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Monumental Shutdown

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The post Monumental Shutdown appeared first on The World is Our District.

It wasn’t quite the invasion of Normandy…but it was still a sight. Octogenarian WWII vets on an Honor Flight pushing their way past barricades and yellow tape to see what they came to DC for: the World War II Memorial on the National Mall.

This particular group was from Mississippi, and their timing couldn’t have been worse. Just hours before landing at DCA the federal government of the United States of America shutdown. Yes. The government of the world’s largest and most powerful economy ceased to exist. As much as I’d love to assign blame, this isn’t the time or the venue.

The fact of the matter is that people, real people…and travelers are effected.

The Smithsonian collection: closed.

These museums stand as testament to the ideas of the Enlightenment. That knowledge belongs to the people. To ALL the people. That we should have access to instruments and articles of knowledge. An Englishman believed so dearly in that idea that he left his fortune to a nation he had never even visited…he believed in the experiment of that nation. And now those museums bearing his name are shuttered to the people, while the representatives of the people play a game of political brinksmanship.

The irony continues as you walk around the Mall. The “Front Lawn of America” is technically closed. The idea of “closing” a lawn is ludicrous. It’s easy enough to walk around the barriers. And a handful of lawbreaking runners, tourists and commuters have been doing just that. Still though, relatively speaking, the Mall is empty. It looks more like the beginnings of some post-apocalyptic universe (shit, maybe this is how it all starts).

Gates and yellow tape block access to all of the memorials on the Mall and Tidal Basin. Jefferson, who believes that all men are born free, is locked behind a gate. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr stares defiantly across the Basin, himself behind bars…again. Behind yellow tape FDR declares “the only thing we have to fear…is fear itself.” Oh, and being arrested for trespassing.

Last night I led a tour of the Mall. It was a dark lonely place. Typically it’s overflowing with tourists and locals enjoying the marvelous vistas and relishing in the meaning of our democracy. But last night it was nothing more than a stark illustration of what our democracy has devolved into. And those poor tourists. They came to DC from around the world, only to bear witness to the extreme lunacy of our fractured system. Usually I can dress things up by saying it’s a privilege to be in the District during a newsworthy time…but there’s no dressing up this hog. It’s damn ugly.

 

But rejoice! It’s not all doom and gloom. This city has its fair share of world class museums that are privately run…and there are a few things you can do to stave off monumental depression

Newseum

International Spy Museum

Crime and Punishment Museum

Hillwood Museum

Phillips Collection

National Geographic Museum

Textile Museum

Folger Shakespeare Library

And for some fresh air…hire out a bike and ride to Mount Vernon. It’s open and they’ve just unveiled the George Washington Presidential Library. 

Good luck…and hopefully America opens for business sometime soon because I know as bad as things are in DC, they can only be worse in all those small towns that serve as gateways to our National Park system (ahem…a showcase for the world…ahem)

 

 

 

The post Monumental Shutdown appeared first on The World is Our District.


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