I guess today’s post should be rated “X” so be sure to keep it hidden from the kiddies . . . Hiked up to the Capitol this gray afternoon to see what is up with the renovations to the park. The new area surrounding the Mexican War monument is quite an improvement and welcomed. However, I was there at the behest of a wheel chair user who said the “improvements” had eliminated the ramp from Strawberry Square (it has become a series of short stairs) and that she has no access to the park at all now. And as far as I could see, she is right. She said she and others have made numerous calls to various state agencies to point out this deficiency but they have been shunted about without anyone addressing the problem. Perhaps a reader can help . . . Noticed that the George Gray Barnard statuary at the Capitol entrance is more-or-less visible again. It has been under wraps off and on ever since I came to Harrisburg in 1962. When first revealed in 1912 there was a public outcry since the males’ genitals were on display (though cherub-like as was the fashion). Barnard agreed to cover them up and, it is said, got back at his critics by slathering on a lot more than was necessary to hide the offensive “members.” I have searched the Internet for a picture of the originals without success (though Barnard’s works are given a lot of attention) but I am sure that the State Library once had a book that featured them during a Paris exhibition. Barnard, incidentally, never got paid what he had been promised thanks to the financial scandals that plagued the building project—maybe another reason for his “exaggerations?” . . . The British Government is about to tackle a problem that has bothered me since my journalism days—the media practice of identifying an alleged rapist or child abuser without naming the accusers. Even when a person is found innocent of the charges he/she will be suspect for the rest of their lives and those who provided “false witness” will never be known. There is of course a general outcry from feminists, who fear that genuine victims will not come forward, but I think that is a ridiculous claim; not identifying either party until a determination is made should hurt no one. In my opinion our own news outlets should reconsider their current policies as well . . .
Ronn, my father was in a wheelchair the last 25 years of his life. I think his approach would be something like this:
ReplyDeleteGet a dozen people who use wheelchairs up to the top of the series of stairs. Call the local news. Then call rescue services to get them all down.
My father was asked to leave a movie theater one night (circa 1975) because he was deemed a "fire hazard" for blocking the aisle with his wheelchair. He got home, called the local news, did an interview about how he was treated right in front of the theater. The next weekend, he was invited back to the theater to sit in their new "handicap" section where they took out 2 rows of 3 chairs and created a nice place for wheelchairs.
http://www.milnercarrconservation.com/portfolio/project.cfm?projectid=49
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