Mr. Mc owns 74 slaves! How many do you own?

Okay, I back at home and the laundry is going, my Grape Nuts have been eaten and I'm getting ready to go into my classroom. I like working in there a little bit each week during the summer. Sometimes, I even practice lessons without kids in the classroom. Keep your dork comments to yourself, I know I am. Had a nice chat with wife and two youngest sons last nights. Spencer and Max travelled at the same times as me and so we shared travel war stories. Maggie has been holding down the fort and I tell you I am a blessed man.

Alright, let me explain the title of this post. At Lincoln's Cottage there was a travelling display on modern day slavery. I wrote another post on it about the tragic Wichita connection about ten days ago. One of the suggestions in the display was to see how many slaves work for you. There is a organization named Slavery Footprint which does just that.  When you go there, it asks you questions and then calculates the number of modern days slaves are used to make the products you use, the food you consume and the businesses you frequent.

My footprint was 74. 74! The average footprint, according to the website, is 38. I had 74. It says to not feel guilty but that is crazytalk! 74. Now I might be able to argue it down to 70 but ...

[A note to my smug, granola-eating Birkenstock-wearing liberal friends. Get off the moral superiority platform right now. I don't care about your lifestyle, I care about the young women and men whose lives are being shattered by my casual consumer choices.]

[A note to my smug, red meat-eating, cowboy boot wearing conservative friends. Get off your high horse-literally! I love my country as much you do, but we are doing harm; this issue is at odds with every 'American' ideal we hold dear.]

Here is my challenge. Go to www.slaveryfootprint.org and take the quiz. Come back to my blog and post the number of slaves you own accoring to it. No names. No guilt. Just the number. I have decided that this is my first step. My stats shows that there are about 250 people who read my blog this month.  I am going to post this blog entry on facebook and twitter every day this week in the hopes that my friends (and their friends?) will take the challenge.

Will you do this for me?