Burdens of proof and rejoinder guide a judge [FN1] or audience in determining who wins a debate. The affirmative team stands for a resolution & has the burden of proof. Once the affirmative meets its burden, [FN2], the negative team has the burden of rejoinder. On specific points, 1/14

“S/he who asserts must prove.” In a “tie,” the negative team wins. In policy debates, the negative team defends the status quo. [FN3] Proper wording of a resolution to debate the Christofascists: “Resolved: that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.” [FN4] 2/14

There is little chance a debate will take place. IN’s Lt Gov squawks about debate, but has shills run interference for him. Our republic could soon die. Putin placed assets to make that happen & loves the misinformation spread by evangelicals & resulting confusion. A story notes: 3/14

“References to God abound in the country’s founding documents, with mentions in 46 state constitutions ... God doesn’t appear in the U.S. Constitution, but is in the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and U.S. currency.” [FN5] Errors? 4/14

“God” does not abound in “founding documents.” [FN6] There weren’t 46 state constitutions at our founding because there weren’t 46 States. Massachusetts used deist terms like “The Great Legislator of the Universe” [FN7] like in the Declaration. [FN8] Then there’s 5/14

the Pledge of Allegiance. On 6/14/54 Pres Eisenhower signed a bill inserting “under God” to the Pledge as written in 1892, as a response to the Second red scare. [FN9] Our currency was changed after nearly 100 years, on 7/30/56 to add “In God We Trust.” [FN10] 6/14

Our country’s founding is mired in contradictions: a land of liberty that throve on enslavement; a place where it took more than a bloody civil war to gain a glimpse of equality; shores on which people landed in search of religious liberty only to persecute others. And now... 7/14

Christofascists lie about our history and religion. The little lies become truths to many. We don’t have much time to correct things. I’m a pacifist, but I’m not a door mat. And people like IN’s Lt Gov are chicken shits. Don’t be shy about calling them out. 8/14

Footnotes:
FN1. The outcome of a debate can be determined by an individual designated as a “judge,” as is true of most high school and college competitions. In audience debates, the audience is the judge. For brevity here, the “judge” determines win/loss. 9/14

FN2. That burden is met by making a prima facie case, one that will stand on its own, for adoption of the resolution.
FN3. “The situation that currently exists,” Black’s Law Dict, New Pocket Ed., (1996), p. 591.
FN4. Format, time limits, etc, are details on which agreement is pretty easy, but right-wingers do not get to scream over their opponents. That’s kind of a Nazi thing to do. 10/14

FN5. That’s according to Pew research. Bonilla Muniz, Leslie, “GOP lieutenant governor candidate launches advisory board with focus on Christianity,” Indiana Capital Chronicle, 09/27/24, accessed 06/03/25. 11/14

FN6. See, “‘Christian values’ are not ‘clearly there’ in the Constitution Part 4"” in this blog, 6/1/25.
FN7. Massachusetts Constitution, Preamble (1780). 12/14

FN8. “In place of this Hebrew God, deists postulated a distant deity. The Declaration [] displays precisely this kind of wording and sense of a distant deity.” Holmes, David L., “The Faiths of the Founding Fathers,” (2006 ed) pp. 46-47. 13/14

FN9. Little, Becky, “Why Eisenhower Added ‘Under God’ to the Pledge of Allegiance During the Cold War,” History, 6/22/22, accessed 6/4/25.
FN10. “President Eisenhower signs ‘In God We Trust’ into law,” History. 14/14