ORIGINAL ADVOCACY (O.A.)
An advocacy is a persuasive speech which presents a timely problem and a convincing, practical
solution. The speaker must make the audience aware of a problem or concern and must offer a solution
by advocating a specific legislative and/or regulatory government action.
Tournament Requirements
1. All speeches must be the work of the contestant. No speeches or subjects used by that contestant in
previous years may be used. In the same or subsequent years, the contestant cannot use the same
subject in competition in expository or oratory and vice versa.
2. The speech must present a problem and a viable solution to that problem. Specifically the CHSSA
rules state: ““Topics will be limited to advocacy subjects concerning public policy issues of a tangible
nature and the student must advocate a specific legislative and/or regulatory governmental action.””
3. The speech must be prepared in advance. The manuscript must be double-spaced, typewritten, with
all quotations underlined. The manuscript must follow the MLA style guidelines for internal
citations and must include a ““work cited”” page. The specific legislative and/or regulatory
governmental action or remedy must be high-lighted.
4. The speech must contain no more than 150 quoted words.
5. The presentation must not exceed ten (10) minutes. There is no minimum time, but preferably no
shorter than five (5) minutes.
6. The presentation must be memorized. No notes are permitted. Some leagues allow notes in novice
division.
7. No costumes, props, visual or audio aids are permitted.
Writing the Speech
1. The first step is to choose a topic. The problem should be one that is of interest to everyone, but not
overdone. Check recent magazine articles, read the newspapers, watch such shows as 60 Minutes or
20/20, and listen to what people are complaining about in their daily lives.
2. Gather information on the subject. Read magazines, books, and newspaper articles to learn about the
topic. Take notes on all interesting information.
3. Formulate a thesis for the speech. The speech must show not only the problem but the solution.
4. Fill in the main points from the research. Gather more facts if necessary. Try for interesting factual
support, especially emotional material.
5. Once the body is finished, look for an ““audience catching”” introduction and conclusion which
provide the audience’’s first and last impression. Quotations, stories, questions which cannot be
answered ““yes”” or ““no,”” and startling statements are suitable methods of introduction. Conclusions
may summarize and use quotations, emotional appeals or visualizations of the future.
6. After the outline is complete, develop the manuscript. Try for complex, thoughtful sentences. Make
sure the vocabulary is advanced, but do not use ““fancy”” words when simpler words work better.
Keep in mind the audience will hear but not see the sentences. Read aloud what is written to see if it
flows well.
7. Polish the speech and have other people read it to suggest improvements. Deliver it for the class,
make final changes and type the manuscript in the proper form.
Practicing the Delivery
1. Get the main points firmly in mind. Read the manuscript silently several times. Start reading it
aloud, saying it with vocal expression. After practicing several times, set the manuscript aside and
try the delivery from memory. Use the manuscript only for prompting.
2. When the speech is well-memorized, practice it in front of a mirror. Work on gesture and facial
expressions. Try to sound and look natural, not mechanical. A good delivery should sound
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completely sincere as though the speech is being delivered for the first time. Judges want to be
talked ““to,”” not ““at,”” and they do not want to be patronized.
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SAMPLE TOPICS FOR ADVOCACY
HEALTH AND SAFETY
SOCIAL ISSUES
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
AIDS
Alcoholism
Drug Addiction
Hunger
Homelessness
Medical Care Availability
Mental Illness
Teenage Pregnancy
Food Additives
Genetic Engineering
Seat Belt Use in Autos
Motorcycle Helmets
Tobacco
Welfare
Abuse (Child, Elderly)
Nursing Homes
Violence (in movies, on TV)
Exploitation of Athletes
Spouse Abuse
Migrant Workers
Illegal Aliens
Prejudice (towards
minorities, elderly, religion)
Illiteracy
Vietnam Veterans
Native Americans
Nuclear Waste
Pollution (air, surface water,
ground water, noise, ocean)
Endangered Species
Harvesting Timber
Wilderness Preservation
Water Conservation
Garbage
SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES
CRIME/CRIMINAL
JUSTICE
Space Exploration
Testing of Drugs on Animals
Computer Hackers
Medical Research
Weapons Development
Alternative Energy Sources
Mass Transportation
Control of Internet, etc.
Rights (women, youth)
Right to Die
Freedom of Press
Freedom of Expression
Censorship (movies, art,
music, television, speech)
Immigrants
Youth Gangs
Drug Sale/Abuse
Police (adequacy, brutality)
Prostitution
Overcrowded Prisons/Courts
Pornography
Gun Control/Sales
Crimes of Violence
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SAMPLE ORIGINAL ADVOCACY
These speeches were prepared before the current MLA citation requirement was instated by
CHSSA. See appendix for an example of a speech that includes MLA citation.
Diplomatic Immunity by Ruma Niyagi, Simi Valley High School
In January of 1981 at 5:45 PM, Lucy Johnson climbed the steps to her New York City apartment
building. Suddenly, a man pressed against her back. ““I have a gun,”” he said. ““Do everything I say or I’’ll
kill you.”” The man ordered her into her studio apartment where he sodomized, raped and robbed her.
Five days later, and only a few blocks from Lucy Johnson’’s apartment, Carol Holmes was sodomized,
raped and robbed by the same man. Police investigators positively identified the man as Manuel Aryee,
but no charges were pressed. Between the years of 1983 and 1985, Shiadej Chongdawongsee smuggled
over twenty million dollars of heroin into the United States, but no charges were pressed.
These crimes have one thing in common. Two women are brutally raped; yet their admitted
attacker goes free. Drug smugglers are seized, kidnappers identified, thieves caught in the act: all go
free. What is responsible for this gross breakdown of justice? Diplomatic Immunity. All of these crimes
were committed by members of the diplomatic corps, people who are immune to the law. No citizens of
the United States can rape or rob without fear of criminal prosecution. Yet, by granting full immunity to
foreign diplomats, we have officially placed 37,000 visitors above the law. Today, I would first like to
discuss what diplomatic immunity means; second, look at its abuses; and, finally, discuss what can be
done to correct this problem.
So first, what is diplomatic immunity? The idea that diplomats should be free from hindrance in
the performance of their duties is an age-old concept. In 1961, eighty-one nations met at the U.N.sponsored Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the purpose of which was to draft an
international treaty. Of the fifty-three articles discussed, twelve dealt directly with immunity. In essence,
the articles stated that a diplomat and his or her immediate family would receive full protection from
civil or criminal prosecution. The purpose for granting diplomatic immunity was to aid the diplomat in
his functions; so he wouldn’’t be caught in traffic hassles or lengthy customs searches. It is also for
national security, because diplomats can carry top secret documents in what is called a diplomatic pouch
which goes unexamined through customs. Protection from civil prosecution is used so that visiting
diplomats will not be subject to different and sometimes unusual punishment. For example, a female
ambassador to a strict Moslem country can be sent to jail if she is not wearing a black veil when she
goes out in public. In certain countries, there are different driving laws. However, rape, robbery,
manslaughter and drug trafficking, have somehow become acceptable under diplomatic immunity. Now
it would seem that diplomats are given full privilege to do what they want and to run amuck——which is
exactly what they do, as we move to our second area and examine the abuses of diplomatic immunity.
The Diplomatic Relations Act passed by Congress in 1978 set the standards for diplomatic
immunity. It again reinforced that diplomats are free from civil or criminal prosecution. Under this
blanket of protection, a plethora of crimes continues to happen. Manuel Aryee was the son of an
ambassador from Ghana; therefore, he claimed diplomatic immunity. Shia Chongdawongsee was the
United Nations ambassador from Thailand, and he had diplomatic immunity. What happens when
diplomats go bad? The shocking truth is nothing. Most are simply sent home without even a slap on the
wrist. Ghanaian officials apologized for Manuel Aryee’’s behavior. They sent him back to Ghana and
said if they found anything illegal about his behavior, they would launch an investigation. American
officials found out later that no charges were brought against Aryee in Ghana, and he resumed his life as
a high profile diplomat’’s son. And after being caught by the DEA as a drug trafficker, Shia
Chongdawongsee was sent back to Thailand and relieved of his diplomatic post. Unofficial reports say
that Chongdawongsee is now one of the heads of a major Southeast Asian drug cartel, a position he
acquired easily through his diplomatic ties in the United States. And the cases were closed. But to Lucy
Johnson and Carol Holmes, the victims of these heinous crimes, these cases will serve as constant
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reminders to the travesty of justice happening almost daily, attempting to cloak itself as diplomatic
immunity.
Many people argue that diplomatic immunity is like a two-way street. If the United States
ambassador to Saudi Arabia is caught stealing, then he would not have his hand cut off as Saudi law
would dictate. Corrective action, or lack of, is left to the diplomat’’s own country. However, the United
States has made their position on diplomatic crimes very clear. Take the case of Leon Wright, a former
diplomat at the US embassy in New Delhi, India. Between the years of 1980 and 1983, Wright made
several trips from Bombay to Hong Kong. Suspicions of the Indian officials were aroused when
Wright’’s trips became more frequent, and a customs search revealed that Wright was the mastermind of
a two million dollar black market smuggling scam. Wright confessed to his crime and was relieved of
his position. However, his problems were far from over. In the United States, Wright and his wife were
charged with income tax evasion and accepting gratuities from a foreign government. They were fined
510,000 dollars and served one year in jail and three years probation. However, the United States is one
of the few countries with such severe punishment for its own diplomatic crimes.
By now, we have heard many of the horror stories about the abuses of diplomatic immunity. And
we may be saying to ourselves, ““Okay, but is this really a problem? Are there any statistics to
substantiate this?”” And this is where the cruelest irony occurs: there are no statistics. According to the
United States and almost ever other country in the world, diplomatic crimes do not exist. These
countries have a type of gentlemen’’s agreement to not log criminal complaints when diplomatic
immunity is used. However, in spite of this agreement, Charles Ashman, author of the book Diplomatic
Crime, says that the State Department says that there are over 250,000 unofficial reports of theft, rape,
murder, drug smuggling, kidnapping and even enslavement charges each year in the United States alone.
There is a very special record holder in New York City. You will never find his name in any Guinness
Book of World Records, nor in the criminal logs of New York, but he is infamous among traffic cops.
This diplomat found a way to accumulate 671 parking tickets, none of which was paid, in just ten
months. Basic arithmetic will show that he earned an average of two tickets each day. In the 1981 rape
case, after the police found out that Manual Aryee had diplomatic immunity, all the paper work that
Carol Holmes filled out on her crime seemingly disappeared. Diplomatic crime is a problem of such epic
proportions, that we can no longer afford to sweep it under the carpet. Which brings us to our final area:
What can be done?
There is no area of our justice system in more desperate need of reform than the segment devoted
to the abuse by those with diplomatic immunity. Therefore, I advocate the following three part
legislation that will affect all countries in the United Nations: 1) Any crime committed by a diplomat,
his family members or staff must be recorded in official criminal logs; 2) The diplomatic pouch will be
electronically scanned at customs, not to reveal specifics of documents, but rather to detect other
contents that may be outside the law; and; 3) A United Nations ethics board shall be created to review
all crimes committed by diplomats or against diplomats and shall have the authority to pass corrective
action. (See note below)
No one questions the sensitive problems of being posted in a foreign nation that punishes minor
crimes with beheading. Also, the peculiar problems surrounding intelligence crimes in a world of spy
tactics require unique attention. But a drunken representative of any nation should never be able to hide
from prosecution by a cloak of immunity if he kills or rapes. The time has come for the United States
and the world to take a strong moral stand by radically changing the law of diplomatic immunity. It can
be done. A change in these laws is one of those rare occasions when a terrible abuse can be corrected.
Note: The specific legislative and/or regulatory governmental action or remedy must be highlighted on
the final manuscript.
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