Berkeley: The Dumbest Place on Earth

Is there anywhere in the world dumber than Berkeley, California? Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States and the writer of the Declaration of Independence, but his name will no longer grace the Jefferson Elementary School in Berkeley. City school board members, teachers, parents and students at the school recently voted to change its name to Sequoia Elementary because the school's namesake was a slave owner.

Never mind the fact that the City of Berkeley itself is named afer George Berkeley, an 18th century slave owner who believed that slavery was the best way to Christianize non-whites. Perhaps this is what is giving two members of the Berkeley Unified School District second thoughts about changing the school's name.

One relative of a student at the ex-Jefferson Elementary School gave perhaps the most sound reason for renaming the school:

“My five year old nephew told me he voted for Ralph Bunche as the school name because it sounded like one of his favorite cereals, Honey Bunches of Oats.”