What's Good for the Goose ...

The idea which I've been wrestling with today is state's rights. Here's how the state's rights argument has played out for me in the past.

The statement goes something like this. The Civil War wasn't about slavery. No right thinking person could then or can now defend the institution. It was a moral wrong in 1619 when Dutch traders bartered slaves for ship repairs. It was a moral wrong during our founding and the founders knew it. It was wrong in 1861.
But then the statement takes a left turn:

The war was really fought over the rights of the states. A states right to secede. A states right to manage its economy as it saw fit. The right to an ethos and lifestyle unique to its people and culture; the noble Lost Cause.

When my student's raise state's rights, I send them to see Mr. Alexander Stephens of Georgia. Stephens served in the House of Representatives with Mr. Lincoln. He became the Vice-President of the Confederacy when Georgia secedes and will deliver what has become known as the Cornerstone Speech, a portion of which is excerpted here:

"Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery—subordination to the superior race—is his natural and normal condition.  This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth."

Alexander Stephens, March 21, 1861

Stephen's thesis is that the Confederacy's Constitution is stronger than the Union's because slavery is the manifestation of a 'physical, philosophical and moral truth' on which the federal document is silent.

It makes a pretty persuasive argument for the cause of the war: The second in command of the South says its about slavery. The challenge for me, is that today's lecture muddies the water a bit.

The concept of states rights predates the Civil War, but I don't know if I've ever really given it its due. In class, we breeze through the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions and Calhoun taking up the Jefferson/Madison mantle. We look at Dred Scott as a case about slaves as citizens without looking at Chief Justice Taney's argument about federal supremacy in this case and Abelman v. Booth.

        

The argument I'm wrestling with is this: if Wisconsin can cry states rights in 1859, why can't South Carolina in 1860? Dr. Pinsker's suggestion is that states rights is a mean's to an end--the end being slavery. But I'm struggling with how cut and dry that feels.

A post with nothing to do with slavery.

I am still processing thoughts on Slavery Footprint but needed a break.

My son's showed me these videos this weekend and these guys are funny. The set up is simple: Two guys act out a scene, let a YouTube transcribe the dialogue. Then, repeat the scene using the transcription again letting YouTube transcribe that scene... and repeat one last time.

All my friends have nearly 50 slaves each ...

This is a video someone put together about Slavery Footprint

Ok, For the past week I've asked folks to go to Slavery Footprint and see what their footprint is. I have been encouraged by the number of folks who did. Almost 20 brave souls also posted their number on the blog or on Facebook. I know, based on emails to me, that a larger number took the survery but decided not to post their footprint. (BTW--if you want to continue to post your number to the comments of that entry, please feel free--I will update the average every once and a while.)

Based on those who posted, the average number of slaves was



...almost 49

Many of you posted what items of services purchased explained your number. A short list includes:

• Jewelry
• BluRay players
• Came Consoles
• Computers
• Smart Phones
• Clothing

I've been wrestling all week with what my next steps should be. I've never been a good 'activist'. I tend to do better working from the inside. I served for a while advising the legislature on a couple specific community issues as well a professional trainer on those same issue and felt like I did more there than if I picketted and boycotted.

So, here is what I've decided to do.

The first thing was to take advantage of Slavery Footprints network already in place and send a few emails. I sent five emails to businesses I frequent:

• Apple
• Nike
• Krogers
• Samsung
• Arby's

I also posted my status on Facebook. I try to stay out of politics (as a teacher I think I serve better neutral), but after spending a week at Frederick Douglass' home and Lincoln's Cottage, its hard to stay on the sidelines on this one.

The last thing I did today was to send notes to my political leaders:

• Wichita Police Chief Williams
• Both Senators Roberts and Moran
• Governor Brownback
• Oddly, the Kansas members of the House of Representatives weren't an option on the Slavery Footprint site.

AS I said, this is my start. I have decided to follow up electronic notes with personal one. I am adding a couple folks I know in the state legislature as well representative in the House. For my friends, you know I'm a bright shiny object kinda guy so don't be afraid to ask me what I've done lately on this issue. I also know that my passion may not be yours so, if human trafficking ain't it, I respect that. But ... what are you doing to make your community, nation and world better?

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?

Storytelling with fallen monuments in a building of glass

I spent my last afternoon in DC at the Newseum. It was designed as a living history museum devoted to journalism and the first amendment. It is one a few locations to charge you for entrance, but it is well worth the 20 bucks.
As a former journalist, there is a lot I was fascinated by, but was moved this time by artifacts borne of tragedy. Maybe it's what just happened at Aurora. I dont know. The pieces below moved me. The Holocaust Museum moves me this way, I just never expected the Newseum to.

A section of the Berlin Wall

A handmade newspaper detailing the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

Wreckage from the 9/11 attacks

Wreckage from the World Trade Center

Part of a display on war reporting

Wreckage from the World Trade Center

Cell Phones recovered from ground zero.

Detail from one section of the Berlin Wall.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Yesterday, the Bill of Rights Institute program ended. The final speaker, Robert Levy spoke Thursday and Friday on ways, he thought, the federal government (all three branches) had overstepped the Constitution. Our area this week has been property right so those were the majority of the cases he talked about. He is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and so sees things from a more libertarian lens and makes his case passionately and articulately. The final session was an preview of the Supreme Court cases and legislation he sees having a significant impact. There were several areas but the one he spoke most about was the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare). He dissected Chief Justices Roberts opinion and I was impressed at his analysis. Not sure I completely aggree with it, but I see his point of view.

The aftrnoon and evening was spent settling in to hotel number three. I have stayes at the hostel before and I got tickled thinking about how two Sundays ago I was at the Willard, one of the premiere hotels in the city. The next Sunday I was at a Hyatt, nice but not plush. Now, I'm one for 8 people sleeping on the lower berth of a bunk bed. The hostel is not the nicest but the nicest as far as welcoming and helpfulness. Also the laundry room is cheap.

I'm sitting here writing because it has been raining on and off for the past 24 hours. I met up with a few of the folk from a previous conference last night and we had a nice dinner at Lincoln. I think you can guess the theme. I'm gonna try and get to a couple more places today, if the rain holds out.

Mall Tour Number Two