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There ought to be a warning, come October, before TV commercial breaks: "Viewer discretion advised. The following message may contain not a single shred of truth."

A case in point, whether you live in Alamance County or not, is Rick Gunn's N.C. Senate spot running at least once per break, if not twice, on every dollar-a-holler cable station.

Gunn, joined by fellow Republican Sheriff Terry Johnson, denounces his opponent for "cutting" immigration enforcement and letting convicted illegals out of prison "early."

You heard right. Well, half-right.

"We need to send a clear message," the tough-talking real estate broker says in the ad, in which he poses in front of a deputy's patrol car with Sheriff Johnson, in front of the gleaming new Alamance County jail.

There's just a little problem with this flame-thrower of a saturation ad, which follows a long, incendiary summer in Alamance, where the Board of Commissioners, the health department and the DSS turned into battlegrounds over illegal immigration.

The problem? The votes Gunn cites by his Democratic opponent, incumbent Sen. Tony Foriest, were almost unanimously approved by Republican and Democratic legislators alike, and weren't pro-illegal immigrant at all.

First, the ad says Foriest "voted to cut funds for a program allowing sheriffs to deport illegal aliens."

Not according to the N.C. Sheriff's Association.

Because of a surplus of $250,000 left over from the previous year for the cross-sworn county immigration enforcement programs, known as "287(g)" programs, legislative liaison Eddie Caldwell said the sheriffs were "thoroughly satisfied" with the current appropriation.

Second, Gunn's ad says Foriest "even voted to let convicted illegal aliens get out of prison early."

What actually happened? The N.C. Senate voted 47-0 to let illegal aliens be deported for nonviolent offenses after serving half their sentences. The goal of the bill, which also passed the House 103-2, was to save money.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Tony Rand of Cumberland County, said housing an inmate costs $25,000 to $30,000 a year. Rand argued that deporting 200 illegal immigrants would save the state $5 million.

Gunn counters that illegal aliens released for deportation might just come back. So why did his fellow Republicans support both measures?

"I'm OK standing as an independent on this," Gunn said Tuesday. "If citizens have to serve their sentence, so should illegal aliens. And I'm for expanding 287(g) to all counties."

One last visit with Bunnie

Meanwhile, sad news for those who called about a story in this space Sunday on Bunnie and the SPCA adoption center. The shepherd mix died this week, after a bout with colon cancer.

The dog's owner, Margaret Horne, had visited Bunnie on Friday, then got a call from an SPCA staffer Monday: "It's time," the staffer said.

The dog was one of some 50 pets whose owners, unable to manage, have surrendered them to Cozy Acres. On weekends, the center holds adoption fairs at PetSmart stores on Lawndale Avenue and Bridford Parkway.

Contact Lorraine Ahearn at 373-7334 or lorraine. ahearn@news-record.com