2

Airport Security

Against the Status Quo.      Airport searches invade personal privacy and do little to protect the American public from terrorism.

Supporting the Status Quo   Airport searches are necessary to protect the American public from terrorism.

Key words: TSA, Fourth Amendment

3

Alien Life

Against the Status Quo.      Intelligent life is probably rare in the universe, if it exists anywhere else at all.

Supporting the Status Quo   Intelligent life probably exists on many planets throughout the universe.

Key words: The Drake Equation, The Rare Earth Hypothesis, The Fermi Paradox , SETI

4

Ancient UFOs

Against the Status QuoSome evidence suggests that aliens visited the Earth in ancient times.

Supporting the Status QuoThere is no evidence suggesting aliens ever visited the Earth.

Key words: ancient astronauts, Eric von Daniken, paleocontact

5Atlantis

Against the Status Quo.      Atlantis once existed as a historical place.

Supporting the Status Quo   Atlantis must be considered mythical.   

Key words: Thera, Bimini Wall

6

Against the Status Quo.      Evidence shows that Bigfoot is a living creature in North America. 

Supporting the Status Quo   Evidence supporting Bigfoot is flawed or faked.

Bigfoot

Key words: sasquatch, cripplefoot, Patterson film, Memorial Day Film, Freeman Film, Minnesota Iceman

7

Boxing

Against the Status QuoBoxing should be outlawed with other gladiatorial events.

Supporting the Status QuoBoxing should remain a legal sport.

8

Dr-Assisted Suicide

Against the Status QuoDoctors should be able to help patients end their lives.

Supporting the Status QuoDoctors should not kill their patients.

Key words: Physician-Assisted Suicide, Dr. Kevorkian

9

Dropouts, legalizing

Against the Status QuoHigh school students should be allowed to drop out.

Supporting the Status QuoHigh school students should not be allowed to drop out.

10

Electronic Voice Phenomena

Against the Status Quo.      The dead sometimes haunt the living and their voices can be recorded. 

Supporting the Status Quo    The dead do not haunt the living; voices heard in recordings are figments of people’s imaginations. 

Key words: Electronic Voice Phenomenon, EVP

11

Extreme Sport Rescue

Against the Status QuoPeople that engage in extreme sports should pay for their own rescues. 

Supporting the Status QuoPeople that engage in extreme sports should be rescued at the taxpayers’ expense. 

12

Flight 19 of the Bermuda

Triangle

Against the Status QuoFlight 19 disappeared due to the mysterious powers of the Bermuda Triangle.

Supporting the Status QuoFlight 19 disappeared through pilot error or natural causes.

13

Genetically Modified Foods

Against the Status Quo.  Genetically modified foods are a bad thing and should not be legal. 

Supporting the Status Quo   Genetically modified foods are a good thing and should be legal. 

Essential Questions: Should a corporation be able to put a patent on a living thing? How otherwise can a company protect years of expensive laboratory research? Should a corporation be able to control the farms that use its genetically modified seeds? What happens when drifting pollen carries genetically modified DNA into the neighbor’s farm? Does the corporation have any control over that farm? Can a genetically modified crop drive out native species? Are genetically modified crops susceptible to the problems of monoculture?

Key words: Monsanto

14

Global Warming

Against the Status Quo.      Global warming is caused by sunspot cycles, not human behavior, and is part of a natural cycle.

Supporting the Status Quo   Global warming is caused by human behavior and threatens our survival as a species. 

Key words: An Inconvenient Truth, The Great Global Warming Swindle

15

Gun Control

Against the Status QuoThe government should outlaw gun ownership. 

Supporting the Status QuoCitizens without convictions should continue to be able to own guns.

Key words: 2nd Amendment, gun control, Brady Act, right to bear arms

16

Illegal Aliens & Amnesty

Against the Status QuoIllegal immigrants should be given citizenship.

Supporting the Status QuoOnly legal immigrants should be given citizenship.

Key words: amnesty

17

Against the Status QuoCitizens of the United States are guaranteed a trial by the Constitution.

Supporting the Status QuoOur government should be able to arrest American citizens and detain them indefinitely without charging them or bringing them to trial.

Indefinite Detention

Key words: NDAA, or National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012

18

Insanity Defense

Against the Status QuoThe insanity defense should be abolished.

Supporting the Status QuoMentally ill people should be cured, not punished.

19

Intelligence, Origin of

Against the Status QuoA person’s intelligence-level is determined by genetics.

Supporting the Status QuoA person’s intelligence-level is developed by academic work.

20

Kennedy Assassination

Against the Status QuoOpponents to the status quo may choose ONE of the following possible killers of Kennedy, such as:

•The Mob•Castro / The Cubans•Khrushchev / The Soviets / the KGB•The FBI •The CIA•Vice President Johnson•The New Orleans Conspiracy•Oswald, agent of the CIA•The Secret Service•Howard Hunt•The Federal Reserve•The Israelis •The Cuban Exiles•The American Fact-Finding Committee

OR an opponent of the status quo may focus on one facet or detail of the assassination, such as:

•Alterations to Kennedy’s wounds•The Zapruder film •The Three Tramps•Grassy Knoll shooter•The “Magic Bullet”

Supporting the Status QuoLee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, assassinated President Kennedy.  

21

Lake Monsters

Against the Status QuoSome lakes contain large, unknown creatures.

Supporting the Status QuoThere is no scientific evidence to support the existence of large, unknown lake creatures.

Key words: Loch Ness, Nessie, Lake Champlain

22

Net Neutrality

Against the Status QuoThe Internet would be faster and better if the government controlled the content.

Supporting the Status QuoFreedom on the Internet would disappear if the government controlled the content.

Key words: Net Neutrality, Julius Genachowski, SOPA

23

Against the Status QuoNostradamus made predictions that correctly forecasted some current events.

Supporting the Status QuoNostradamus made predictions so vague that they can be interpreted to fit current events.

Nostradamus

Key words:

24

Off-Shore Drilling

Against the Status QuoThe government should allow Americans to drill off-shore.

Supporting the Status QuoThe government should not allow Americans to drill off-shore.

25

Patriot Act

Against the Status QuoAllowing the government to spy on citizens is unconstitutional and destroys our liberties and rights.  

Supporting the Status QuoWiretapping, closed circuit cameras, and heightened airport security are necessary to keep Americans safe.

Key words: Patriot Act

26

Against the Status QuoThe American prison system doesn’t work. It should be replaced with….

Supporting the Status QuoThe American prison system works.

Prison Reform

27

Psychic Powers

Against the Status QuoSome scientific investigations confirm psychic abilities in humans.

Supporting the Status QuoScience does not show that any human being has psychic abilities.

Key words: ESP, extra-sensory perception, precognition, remote sensing

28

Roswell Crash

Against the Status Quo.      An alien craft crashed in Roswell, New Mexico in 1949. Alien bodies were recovered and studied by our government. 

Supporting the Status Quo   The Roswell UFO crash never happened. People are confused or creating a hoax.

29

Space Exploration, cost

Against the Status QuoManned space exploration is a waste of time, money, and lives.

Supporting the Status QuoManned space exploration is important for our future.

30

Against the Status QuoOur state should treat violent teens like adults. 

Supporting the Status Quo   Our state should continue to treat violent teens as teens, not as adults. 

Teens Tried as Adult

31

TV, Psychological Effects

Against the Status Quo.      Television is harmful for children.  Watching television early in life limits a person's thinking abilities. 

Supporting the Status Quo     Television is not seriously harmful for children.  Watching television has few harmful effects on a person's thinking abilities. 

This topic could be modified for video-gaming instead of TV watching.

32

Vegetarianism

Against the Status QuoVegetarianism is healthier than a diet that includes meat.

Supporting the Status QuoVegetarianism is not healthier than a diet that includes meat.

33

Violence on TV & Games

Against the Status QuoWhile experiencing media violence may encourage a few unstable people to become violent, it does not contribute to the increase of violent behavior in the society as a whole.

Supporting the Status QuoExperiencing media violence not only encourages a few unstable people to become violent, it also contributes to the increase of violent behavior in the society as a whole.

34

Women in Combat

Against the Status QuoWomen should serve in combat.

Supporting the Status QuoWomen should not serve in combat. 

35

Other Topics

Should taxpayers fund more AIDS research?

Should grain be used for liquor and beer?

Are animal’s rights ever worth more than human rights?

Should our government be this big? Are biological weapons a real threat?Are boycotts effective or not?Does censorship really exist?How do we balance the rights of crime

victims against the rights of the accused?

Are mass extinction events a serious threat to the human race?

Is the Endangered Species List manipulated for political purposes?

Does nature show signs of Intelligent Design or is Evolution completely controlled by random mutation?

Do the rich already pay more than their fair share of taxes?

Should the taxpayer subsidize farms?Should gambling be legal? Should Native American tribal

members have more rights than the general population?

Any other topic must be presented to the teacher before starting.

The presentation must include both a status quo and non-status quo position.

Can women’s eating disorders be linked to the fashion industry? Was there anything unusual in Hanger 19 in Area 51? Should the American Taxpayer have to cover the losses of people who chose build in flood areas? Is a high population a danger to the environment or a benefit to humankind?Should porn be banned? Can we ever get rid of nuclear weapons?Do individuals have the right to suicide?Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be served in school cafeterias?Does parental “tough love” really work?Should the use of coal be subjected to stricter environmental regulations than other fuels?Should we reform laws to make it harder to get a divorce?Should DDT be re-approved for use in the wake of recent bedbug outbreaks across the country?Do beauty contests serve any purpose in society?

Do oil companies make big bucks while the rest of us pay too much? What, if any, limitations should be applied to the paparazzi?Should denial of the Holocaust be illegal?Domestic ViolenceGangsGenetic EngineeringHomelessnessMichael MooreNuclear WeaponsOutsourcing JobsPork-Barrel SpendingPrescription Drug Prices Prison Reform Rainforest ProblemsSchool Violence Sexual HarassmentSteroidsSweatshopsFree college Mainstreaming disabled children Retention of students due to failing gradesHomosexuals in the militaryHelmet laws