No He Didn't

There's a political race for the district attorney's position in my town. As a lawyer, I personally know most of the candidates. And I understand, even as a defense attorney, that being tough on crime is the way to win the DA's position. (The pratical reality is that there are not enough jail spaces or resources to prosecute every crime, and a good DA recognizes a criminal who needs to be behind bars and one who is nonviolent and unlikely to repeat his/her crimes, but they never advertise such things. :/)

But one ad that arrived in my mailbox was unacceptable. I even like the candidate as a person. (Remember, I know him as a fellow attorney.) But the ad is horrifying!

There is a man currently on death row in our state for being a convicted serial killer. I know the man and his family. I never spoke to him, but I went to school with his sister, who looks just like him. They have a very distinctive look. As a child, the man lived next door to my grandma (and was a child himself). I would see him playing, or stealing veggies out of the garden. (They very poor, and my mom used to remind me not to say anything if they took a few veggies.)

When he was arrested for his serial killing spree, his image was plastered all over the local news. A man I knew, at least by sight, was a murderer. As a law student, I toured the state penitentary. He was on death row. He stared at me. I hoped he did not recognize me, and I felt sad - for his victims, for his family, for his soul.

So imagine my shock and surprise when I open my mail, and there's a big picture of the serial killer in my mailbox.

Apparently, the attorney running for DA had done the trial and gotten the conviction. Fine. That is appropriate to advertise if you want to be DA.

But scaring me to vote for you? Bringing up the old serial killer feelings? Not acceptable! The advertising was, in my opinion, inappropriate and weird.

Etcetera.