Yglesias and others find the World War II memorial “incomprehensible” and “un-American.” I know the first time I walked past it I spent more time trying to figure out why the states were where they were, than being inspired by the service of our men and women in the war. A memorial that does that is failing at its basic mission.

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.