The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports that a John Kerry campaign ad designed to appeal to Hispanic veterans backfired in two ways. First, it may have taken photographs from a book called "South Texas Heroes" without permission. Secondly, it expropriated the image of a deceased Hispanic veteran who supported President Bush.
Alberto Vasquez and Mel Lemos, veterans of World War II, complained about the Kerry campaign's Spanish-language ad when they saw their photographs being used without permission and with bogus Hispanic names attached to them. "I'm really upset," said Lemos, a retired schoolteacher, whose nephew Frank Lemos, Jr. had been involved in assembling the book. The book also includes a picture of Frank's deceased father, whom the younger Lemos said "was a strong Bush supporter." The Kerry campaign has stopped running the ad.
