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A steady supply of pro/con articles to help you deliberate, take a stand, take action, vote, and back yourself up.

• Debate: Trying 9/11 terror suspects in NYC courts - Should 9/11 suspects be tried in NY courts, as ordered by US AG Eric Holder? - November 23rd, 2009.

Featured pro and con arguments from this article:

• PRO: US courts have successfully tried many terrorists Dan McLaughlin. "Why Terrorists Don't Deserve A Court Date." CBS. November 18, 2009: "our federal courts have waged an admirable war of their own against terrorists, whether the judges call it that or not. Our civilian courts have tried 195 cases of terrorism since 2001, according to Justice Department figures, and 91percent of them have resulted in convictions."

• CON: NYC civilian trial re-opens wounds of 9/11 victims "Don't 'trust' court to try terrorists." Lancaster Online. Nov 20, 2009: "Instead of a straightforward finding of guilt and execution in a military court, Americans who suffered the loss of loved ones on 9/11 will have to suffer through a lengthy trial designed to show the world that Americans are fair to terrorists. [...] And they will have to suffer that trial within blocks of where two planes commandeered by fellow terrorists flew into and destroyed the Twin Trade Towers."

• Medical marijuana - Should marijuana be made legal for medical purposes? - November 19th, 2009.
• Gene patents - Are gene patents, particularly related to agricultural and biotech products, a good idea? - November 15th, 2009.
• Gays in the US military - Should gays be allowed to serve openly in the US military? Is "don't ask don't tell" bad policy? - October 19, 2009. - This article being used for the National Debate Series: Boston, on November 10th, 2009.
• Nuclear energy - Is nuclear energy justified and should it be expanded? October 15, 2009. This article is being used for the National Debate Series: Boston on November 10th, 2009.
• Mandatory health insurance - Should governments mandate that individuals own health insurance, or face penalties? - October 8, 2009.
• Escalation of the War in Afghanistan under the Obama administration - Should the Obama administration escalate the War in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010?
• Health insurance cooperatives - Should health insurance co-ops be part of US health care reform? Are they a good alternative to public insurance? - September 4th, 2009.
• Public insurance option in US health care - Should the US create a public insurance option and hybrid public-private health care system? - August 27th, 2009.
  
• Mandatory calorie counts on menus - Is mandating calorie counts on restaurant menus good public policy? - August 18th, 2009.
• Civil unions vs. gay marriage - Which is superior, civil unions or gay marriage?
• Manned mission to Mars - Is a manned mission to Mars a good idea, or are continued robotic missions best? - August 10th, 2009.
• Colonization of the Moon - Is colonizing the Moon with a "Moonbase" a good idea? - August 5th, 2009.
• Mission to the Moon or Mars? - Should humanity return to the Moon first, or go to Mars? - August 3rd, 2009.
• Mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods - Should governments require that genetically modified foods be labeled? - July 23rd, 2009

See Past Debate Digest topics

"When it cannot do both, the United Nations should prioritize poverty reduction over combating climate change."

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• November 22nd: Lenkahabetinova outlined an argument for Debate: Direct democracy.
• November 20th: Brooks Lindsay has been building up Debate: Trying 9/11 terrorist suspects in New York civilian courts.
• November 18th: Pliddell outlined on Debate: Hydroelectric dams the argument that "The construction of dams destroys previous recreational opportunities."
• November 18th: Meyerjr created Debate: Should we eat fast food?
• November 17th: Renergy has been doing excellent, hard work building Debate: Thorium based nuclear energy.
• November 13th: Neolithicman made significant contributions in building arguments against Debate: Bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
• November 13th: Brooks Lindsay has been building up Debate: Gene patents.
• November 12th: Jambaugh outlined the following argument against a fat tax: "The virtue of a free society is the diversity of individual behavior."

See Past featured editors. Follow all recent edits and updates on Twitter.

1. Public health insurance option
2. "Don't ask don't tell"
3. Nuclear energy
4. More troops to Afghanistan

See Debatepedia's portal for the event here and the National Debate Series main page here

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