“Here I Stand” (Lennon or Luther?)
I was not required to make a “CANDIDATE STATEMENT” before being elected, or selected, or whatever I was… prior to holding the position on this Board that I am now truly honored to hold. So, belatedly – and rather than say this as tangential to the context of some procedural or substantive thread – I want to state “my philosophy,” and/or “my preferences” and/or “my paradigm” about NFA-LD debate – clearly, unambiguously, and I hope – for the last time:
1. NFA-LD debate is NOT one-person NDT/CEDA debate.
2. NFA-LD debate is NOT one-person A.P.D.A. debate.
3. NFA-LD debate is NOT one-person N.P.D.A. and/or N.S.D.T.E. debate.
4. I did NOT write the NFA-LD debate “Paradigm for Judging.” If I had, there are things in it that I would have written much, much differently.
5. Nevertheless, I am going to teach my students, and coach my competitors, and post on this Message Board, and do everything else NFL-LD debate-related, under the asumption that my PARAMOUNT duty is to preserve, protect, and defend, to the best of my ability, the NFA-LD debate “Paradigm for Judging” and any other official NFA “rules” pertaining to the event.
6. That same intention applies to my judging at any/all tournaments which purport to “follow NFA-LD rules.”
7. Those parts of NFA-LD rules with which I disagree – and there are several – I will, in good faith, attempt to change/modify through “normal means” – that is, in the clear… via NFA-sanctioned procedures.
That said, let me just add this:
Folks, I have A LOT of faults… but illiteracy and stupidity are not among them.
I am fully aware that there is a school of thought that holds that NFA-LD debate should (as in “ought to, but not necessarily will”) be transformed into one-person NDT/CEDA debate. I respect that school – especially its faculty members. But I do not teach at it, I do not attend it, and I do not ascribe to its objectives.
I am also fully aware that there are many good folks holding speech tournaments all over this land at which NFA-LD debate is offered as an event, but who state – in their tournament invitations – that one, some, or all of the so-called “NFA-LD Rules” will NOT be observed. I do not condemn them; on the contrary, I commend them for their academic and intellectual integrity. In addition, I wish them every possible success. However, MY school (Glendale-CA College) will not be attending such tournaments, and I will not be judging there.
Bottom line… and with attribution to Benjamin Franklin… I support the NFA-LD debate “Paradigm for Judging” – for all its faults. And I will not reward, subsidize, or tolerate any attempts to “unofficially” evade it, subvert it, and/or compromise it.
So there you are.
If the “Southern California NFA-LD debate community” (however that is defined) finds my views unacceptable, there is plenty of time to “impeach” me now, BEFORE the season begins.
But you must impeach me for this philosophy; there ain’t no way in Hell that I’m going to resign.
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Comments
And a modest note to thy spreaders…
NFA-LD is also not a game of speed! If you read carefully in the paradigm for judging on the official NFA website it clearly states, “Rapid-fire delivery, commonly called “spread delivery,” is considered antithetical to the purpose and intent of this event.”
an·ti·thet·i·cal/ˌantəˈTHetikəl/Adjective
1. Directly opposed or contrasted; mutually incompatible.
Merriam-Webster
But in any event, play how you like and best of luck.
PLAY BALL!
I guess many people don’t understand the purpose of the event.
Until you can make others understand the purpose of the event and agree to that purpose they wont stop trying to change it (as much).
I don’t know how you will get people to accept it, I do not have that file in my tub 
I will be addressing the “anti-speed/anti-spread” language of the Rules in a separate thread. At the risk of stating the obvious, “Spread delivery” [sic] is a VERY important… and divisive issue. IMHO, the sooner – and more thoughtfully – the NFA-LD community in general and the SoCal NFA-LD community in specific reaches a truly working consensus on this, the better it will be for all.
Opinions on spread delivery don’t matter in So Cal because no one can spread. Just my opinion. Speed, maybe. But views on spreading are quite irrelevant.
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ERRATA: In my post above, “N.S.T.D.E. debate” should read
“N.P.D.T.E debate.” I’m an obsessive perfectionist too, but mostly I only have time to clean up after myself.