On the Lighter Side:
Rep. Tim Spear (D) of North Carolina had to apologize for a well-intentioned campaign flyer that was meant to send home the message to his constituents that he is a supporter of the U.S. military and military-friendly legislation.
A direct-mail flyer with the headline “In North Carolina, One Legislator is Covering Our Soldiers’ Backs” describes Spear’s support of legislation to help active-service men and women, and veterans. But, the stock photo selected by the art department of a political consulting firm was actually of a World War II reenactment of four German soldiers advancing on the enemy.
Obviously this is a huge embarrassment to Spear, and the art department of MSHC Partners, the group that created the flyer.
To make matters worse, the photo listed on a stock-image Web site, included a description, so how did the creative who selected the photo miss it?
“It was an insult to our military men and women and our veterans, but it was a personal insult to me,” Spear said.
What a mistake for the poor soul who picked it. We can sympathise with this honest mistake!
Note: All representation coordinated by Alpha is provided by our employees, the Advocates, who are accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). No private organization that trains and employs accredited agents has been legally recognized by the VA for the purposes of preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims. This work must be done by the Advocates themselves and not organizations.
1 comment on “Legislator’s Good Intentions in Support of U.S. Troops Backfires”
Mr. Spear’s political flier implying watching the backs of German soldiers instead of American soldiers has made international news. Reports have indicated Mr. Spear did not know about the error in time to stop it. On the day apparently his potential Democratic supporters received the flier, a “Meet the Candidates” Forum was held in Edenton, NC by a wonderful African-American Civic League. I attended that forum held on Monday, October 25th. As an amateur photographer I openly took photos that night. While Mr. Steinburg was speaking I could see Mr. Spear seated right behind him. When Mr. Steinburg humbly commented that his anti-Semitic experience was far less than the daily challenges of African-Americans, I saw Mr. Spear’s face turn red immediately and noticed obvious discomfort, which was captured in the photos. I do not know if Mr. Spear knew about the “error” or not. IF it was an error, he had ample time to apologize to everyone in the room. As a witness, he did not. The legacy of Mr. Spear’s political actions have latched onto many. In this case, the legacy was photographed in a way that words never could. Good intentions? You decide.