On January the Twelfth, 2006, the Demosthenian Literary Society was called to order. The literary within the name refers not to some glorified communal exploration into the English language but rather to evoke the notion of men of letters, that is to say by literary our founders most likely meant that they were somewhat more intelligent than they might otherwise be if they were say, drunkards. But then, time plays cruel tricks even on myself.
To take that notion seriously this week, I shall preform the rest of these minutes by doing as Strunk and White advise us and omitting needless words. I have gone above and beyond and chosen a lot of them, even some that we might argue are necessary.
Ms. Pearl was sworn in. She gave an address. She thanked us for her election. It was surmised that we performed adequately while away. She stated an intention to focus on the logical component of speeches, noting that other oratorical skills are useless without a valid argument. She noted that it is better to kill a debate by calling the question instead of leaving it. She also noted that she is available.
Committee reports are better presented as a collective: We got a post card from Jamacia, the all night meeting is coming, so are alumni. There is also a debate tournament coming, watch the listserv. There is a Resolution camp sunday January 29th, and an activities fair on the 25th.
Mr. Theiss pointed out that China was a major pole of international power, and also that the Olympics are meant for a-class nations.
BIR, Due to China's poor human rights record, China should be stripped of the 2008 Olympics.
At least, I think that was his resolution. Sadly it was written on a napkin which fell victim to a martini. Whoops. Also, the Chinese say that there will be no demonstrations. Theiss held that we could use the Olympics as leverage to force China toward better human rights.
Ms. Prabahkar did not like the premise. China is a powerhouse in more ways than one, and human rights don't make you “arrive” as a nation. Inclusion via the Olympics may cause them to improve human rights.
Mr. Dowell opposed the resolution since we can boycott the Olympics in order to express our displeasure with the host nation.
Mr. Chiego said that we are stuck in the past and repeating our mistakes. Although economic reforms are zooming in China, there is no change in the human rights record. He made a comparison to the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany and cautioned us to not reward power alone.
Ms. McFarland called the resolution hypocritical and stated that between 1910 and 1970 the US had involuntary eugenics experiments that involved execution and sterilization that essentially targeted people who were not White Anglo-Saxon Protestants. China might not deserve the Olympics because of a human rights record, but we are not the people to say so.
Mr. P Weiss provided a daycare example. China is a child who does not play well with others. I was also a child who did not play well with others, but hold your concern; I have not yet run over anyone with a tank. Taking away the Olympics would simply make China kick and scream more. The Olympics are about sport, and China has some of the best athletes, and even so, the Olympics themselves are corrupt if one examines how say, Atlanta got the Olympics.
Mr. Ballard said that Jimmy Carter was a moron. By boycotting the Olympics he ruined the lives of many athletes. Taking away the Olympics would be a silly symbolic move that no one cared about, least of all China. Free trade can liberate nations and we shouldn't burn our bridges with them. You risk entrenching human rights violations. Also we need to beat the Chinese in Ping Pong and shooting.
Mr. Moulds said that the Olympics is purely about sport. Taking away the games from China slaps that concept in the face. Also, the US is not good at human rights. He provided Guantanamo Bay and the execution of minors as examples. We aren't the ones to tell China what to do. The Olympics help us get past differences.
Mr. Pearl said that we have a lot of contracts with China. They could kick us out if they wanted to spite us back.
Mr. Burkhart said the USA is full of damn yankees, and so is the world. Whatever we do, someone else will say they could do it better. We shouldn't pull out the Olympics. Further, the exposure created by the Olympics can only help China's human rights.
A guest rose and stated that Human rights are paramount and that looking at China's economics avoids the issue. As we concern ourselves more with the economy, our economic considerations prevent us from using it as a bargaining chip with China.
The resolution failed twenty-two to five among members and one to two among guests.
Mr. Hansen pointed out several amendments people hate, but paramount among the stupidity was the 17th amendment, which made senators popularly elected. We became less of a federal government and it became a poor tool for democracy, and was not just some other house of representatives. He presented
BIR, The US Senate should move to proportional party representation.
Mr. Theiss rose to oppose. They're now representatives of the people of a given state. He felt that the resolution would create a smaller house of representatives and simply deprive the smaller states of a role in the national government. People in less populous states have a unique perspective that should be heard.
Mr. Dowell said that government solely represented by the people is not necessarily a good idea. The Demos in Greece didn't really work, after all, they had their best military leaders executed every so often. The radical democracy that was set up under Pericles made horrible decisions which led to a loss in the Pelepennsian war, and proportional party representation was bad. At my request, Mr. Dowell pointed out that Great Britian will soon fall, even though they are not, as Mr. Ballard pointed out, using a proportional representation system.
Mr. Williamson reminded us that George Washington warned us about the problems of political parties. Our nation is separated along party lines. National government should be divided into two bodies and divided among all states. The resolution jeopardizes the fundamental idea of equal representation among states.
Mr. Josh P Weiss was not satisfied by the resolution. He felt that a representative democracy, and its bureaucracy, should reflect the population as a whole, even if this is hard to do. There is an idea held by public administrators that could go Farther than this resolution, and could give representaiton based on religious/ethinc/racial lines, allowing politicans to campaign on the demographics they've campaigned on all along. After hearing several questions, it was surmised that the floor did not agree. Either way, as a friendly amendment, he offered “BIR, The US senate should move to a representative democracy senate vote.”
The resolution failed four to fifteen among members and passed one to nothing among guests. Mr. Williamson then noted that he did not vote because he does not recognize the US Government as legitimate. Mr. Dowell informed us that he would send a letter to Britain, warning them.
Ms. Barnett pointed out that many cities in Georgia have unusual names, and that Atlanta is not quite one of them. As a south Georgian, she naturally hates Atlanta, and wants it to go down like the Titanic. Plus, south Georgians are smarter, so they can easily defeat Atlanta.
Thus, Whereas Georgia already has duplicates of many a famous city, Be it resolved, we should all band together to conquer Atlanta and establish a new Troy.
Mr. Morgan pointed out that Savannah is awesome and has access to tactical nukes. Mr. Dowell didn't know where Atlanta was and in fact thought it was merely an airport, omitting entirely the traffic around said airport, so we ejected him. Mr. Theiss figured that the rural McGuffins were just jealous because Atlanta can fund its programs, but the joke is on him since he goes to school in Athens. Mr. Moulds stated that the legislators from rural Georgia were the primary culprits in making Atlanta have crummy traffic and other problems, and dared the rural host to shoot itself in the foot. Mr. Pearl pointed out that Atlanta is itself a world power and boasts I-285, an impregnable wall. Mr. Steinburg said it'd be cooler if we named Atlanta Atlantis, Mr. P Weiss brought up the story of the fall of troy and the journey of Aeneas, which lead to the establishment of the modern world. Mr. Richards said we're all linked by rail to Atlanta, and questioned whether we must rape and pillage the heart of the south. Mr. Chiego, hailing from Tennessee, wanted revenge. Atlanta steals everything from them, including Chattanooga apparently. Ms. Koval referenced a show that said Atlanta was the anus of the south and Mr. D Weiss revealed that he loves him some MTV. With a score of twelve to ten, the resolution passed and it tied one to one among guests.
Mr. P. Weiss then rose to present a resolution but was only barely able to stay in the upper chamber since he was talking about newspapers, but he did point out that he, personally, likes money, so he can use said money to go to Rome and Educate himself. He presented
Be it resolved, Money is the means to happiness.
Ms. Koval rose to point out that women get way less than men yet she is happy for more than money. Also she works in a pharmacy and knows that the rich are also on the most anti-depressants. Also, her IPOD broke. Mr. Williamson points out that he worked at the Dial and that really, antidepressants might be a key to happiness, but that love was the real key, although it has an opportunity cost which is the real means to love. Mr. Dowell pointed out that he knows of a dog which is incredibly dumb, but is also the happiest dog in the world. Mr. Theiss pointed out that Basic needs must be met to be happy and that Mr. Weiss committed the ecological fallacy, there is no monopoly on how to attain happiness. Mr. Vick had the last word pointing out that Cheesy Kung-fu movies are by and far, the key to happiness. He recommended the The Master of Li, and that spirits are uplifed by mindless carnage. The resolution failed fifteen to five among members and failed love to one among guests. We then adjourned subject to Mr. Williamson's Critics report. |
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