During the Civil War, Union troops occupied Alexandria, Virginia (which was, of course, seceded Confederate territory). Not only did we bury our dead in Robert E. Lee's front yard (now Arlington National Cemetery), but Union troops camped in the graveyard of Christ Church, Alexandria, where both George Washington and Robert E. Lee attended services. Their campfires darkened the back of many headstones, and you can see that for yourself even today.

So, what I'm saying is: hotels closed? restaurants closed? OK. So what. The capital and the capitol BELONG to us; we're not entering enemy territory, we're coming home to a territory that has been occupied by the enemy for far too long. If they want to make it hard, so be it; we're not the soy latte crowd, we're the march in the snow, sleep in the rain crowd. If they want to make it violent, so be it; that path holds nothing for them but regret. Free people do not ask permission, nor make excuses, nor fear hardship.