“He argued with the devil about who would have the body of Moses. Michael did not dare to accuse the devil with insults. He said, ‘The Lord punish you.’”
The Epistle of Jude, Verse 9
International Children’s Bible

Last week I was outraged. First, Amazon’s lawyer apparently organized a very amateurish intervention in delicate negotiations about changes to landlord tenant law. The unsigned Word document was so much like the language of the tenant advocates that legislators doubted its authenticity. And why would Amazon’s lawyer – who has plenty of things to worry about around the world – intervene in such a technically nuanced bill like SB 5600? We still don’t know, but the letter was disruptive and confusing. And after standing up for Amazon, I felt betrayed.

Worse was the complete journalistic malpractice committed by the Seattle Times, with their reporter failing to even call the signers of the letter to confirm its authenticity and to get their comments. Had the letter indeed been fraudulent, the entire story headlined as the tech giants of the region wading into the debate on SB 5600 on the side of tenants would have entered into the annals of “fake news.” As it turns out, Amazon disavowed the letter, saying their lawyer put the letter together on his own and it Amazon had no position on the bill.

Is their room for outrage in advocacy? Some might argue that the two things are the same or at least that one leads to the other. As the bumper sticker tells us, “If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention.” From almost the earliest records, people from prophets to protestors have expressed their outrage at systems that act unjustly and incoherently, ignoring math and science or favoring one group at the expense of another.

What happened last week was an example of how corrupt the narrative has become. Advocates for tenants base the rationale for bills like SB 5600 on the powerlessness of their constituency; yet, the largest corporation on planet Earth has waded in, carelessly, on their side. And the state’s largest paper reported the sloppily constructed letter as if it was fact without bothering to question whether it was real. The result is that it is even more likely that a bill written by lawyers for lawyers will, in some form, become law.

Does outrage fix this? I put the quote from the obscure epistle because I found it to be chastening. Outrage by itself does not solve the problem of fairness or efficiency. Being angry is not enough. The socialists are angry too, and their message is resonating; every day I see more and more press telling me their narrative – “You have less because others have more” – taking hold.

We rely on you to speak up and push back. A contribution, a supportive email, or an affirmation that you agree with the message that more housing is the best eviction prevention there is can change the narrative. Send us a note or contribution today.

Featured image: The Devil Rebuked (The Burial of Moses), William Blake, British (London, England 1757 – 1827 London, England), Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop