This story doesn't really mean anything, but it made me laugh. For a school hat project, some dorky kid named David made a hat with plastic Army men affixed to the top. It's a ridiculous looking hat and the kid should have been subject to much ridicule and bullying to make him aware of it. Apparently the school administrators, in an attempt to prevent having to clean up nose blood from the lockers, told the kid to lose the stupid hat, but the only reason they could come up with is because the hat violated the schools no-weapons policy. I've choosen to believe this version that I've made up because the thought that school administrators can't tell the difference between a real gun and a plastic gun the size of a grain of rice just frightens me in regards to how bad the education system in this country actually is. Not because I care about the education system, but because I'd be forced to write about it.
But as if that weren't enough, this story hit home to one retired Light General Reginald Centracchio of the Rhode Island National Guard. Now the news story says the kid was awarded a medal, but upon reading the story thoroughly, and having some military experience of my own, realized that he was awarded not a medal, but a challenge coin. Now for those of you not in the know, challenge coins have plenty of history, but now are primarily used for drinking games. So this general gives this kid a toy for drinking games and some piece of paper that allows him to call himself a Brigadier General, just one rank short of the awarder, Lieutenant General Centracchio.
The ole General was quoted as saying;
"You did nothing wrong, and you did an outstanding job. We can only hope that kids of your caliber will continue to defend this country."
Clearly suffering from dementia, the General apparently thought the guns were real as well, and possibly the soldiers too, unaware that there's no way a small child could cart around a half dozen live, armed soldiers atop his impressionable head which I'm sure still has the skullcap soft-spot which would limit the load carrying capabilities substantially. I assume he promoted the kid to General because the soldiers on his head were not listening to David's orders. Now he can run off and defend the borders of Rhode Island from insurgents invading from Connecticut, without having to worry about getting any lip from his insubordinate troops.
Not to be outdone, the ACLU got on board, full tilt, organizing a massive effort from hundreds of its members, to write a single letter and send it to the school district complaining that the schools no-weapons policy is a violation of his constitutional rights to free speech.
The only thing left to do here is palm my own face.
Link to story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100618/ap_on_re_us/us_army_hat_banned
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