The Billiken's Bluff

MILWAUKEE - A new Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin has been crowned after pageant leaders stripped the original winner of the title when she appeared in a newspaper photograph standing up.

The announcement of the new winner Tuesday came amid a storm of protest over pageant officials' decision last week to take the crown away from Janeal Lee, a high school teacher and muscular dystrophy sufferer who uses a scooter as her main way to get around but says she can walk up to 50 feet on a good day and stand while teaching.

During the furor, the runner-up refused to accept the crown out of protest. Lee's sister, who also has muscular dystrophy and was named Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota, dropped out of the competition in that state. And the coordinator for the organization's Minnesota program stepped down from her job to "stand up for Janeal Lee." (Yikes! Poor wording by the coordinator.)

[Full story @ Yahoo News]



Janeal Lee is shown wearing her Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin sash before the title was taken away by pageant officials.



Kim Jerman laughs as she wears the Ms. Wheelchair of Wisconsin sash at work in Waukesha, Wis., Wednesday, April 6, 2005.

A great story. Full of both drama and comedy. I laughed, I cried, and then I realized it sounded vaguely familiar. This Wheelchair fiasco calls to mind the Seinfeld episode where George pretends to be handicapped in order to gain access to a private handicapped bathroom at the playground equipment company he is working for. His employer then purchases George a motorized Rascal (is there any other kind of Rascal, I mean come on?).



George's cover is blown when he stands up and gets out of his Rascal to yell at a fellow disabled scooter driver.

Well, it's almost the same as the Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin scandal.