World War II Vets Crash the Shutdown

One thing about the Greatest Generation: When we needed to overrun an enemy position, we seldom hesitated. Remnants of our troops did it again in Washington today, crashing barricades set up by the government shutdown and occupying the position.

The image tickles me. As all national parks remain closed by Tea Party insurgents in the House of Representatives, 91 octogenarians storm the World War II Memorial and take it.

True, guards stood aside while the vets, some in wheelchairs, crashed through, but the symbolism is inescapable: A generation that put its lives on the line when the country was under siege was not going to be deterred from a mission by today’s pissants on Capitol Hill.

While the old-timers did their stuff, the other bit of good news in DC was the delight of some government workers at being declared essential while the madness prevails. “Good for the resume,” says one.

And, as Walter Cronkite used to sign off the news, “That’s the way it is” in our world today.