No, Alice. This is not the pig that the Duchess' baby became in your arms. This pig stars in an essay by an older contemporary of Lewis Carroll (a.k.a. Charles Dodgson) -- one Charles Lamb (1775-1834). In his essay, "Roast Pig", Lamb pretended to explain the origin of cooking, in order to show that humans often do things the-round-about-way, for the first time -- and only later find shortcuts.

In the essay, a Chinese gentleman has a favored pig. But he must take a journey, so he encloses the pig in his house, for safe keeping. Down the road a way, the Chinese gentleman sees lightning strike his house and set it afire. Hurrying back, he arrives just as the house is "in ashes". He smells something interesting. It is the pig, roasted. He cuts off a piece and tastes it. Yummy!

So, later, the Chinese gentleman

• builds another house;
• puts a pig in it;
• burns down the house;
• and eats roast pig.

Repeating, this essay showS that humans often do things the-round-about-way, for the first time -- and only later find shortcuts

Inspired by this amusing essay, I created a term, "Roast Barrel", combining the idea of "Roast Pig" with the expression, "Pork Barrel" for Government-Paid projects that waste money for the sake of a Congressman's constituents. Meaning: do it badly, do it over -- at further expense.

Due to experience of my dear departed disabled wife, I became very aware of the Roast Pork Barrel strategy to invoke discrimination against the ADA and attempts to provide accessibility for disabled persons.

I believe that concern for the disabled was invoked by activities of disabled Vietnam veterans and I'm dismayed that the Media do not make this better known. My argument derives from 30 years of observation in this Washington area.

When we first moved here, I often read stories in The Washington Post or the now defunct Washington Star about a particular quadraplegic Vietnam veteran. He was described as very strong in his arms and used his hands to propel his wheel chair at a considerable rate. On the side of his wheelchair, he had fastened a sledge-hammer. When he came to a curb that did not have curb-cut accessibility from street to sidewalk, this veteran would make a curb-cut, swinging his sledge-hammer with his powerful shoulders.

Naturally, this would arouse a policeman, who would take th Vietnam veteran before a judge. But the veteran was also prepared for this contingency. He had a copy of the Council directive that these curb-cuts were to be available in the heart of DC. The judge would say something to the effect, "So you made a curb-cut and saved the tax-payers the cost of it. Case dismissed." Then he would say to the policeman making the charge, "I don't ever want to see this veteran brought into my courtroom on this type of complaint!

During Esther's years with the Park Service, mooving about with a scooter-chair, she was often called upon to test the accessibility of Park facilities and City facilities with which the Park Department was concerned.

Repeatedly, Esther discovered the facilities to be unsatisfactory -- typically, ramps too steep for easy maneuvering. And enquiry often disclosed that a disabled person was not used in the modeling, but rather an able-bodied engineer. So the work had to be done over, resulting in more and more stories about the mounting cost of providing accessibiity for the disabled.

For example, Eisenhower Plaza was built up in front of the National Theater in DC. Because the Park Department had partial jurisdiction in the construction, Esther was taken there to test the accessibility. I went with her.

Sitting at the highest level of the Plaza, Esther was asked to wheel down the ramp to the lower level. She protested that the ramp was too steep. But an engineer contradicted her and said he would he there to "catch her" at the bottom. Wheeling down at an accelerated rate, Esther knocked the engineer into a waste basket. "I'm glad you were there, Sir", Esther said. "I might have been the one going into that basket." Muttered the engineer, "Who the hell brought her here?"

Do it the long or wrong way, then do it over to increase the cost of the project. Then blame it on "pandering" to the disabled. Would you call this "hidden discrimination by able-bodied bigots"?

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