The Knuckleheads of the Day Award

Today's winners(or losers) are Petaluma California High School Principal Mike Simpson and the Petaluma school board for not allowing soon to be graduating High School senior Steven Kiernan to wear his Marine Blues at his school's graduation on June 11th. Steven who finished his classes early, is currently in Marine boot camp and ready to graduate out on June 1st. Here is the LA Times article.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/state/la-me-grad19may19,1,6163958.story?page=1&coll=la-news-state

This story is almost two weeks old but I found it while checking out the website for the local newspaper in Petaluma, The Press Democrat. More can be found there also at www.pressdemocrat.com (I know someone who works for this paper.)

SAN DIEGO — Steven Kiernan, 17, has two dreams: One is to become a Marine, and the other is to wear his Marine dress-blue uniform to his high school graduation.Kiernan is close to achieving the first. He has finished all but the final days of the grueling 12-week boot camp in San Diego.

But his goal of wearing his uniform to Petaluma High School's graduation on June 11 appears thwarted.The principal of the Northern California school notified Kiernan's parents that school rules require that all graduates wear the traditional cap and gown.

Jim Kiernan, Steven's father, plans to appeal the decision to the Petaluma school board at its meeting Tuesday."The Marine Corps has traditions, but I guess the school district has traditions too, and the different traditions have collided," he said in a telephone interview.

Jim Kiernan, who works for a vineyard management company, said he was not so much angered by the decision as he was puzzled. Other graduates, he said, will be honored for their achievements, by wearing adornments on their caps or having their names read aloud."Finishing boot camp is my son's achievement, and I think he deserves to be honored too," Jim Kiernan said.

He's a member of another school board in Sonoma County and says he knows that school boards can overrule principals.In similar cases this spring involving young Marines returning to their high school graduations in Illinois and Wisconsin, school officials lifted the no-uniforms rule.

Steven finished his course work early at Petaluma High so he could start boot camp. His parents, somewhat reluctantly, signed his enlistment papers.

Principal Mike Simpson said he sympathized with Steven and respects his decision to enlist. Simpson's father was a Marine who saw combat in World War II.Still, Simpson said, rules are rules.

"The intent of a graduation ceremony is not to individualize, but to show that all the graduates are part of the same class," he said. "If we do differentiate, it's because of academic achievements."

Rules are rules, the usual excuse for idiotic decisions. Don't anyone have common sense today? It seems to be missing in both our education system and immigration policies.

Note- The Petaluma School board last week decided not to grant an exception. Therefore they get Co-Knuckleheads along with Principal Simpson. None of these so called intelligent people see the irony in that Steven Kiernan will soon be defending their right to make stupid decisions.

Thank you Steven for taking up arms for our country. To Steven's parents you have much to be proud of in your son.