I WOULD TAKE FELGER SERIOUSLY IF HE DID THE SAME HIMSELF

The Editor:

Jeffrey Hanson-Carlson asks a legitimate question ["Why doesn't
anyone listen to Tim Felger?" Times, Nov. 28] and he deserves a
legitimate answer.

Perhaps the answer lies within the same editorial in which he poses
the question.

Hanson-Carlson dismisses Felger's antics but for the average Joe, the
fact that Felger has gone to prison for growing pot, "roughed up a
couple of cops," and plastered Abbotsford and Mission with
provocative signs is a big deal.

Instead of raising the profile of drug abuse, Felger has made himself
the issue.

His are confrontational approaches and as such they do little to gain
Felger credibility or empathy. They seem designed to gain notoriety
and public disdain, and in this regard they are remarkably successful.

Sadly, while Felger engages in theatrics and wages what he must see
as a Quixotian battle, he merely makes a mockery of his own
argument. I am interested in any message aimed at decreasing the
social illness of drugs, but I have a hard time taking this messenger
seriously.

As a candidate in the last municipal election, I had many occasions
to hear from Felger and I was saddened to see him squander his time
before the public.

He rarely missed a chance to mock the process or other candidates; he
showed little understanding for the audiences he addressed or the
issues [other than drugs] in their communities; he was either
uninformed or misinformed on local issues; and he cracked-wise when
he had the chance to truly reach people with his ideas.

Hansen-Carlson wants us to take Felger's ideas seriously, but before
I do, I'm going to look for some evidence that Felger has asked the
same of himself.

Paul Horn

Mission