13’
 Katie Brockman, cofounder for The Borgen Project, 2013 (“Capitalism Is Helping End Global Poverty,” The Economist, 6-11-13, Available Online at http://borgenproject.org/capitalism-is-helping-end-global-poverty/, Accessed on July 8th, 2013)

1.1 billion … of extreme poverty.

Poverty is the worst form of structural violence that kills as many people as a nuclear war. Abu-Jamal
Abu-Jamal, prominent social activist and author, ’98, A Quiet and Deadly Violence, Sept 19, http://www.flashpoints.net/mQuietDeadlyViolence.html

The deadliest form …  fight each other.

CONTENTION FOUR:
Co-management policies are empirically effective. Science Daily 2012:
Science Daily, “One Solution to Global Overfishing Found.” March 19, 2012. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120319163807.htm
A study by … is being heard.
AND, Reducing overfishing is key to extracting more fish in the long run Roberts 12:
Callum Roberts. “The Ocean of Life—And the Sorrow Beneath the Sea.” Newsweek. May 14, 2012.
We are living on …e are headed now.

Tournament: Cal RR | Round: 3 | Opponent: Shania | Judge: Multiple
Previous philosophical attempts to explain our relationships with others suffer from the same trap. They try to distill justice into a single principle that is to be applied to all situations. For example, Kantian ethics establishes human dignity or reflective practical reason as the basis for all ethical reasoning. Contractualism, likewise, uses hypothetical rational agreements as the basis for all duties. Benson

Bruce Ellis Benson. Wheaton Professor who is super smart “Graven Ideologies: Nietzsche, Derrida, Marion On Modern Idolatry” 2002. Intervarsity Press.

“Emmanuel Levinas and… my own image.”

However, any coherent conception of ethics arises out of respect for the other. Discussion that precedes a response to the other is internally self-defeating because it tries to attribute characteristics to the other before encountering the other, thereby destroying the other’s otherness. This also allows us to exclude anything outside of our defined interpretation of what the other is. In other words, our duties towards others cannot be constructed until we have actually encountered those others. Beavers

Anthony F. Beavers. “Introducing Levinas to Undergraduate Philosophers”. This paper was originally presented as a colloquy paper to the Undergraduate Philosophy Association at the University of Texas at Austin, 1990

“who exist apart… on the environment.”

Thus, the moment we are confronted with the ‘face of the other’ forges a fundamental moral relationship between the other and us. This relationship must come prior to our construction of knowledge or ontology. Beavers
  Anthony F. Beavers. “Emmanuel Levinas and the Prophetic Voice of Postmodernity”. Originally presented as an Andiron Lecture at the University of Evansville, 1993.

“If the otherness… look at God" (Exodus 3:6).”

ethics must accept others because we can never fully understand them. When we encounter the other, it has an independent perspective that eludes my understanding so we have no choice but to respect its otherness rather than try to systemize its characteristics. Crowe
Jonathan Crowe Senior Lecturer and Fellow, Centre for Public, International and  Comparative Law, T. C. Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland ARTICLE: LEVINASIAN ETHICS AND ANIMAL RIGHTS. 2008 University of Windsor Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice

“Levinas suggests in… a power exercised."”

I advocate that governments of developing countries should protect wildlife from poaching instead of treating animals as manipulable resources.
Poaching is a form of resource extraction that is a direct threat to the environment in developing countries. UNODC writes,

United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes. “Environmental crime: trafficking in wildlife and timber.” Transnational Organized Crime: Let’s put them out of business. 2014. 

“Transnational organized crime… generates for criminals.”

Poaching is an issue of prioritization in environmental policy. Fortin writes,

Jacey Fortin IoBurgTimes Africa Correspondent based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She joined IBT in February of 2012, and has previously worked as an editor and reporter for various publications including The Suit Magazine and The Glass Hammer. Fortin is from New Bedford, Mass. and received a B.A. from Northeastern University in Boston. “Why Wildlife Poaching Is A Big Problem, Even If You Don't Care About Rhinos.” International Business Times. December 12 2012 11:35 AM

“The current global… and international security.”

Animals constitute an other because we are unable to truly and fully understand them. Animals exist independently of us, experience reality for themselves, and govern their own behavior. Crowe 3

Jonathan Crowe Senior Lecturer and Fellow, Centre for Public, International and  Comparative Law, T. C. Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland ARTICLE: LEVINASIAN ETHICS AND ANIMAL RIGHTS. 2008 University of Windsor Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice

“It is useful to approach… types of beings.”

Further, differences between humans and animals are irrelevant. It is impossible to ever utilize a human—non-human dichotomy, because such observation would only occur after ethical obligations are created. Utilizing this dichotomy would thematize and totalize the other, falling prey to the pitfalls of traditional ethics.  Davy

Barbra Jane Davy. An Other Face of Ethics in Levinas. Ethics and the Environment, Volume 12, Number 1, Spring 2007

“Our humanity is… ense of active invitation.11”

Justice would require the recognition of animal rights, even if animals are not truly an “other.” Davy 2 :
Barbra Jane Davy. An Other Face of Ethics in Levinas. Ethics and the Environment, Volume 12, Number 1, Spring 2007
“Levinas’s statements in… first a question of ethics.”

Poaching happens and its bad. Fortin writes,

Jacey Fortin IBTimes Africa Correspondent based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She joined IBT in February of 2012, and has previously worked as an editor and reporter for various publications including The Suit Magazine and The Glass Hammer. Fortin is from New Bedford, Mass. and received a B.A. from Northeastern University in Boston. “Why Wildlife Poaching Is A Big Problem, Even If You Don't Care About Rhinos.” International Business Times. December 12 2012 11:35 AM

“Wildlife poaching has… hunting more seriously.”

Attitude shift is necessary/important. Environment.co.za writes,
Environment.co.za. “Rhino poaching is a worthwhile fight, says WWF.” October 8, 2013. 

“We need a…c an be done.””

Tournament: Alta | Round: 1 | Opponent: who cares | Judge: do you really want to know
I value democratic legitimacy because the resolution questions policy options in a democratic government.

In a democracy, people are considered equal. The only justification for ruling over another person is by ensuring that the power is legitimate. Buchanan
Buchanan, A. (2002). Political Legitimacy and Democracy. Ethics, 112(4), 689–719. doi:10.1086/340313
p.716: Justice requires us ... the people act.

Legitimacy requires openness because authorizing an agent to have authority requires knowing relevant information about that agent.  If a government agent is abusing power or acting improperly, we need to delegitimize their actions by condemning them or voting them out. Dershowitz explains

Dershowitz, Alan M., 2008, Visibility, Accountability, and Discourse as Essential to Democracy, http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-193407111/visibility-accountability-and-discourse-as-essential

These checks on ... rule of law.

And, Democracy demands accountability and checks. Hutchinson 1
ALLAN C. HUTCHINSON, ‘In the Public Interest’:?The Responsibilities and Rights of Government Lawyers, York University - Osgoode Hall Law School, 2008, Osgoode Hall Law Journal, Vol. 46, p. 105.  NS
The participatory imperative ...  than with democracy.

However, without transparency policymakers will only act in their own interest. Hutchinson 2

CRITICAL LEGAL STUDIES SYMPOSIUM: Law, Politics, and the Critical Legal Scholars: The Unfolding Drama of American Legal Thought, 36 Stan. L. Rev. 199, Stanford Law Review

Liberalism and contemporary ...  world of rights.

Therefore, actions taken by the government are the result of the whims of elites and lead to domination. 

But, openness and transparency holds those officials accountable. Hutchinson 3
ALLAN C. HUTCHINSON, ‘In the Public Interest’:?The Responsibilities and Rights of Government Lawyers, York University - Osgoode Hall Law School, 2008, Osgoode Hall Law Journal, Vol. 46, p. 105.  NS
Another beneficial consequence ... operation of government.

So, the standard is maintaining government accountability through openness. 

Circuit courts are schizophrenic on whether government officials on trial should be granted attorney-client privilege when called before a grand jury, ruling opposite ways even when using the same test.  Glenn 13

Michael W. Glenn. NOTE: PRINCIPLES, POLITICS AND PRIVILEGE: HOW THE CRIME-FRAUD EXCEPTION CAN PRESERVE THE STRENGTH OF THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE FOR GOVERNMENT LAWYERS AND THEIR CLIENTS. Fordham Urban Law Journal. May 2013.

Another unique circumstance ... grand jury context. n42

My advocacy is that government officials called before a grand jury should not be able to invoke attorney-client privilege regarding internal communications with a government lawyer and thus be required to disclose all of said subpoenaed communications.
I reserve the right to clarify. 

Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States explain the procedure, Rule 10, Considerations Governing Review on Writ of Certiorari.  

Review on a ... rule of law.

So since there is currently a split circuit it’s eligible to be granted a writ of certiorari by the Supreme Court, our advocacy is that they will rule in line with the DC circuit decision.  

Attorney-client privilege allows the government to hide truth from citizens. Peebles 

Jennifer Peebles, Attorney-client privilege for government hampers transparency, Texas Watchdog, 10/09

When you talk ...  our property, too.

For example, Congress was unable to stop torture at Guantanamo because the Justice Department refused to release the Torture Memos, leaving Congress nothing and no one to try.  Jordan and Hess 08

Lara Jakes Jordan and Pamela Hess. Associated Press. 2008. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/10/cheney-others-okd-harsh-i_n_96158.html

WASHINGTON — Bush administration ...  a “torture memo.”

The attorney-client privilege has historically and is used to allow the government to conceal information from the public. Specifically, claiming the need for candid communications allows for this withholding of information. Blumenauer
Blumenauer, Kerri R. "Privileged or Not-How the Current Application of the Government Attorney-Client Privilege Leaves the Government Feeling Unprivileged." Fordham L. Rev. 75 (2006): 75.

n60 A government lawyer's practice ... attorney-client privilege. n73

However, allowing government officials to claim privilege to prevent disclosure of communications prevents prosecution of crimes and harms openness to the public.  Because government officials should act in the public interest, a clear avenue for disclosing evidence of government misconduct serves the values of the system.  US Court of Appeals, DC Circuit, In re: Lindsey
In re: Lindsey (Grand Jury Testimony) 148 F.3d 1100 (1998).  Accessed 22 Nov 2013 via Google Scholar.  MO.

When an executive ... Grand Jury Subpoena Duces Tecum, 112 F.3d 910, 921 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, _ U.S. _, 117 S.Ct. 2482, 138 L.Ed.2d 991 (1997).