One of the less well-known memorials in Washington, DC, sitting in the wooded area just south of the Reflecting Pool across the street from the new memorial to Dr. King, is this stately and elegant stone memorial:
(photo removed for copyright)
That is the DC World War I memorial—paid for by the citizens of the District of Columbia and dedicated in 1931 to the memory of the 499 citizens of the District of Columbia who gave their lives in service of their country in the Great War.
It's a clear sign to the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit our nation's capital every year that the people who live in the city they're visiting have fought, bled, and died for their country just as much as anyone from Alabama, Nebraska, Oregon, or New Jersey.
That makes it an implicit argument that we residents of DC, like the people in the 50 enfranchised states, are also entitled to the things every other American takes for granted: a voting representative in Congress, two voting Senators, and full home rule.
Which is, of course, the real reason that a Republican from Texas is trying to take it away from us.
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