LET US HEAR FROM YOU!
We welcome letters to the editor on issues presented in the magazine. Email letters to wabarnews@wsba.org. All opinions, statements, and conclusions expressed in letters to the editor represent the views of the respective authors and do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the WSBA or its Board of Governors. Publication of letters to the editor is not to be deemed an endorsement of the opinions, statements, and conclusions expressed by the author(s).
On Wokeness
I think I know why those who don’t want to hear about the reality of historical and current experiences caused by both systemic (repeated) discriminatory actions and reactions that are chronic and/or acute label the more open-minded as being “woke.” It is rhetoric driven by spite and spin. I am referring to the Letters to the Editor in March 2023 issue of Bar News.
I take the word “woke” to mean, in fact, the opposite of being asleep. The only thing that is anti-capitalist is the way capitalism is run these days, causing people to question, “What is in it for me?” A society that isn’t run by the masses for the masses tends to grind away into oblivion. What we have, in fact, is an elitism agenda and the source where the anti-tax rhetoric started. The concentration of wealth in a small percentage at the top grows exponentially while those who question the status quo, defined as hoarding economic wealth and opportunity, are villainized.
For example, Indian land set aside for the tribes and tribal members under contract and treaty was stolen—vast areas appearing to have “marketable title” are so only as a matter of paper, not title. This and other involuntary sacrifices aren’t figments of imagination and are borne by just certain parts of society—without as much as a kiss or “thank you.”
The WSBA and the “justice system” don’t need to apologize for becoming or being awake. Those who don’t like it can move to one of those 20 states that prefer being asleep and head in the sand.
Helen Nowlin
Glenoma
Letters to the editor published in Bar News must respond to content presented in the magazine and also comply with Washington General Rule 12.2 and Keller v. State Bar of California, 496 U.S. 1 (1990).* Bar News may limit the number of letters published based on available space in a particular issue and, if many letters are received in response to a specific piece in the magazine, may select letters that provide differing viewpoints to publish. Bar News does not publish anonymous letters or more than one letter from the same contributor per issue. All letters are subject to editing for length, clarity, civility, and grammatical accuracy.
*GR 12.2(c) states that the WSBA is not authorized to “(1) Take positions on issues concerning the politics or social positions of foreign nations; (2) Take positions on political or social issues which do not relate to or affect the practice of law or the administration of justice; or (3) Support or oppose, in an election, candidates for public office.” In Keller v. State Bar of California, the Court ruled that a bar association may not use mandatory member fees to support political or ideological activities that are not reasonably related to the regulation of the legal profession or improving the quality of legal services.
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Furry Friends of Bar News
Over this past summer we asked WSBA members on social media to share their work-from-home coworkers, and you can check out these pawsitvely hard-working legal professionals at wabarnews.org/2022/12/14/furry-friends-of-bar-news/. You can still share a pic of your furry coworker: email wabarnews@wsba.org.