This is Blazer Briefs!

At Blazer Briefs, I follow the active NSDA debate resolutions and fill a unique hole in the market for debate briefs: I go directly to the experts and ask them questions specific to the resolution. The briefs are, for now at least, available free of charge for all debaters. Please enjoy and don't hesitate to email me if you have any inquiries or recommendations.

Blazer Briefs is run by me, Francisco "A.J." Camacho, a freshman at The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. As a public forum debater in High School, I attended TOC (the Tournament of Champions) twice and was ranked best in PF in the state of Tennessee by the National Speech and Debate Association.

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Stephen Breyer - Policy Debate 2020-2021

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has spent more than two decades as a Supreme Court justice, and during that time he has cultivated a reputation for pragmatism, optimism, and cooperation with both political parties. On a September 17 event hosted by my own George Washington University, Justice Breyer answered questions from students. Among them was a question on criminal justice reform I thought appropriate for this year's Policy Debate Resolution: "Resolved: The United States federal government should enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in one or more of the following: forensic science, policing, sentencing." Justice Breyer proposes potential reforms, but many of them are arguably not "substantial." Among his recommendations are training for prosecutors either in the form of training to be a judge or practicing as a defense lawyer as well as a prosecutor. He also indicates his dislike of mandatory minimums, suggesting it w...

Charles Blahous Interview - Public Forum Debate Sep. - Oct. 2020

Charles Blahous of George Mason's Mercatus Center specializes in domestic economic policy and retirement security (with an emphasis on Social Security), as well as federal fiscal policy, entitlements, and health care programs. Blahous’s research The Costs of a National Single-Payer Healthcare System has been used by both proponents and opponents of Medicare-for-All . I interview Dr. Blahous on the 2020 September-October NSDA Public Forum Debate Resolution: "Resolved: The United States federal government should enact the Medicare-For-All Act of 2019." Dr. Blahous made clear that he does not view himself professionally as an advocate or opponent of the bill, but rather as a humble data analyst. With that being established, that he is neither for or against the resolution professionally, here are some key findings from his aforementioned estimates: "Actual federal cost increases under M4A are likely to be substantially higher than the estimated $32.6 trillion over i...

John Mueller Interview - Public Forum Debate Nov. - Dec. 2020

John Mueller is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science and Senior Research Scientist at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies. Among his books are Retreat From Doomsday: The Obsolescence of Major War and Atomic Obsession: Nuclear Alarmism from Hiroshima to Al-Qaeda . I interview Dr. Mueller on the 2020 November-December NSDA Public Forum Debate Resolution: "Resolved: The United States should adopt a declaratory nuclear policy of no first use." Dr. Mueller was very short but clear in his responses. The short of it? Such a policy will not have a significant impact on US foreign policy or the International System. Prof. Muller elaborates on the inconsequentiality of the policy in the following Q&A: A.J.: Camacho Are there any plausible circumstances, through the lens of realism, liberalism, constructivism, or any theory of IR, in which the United States ought to start a nuclear war? John Mueller, Ohio State University: None that are plausible....

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