I am writing to commend The Durango Herald for running John Feazel’s letter, “Property tax funds are child abuse” (Feb. 27).
Admittedly, my first reaction was probably the one shared by most readers: that the letter was rambling, incoherent and borderline offensive. But upon reflection, I see an Andy Kaufman-esque genius to it.
What better use of irony than to critique the school system by misinterpreting the definition of public education in a letter that struggles to piece together a complete sentence? How brilliantly insightful to claim that vaccinated people are carrying communicable diseases, while impugning the mountains of evidence of their efficacy in reducing illness? And using the rhetorical device of comparing a civic duty to one of the more heinous crimes a person can commit – child abuse – shows a deeply thoughtful mind.
So again, I tip my cap to the quality control at the Herald for seeing past the incoherent, anti-tax banalities this letter began with and finding the pure brilliance of Feazel’s ironic positions.
Kyle Edmondson
Durango
