Statement of Purpose:

America doesn't want to learn anything. After Vietnam, the nation agreed to not wrestle with our failure. This continues to this day. At the same time, in the face of disaster, we demand "closure." This proposal salutes these truly American ways in relation to the Iraq War. It is a memorial to our inner Oprah and Rumsfeld and the absolute impotence of our greiving.

The Ellipse will be planted with a thick forest, "The Grove of Willful Ignorance." Winding through this forest will be meandering dirt paths, "The Trails of Glorious Pity." All paths will lead to a clearing in the center of the site. Rising from this clearing will be the tallest structure in DC: "The Trying not to Learn Anything Tower," built of Iraqi sandstone. One small entrance will lead inside the base of the Tower. Once inside, visitors can look up at the vast darkness of the space and ponder the depths of our ignorance. The structure is crowned with a flag.

If such thoughts are too much for Americans, they can always stop in the Grove of Wilful Ignorance and feel good for themselves by feeling pity for those who died.