WASHINGTON — It is humbling to see total strangers attend the funerals of veterans’ who don't have any family, but lawmakers are going the extra mile to avoid that problem altogether: Congress just passed a law allowing dying veterans to pick someone to be buried with them.

Wow! How patriotic!

In a closed session of Congress last week, Republicans and Democrats put their bipartisan bickering aside to pass the Veterans Benevolence and Ethereal Transition Act. The bill, introduced by US Congressman and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw, will create a lottery system for Americans of any age, sex, or ethnicity to be selected at random to repay "the ultimate sacrifice" to a veteran who would otherwise die completely alone.