Tournament: VBT | Round: 1 | Opponent: stop | Judge: NEVER
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: USC | Round: 6 | Opponent: blank | Judge: blank
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: Greenhill | Round: 2 | Opponent: Brentwood MR | Judge: Robbie Dillard
Limits on state authority derive from the pluralism of citizens’ interests.
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...
at the same time 

Moreover, any theory that claims to trace the source of government duties must concede that political power requires democratic authorization.
Buchanan, A. (2002). Political Legitimacy and Democracy. Ethics, 112(4), 689–719. doi:10.1086/340313
Justice requires us...
the people act.

Value criterion is preserving democratic accountability for youth. 

Youth are central to understanding society as a collective unit worth working towards and protecting as opposed to individuals accidentally grouped together
Giroux, Henry. Disposable Youth. 2012
Any discourse about... of public life
AND
The crisis I speak... sustainable democratic society.

Governmental obligations are inherently based on structures to satisfy needs and dependence is a particularly compelling.
 Eva Feder Kittay Distinguished Professor Ph.D. City University of New York, 1978 B.A. Sarah Lawrence College, 1967. “A Feminist Public Ethic of Care Meets the New Communitarian Family Policy.” Ethics, Vol. 111, No. 3 (April 2001), pp. 523-547. AK 7/5
Our neediness, as... dependent on access to income.

Young people don’t vote.
Keaney and Rogers
As already seen, age...
older age groups.
Indeed, the turnout gap between young and old has been increasing at an increasing rate. Keaney and Rogers 2:
All the evidence clearly suggests, the gap... turnout to continue to fall.

If the cohort doesn’t vote initially, it is less likely to vote later.
Hill, Lisa. Louth, Jonathan. Both professors at the University of Adalaide. Mobilising the Youth Vote: The Future of British Democracy. 2006
The cohort who abstained...
the habit of not voting’

This creates a vicious cycle of cynicism and not voting.
Hill, Lisa. Louth, Jonathan. Both professors at the University of Adalaide. Mobilising the Youth Vote: The Future of British Democracy. 2006
It is often suggested... year olds’ (Institute for Social and Economic Research, 2002).

Spending cuts have disproportionately affected the young.
Birch, Sarah. Professor at the University of Glasgow. First Time Compulsory Voting Would Make Democracy A Habit. August 29 2013
In recent decades...
listen to them

Guy Lodge, Sarah Birch—2013 Associate Director for Politics and Power “The case for compulsory first-time voting”
The fact is that...
in young people

University of Glasgow
“Young voters should be required to vote first time round” Fri, 23 Aug, 2013
The report shows that people...
greater political power.”

Laws are key to changing voting habit for youth.
Hill, Lisa. Louth, Jonathan. Both professors at the University of Adalaide. Mobilising the Youth Vote: The Future of British Democracy. 2006
As we have stressed...
range virtually by itself (Lijphart 2001, 74).

This number is enough to begin having youth concerns met.
Hill, Lisa. Louth, Jonathan. Both professors at the University of Adalaide. Mobilising the Youth Vote: The Future of British Democracy. 2006
As for the young, while...
of their citizenship rights.

Compulsory voting would force campaigns and policy to address youth needs.
HLR – 2007. “The Case for Compulsory Voting in the United States.” Harvard Law Review, Vol. 121, No. 2 (Dec., 2007), pp. 591-612.
Another indirect benefit of...
home on Election Day.

 Bart Engelen Why Liberals Can Favour Compulsory Attendanceponl_1358 218..222 POLITICS: 2009 VOL 29(3), 218–222
First, there is the secrecy...
of thought and speech.

Tournament: Blake | Round: 1 | Opponent: All | Judge: All
I affirm and value morality. 

PART 1: FRAMEWORK

value criterion = preventing genocidal exclusion

1. Abstract philosophy not based in human needs fails to guide action and re-retrenches an elitist position. Ethics must be grounded in social realities. Kratochwil

Fredrick, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Columbia University, Pragmatism in International Relations “Ten points to ponder about pragmatism” 2008

Firstly, a pragmatic ... to analytical treatment.

Oppression is a social reality that ethics must be grounded in. In order for humanization to commence, it becomes necessary to resist oppression in all its forms. Freire:
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum, 2000. Print

While the problem ... dehumanizes the oppressed.

Genocide is the ultimate dehumanization. 

AND once a person is oppressed and excluded from the frame of consideration, they can be perpetually destroyed. Butler 1

Lives are supported ...  qualifies for recognition.

2.
In an educational context, deconstructing power relations is critical. Trifonas:  

Trifonas, Peter. PEDAGOGIES OF DIFFERENCE: RETHINKING EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE. New York, London. 2003.

domination and subordination,...  for our children.

This is uniquely true in the instance of the genocide occuring in the DRC, because we have a unique responsibility  Ashworth and Mohabir,
REBECCA ASHWORTH AND NALINI MOHABIR. Ruined: From Spectacle to Action. ExPlusUltra. The Postgraduate Ejournal of the WUN International Network in Colonial and Postcolianial Studies. December 2010

The dominance of ... remain unevenly distributed.

3. The judge has a specific responsibility to reject global tragedies.  Pre-fiat and post-fiat discussions dissolve in the light of such tragedies. Adorno
Adorno, Theodor.  Education After Auschwitz. http://ada.evergreen.edu/~arunc/texts/frankfurt/auschwitz/AdornoEducation.pdf
The premier demand ... up against it. 

4) To evaluate ethical obligation we must first untangle our ontological commitments about who is and is not included in the “us” and the “them.” This requires analyzing how policies frame our capacity to apprehend lives.  Without untangling these commitments, it is impossible to evaluate normative judgments. Butler 2  explains:
1 Butler, Judith. Frames of War (2009), 138

We ask such ... those who will not.

5) It is impossible to determine who we have obligations to without interrogating the norms created by power structures. There is no other way; epistemology demands that we look first at power. Butler 2 continues:
The epistemological capacity ... facilitate that recognition.
 Butler, Judith. “Violence, Mourning, Politics” Studies in Gender and Sexuality 4.1 (2003), 20 – 23

Part 2 is the contention

Dodd-frank act tried, but isn't working Wagner 12
Wagner, David CW. "BREAKING THE NEXUS BETWEEN ARMED CONFLICT AND CONSUMER PRODUCTS: WHERE'S THE APP FOR THAT?." Temp. Int'l and Comp. LJ 26 (2012): 103-143. NoSi

On July 21, 2010, ...  Congolese minerals likely.

Causes an embargo Aronson 11
David Aronson. “How Congress Devastated Congo.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/08/opinion/how-congress-devastated-congo.html?_r=0. August 7, 2011. CC

IT’S a long way from ...  they speaking for?”

Solutions for hope is a solution - Mcbain 13
McBain, Darian. "Coltan: A study of environmental justice and global supply chains." CC
For corporations seeking ...  joined this process.

Thus, the plan text: Solutions for Hope will expand the closed pipeline trading network for resources from Central Africa. I reserve the right to clarify.  

Solutions for Hope has begun the secure-pipeline, but new expansion is needed  Propper and Knight
Simon Propper and Peter Knight. “'Conflict free' minerals from the DRC will only be possible if companies stay.” http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/conflict-free-minerals-drc-companies-stay. December 12, 2013. CC

A spark of ...  in economic darkness.

Due to lawlessness within the Eastern Congo, militia groups such as the FDLR, arguably responsible for the Rwandan genocide, gain power from their control of these mines. Veale 2
Veale, Emily. "IS THERE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS-FREE DEVICE?: EXAMINING LEGISLATIVE APPROACHES TO THE CONFLICT MINERALS PROBLEM IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO." Cardozo J. Int'l and Comp. L. 21 (2013): 503-545. CC

The distance between ... the minerals trade.

As the demand for these minerals continues to rise, rebel groups exploit the miners and perpetuate horrendous human rights abuses upon the locals in the DRC. Veale 3
Veale, Emily. "IS THERE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS-FREE DEVICE?: EXAMINING LEGISLATIVE APPROACHES TO THE CONFLICT MINERALS PROBLEM IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO." Cardozo J. Int'l and Comp. L. 21 (2013): 503-545. CC

E. The Mining System...  aimed at regulating.

The injustice caused by the fights over coltan mining is endless, with five million deaths just up to 2010. This number continues to rise as demand for coltan increases. Mcbain 13
McBain, Darian. "Coltan: A study of environmental justice and global supply chains." 2013. CC

Whilst the injustice...  up to 2010.

However, certification processes solve for the lack of clarity between conflict and non-conflict minerals  Schütte et al.
The CTC (Certified Trading Chains) Mineral Certification System: A Contribution to Supply Chain Due Diligence and Good Governance in the Mining Sector of Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa, P. Schütte, G. Franken, J. Vasters, F. Melcher, D. Küster, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), GER.  NS
The principal objective ... the CTC system.

And, certification allows for the best assessments, on the ground. Schütte 2
The CTC (Certified Trading Chains) Mineral Certification System: A Contribution to Supply Chain Due Diligence and Good Governance in the Mining Sector of Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa, P. Schütte, G. Franken, J. Vasters, F. Melcher, D. Küster, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), GER.  NS
“Due diligence” in ...  responsible mineral producers.

There’s also an environmental conflict involving elephants and gorillas. Mcbain
McBain, Darian. "Coltan: A study of environmental justice and global supply chains." 2013 CC

In addition to ... in the DRC.