In response to John Kent’s letter “Republican outlook is old and predictable,” printed in the Oct. 11 issue of The News, it’s na’ve to believe that only one political party engages in negative political advertising. Secondly, it is wrong to confuse negative advertising with “dirty tricks.” There is nothing wrong with telling the truth about your opponent if he will not tell the truth about himself.

For instance, Deval Patrick misrepresented his efforts to free Benjamin LaGuer, who was convicted of the rape and battery of a 59-year-old woman. He said he wrote “one letter 15 years ago” and he had “absolutely no memory” of contributing money to the effort. Patrick wasn’t asking for a new trial. He was saying, “Let him out.”

As we now know, Patrick was being less than honest about all of this. Why is being sure the voters know the true facts described as “negative advertising?” Are even the worst of criminals deserving of defense representation? Yes, they are. Is it wrong to be a strong proponent of prisoner’s rights? Of course it isn’t.

Probably more effective and less awkward is to turn the questions into statements. Personally, I’ll be voting for a candidate who will focus on citizen’s rights and safety over those of the criminal, and who won’t be releasing a Willie Horton or a Benjamin LaGuer any- time soon.

– Steve Bubar graduated in 1970 with a bachelors of arts degree.