I was appalled to see the mailer delivered to thousands of Pocatellans this week from two legislative candidates opposing Rep. James Ruchti and Nate Roberts.

In the words of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, I can’t define obscenity, “but I know it when I see it.”

What came in the mail this week was obscene. The false claims, hate and disgusting allegations have no basis in reality and crossed all lines of decency and dignity.

We are better than the mailer sent by candidates whose names I won’t mention out of respect for our community. They know what they are doing is wrong. They know making claims about “Trangender Basket Weaving” have no basis in reality or relevance for the people of Bannock County. It’s an insult to our community and a dangerous onramp for hostility and violence.

I’ve served in the statehouse. Most of what we do in the Legislature requires cooperation to provide for the benefit of all Idahoans. My late husband, Sen. Mark Nye, served eight years in the statehouse. Weeks ago, we celebrated his life at Idaho State University where both Democrats and Republicans came together to honor his life.

There is no honor in what these candidates are doing.

Service in the statehouse requires decorum, respect and understanding of real challenges that face our state. The mailer I saw this week from two candidates, violated any values needed to be an effective legislator.

We are smarter and better than that. And while it is almost impossible to find one truthful statement in the mailer, there are some very disturbing trends that go beyond the lies found in it.

First, the mailer suggests our public schools and school teachers are “indoctrinating” our kids with “woke radicalization” — a claim that has no basis in reality and is an insult to anybody who works in our beloved local schools.

My second fear is that these two unnamed candidates feel compelled to attack any curriculum unless it indoctrinates children into their very narrow beliefs of right and wrong. The candidates are running for the Legislature, not the morality police.

Pocatello is a diverse community. Not everybody is going to fit into the strict framework of who the candidates approve of. Our job is to represent all citizens. We don’t need a government that moralizes and judges us. We need a government that respects us and responds constructively to challenges in our daily lives such as the economy, education funding, taxes and infrastructure.

The mailer missed the mark. But we know how to fight this ugliness. Vote to re-elect Rep James Ruchti and send him to the Senate, and vote to elect Nate Roberts and Mary Shea to the House.

They will honor the decency, dignity and respect of this community.

Eva Nye is the wife of the late state Sen. Mark Nye and is a former Pocatello City Council member.