‘Fully qualified’
Re “Not qualified” (Your Views, Oct. 19): The letter writer apparently does not consider a license to practice law from the Virginia State Bar based upon the “law reader program” of the VSB a sufficient qualification to practice law in Virginia. She is mistaken. Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle and many other experienced attorneys who have completed the very stringent VSB approved “law reader program” passed the bar exam and have been admitted to practice are fully qualified to practice law in the commonwealth. The stringent requirements are set out in the VSB site.
Indeed, for more than 100 years, “reading law” under a qualified lawyer was the standard by which applicants to the bar became educated in law and qualified to take the bar exam. Only late in the 1800s did law schools granting law degrees become the more common way to prepare for the bar exams. In practicing as a trial attorney for 36 years, I met many well qualified and experienced lawyers who had qualified to take the bar exam through the law reader program approved by the VSB. It is not a “reckless shortcut that should have been abolished long ago” as the writer asserts.
Of course all practicing lawyers must take and pass the bar exam and meet other background qualifications. I do not know of any reason Stolle should be considered unqualified by virtue of having taken the reader program. Apparently the bar examiners were satisfied with his qualifications many years ago.
James A. Metcalfe, Esq., Virginia Beach
Bigger issue
Re “Distractions” (Your Views, Oct. 22): The letter writer cites the extremely low number of athletes who fit into the transgender category, so to him the issue is irrelevant.
I would only ask the letter writer: What if it were your daughter who had to share a locker room with a biological male? Also, he points out that “the Virginia High School League has banned transgender students from facilities with their birth gender teammates.” He obviously doesn’t know that all the Northern Virginia cities and counties (Fairfax, Loudon, Alexandria, Arlington, etc.) absolutely allow this to go on. I say the subject is not a distraction.
J.C. Snead, Virginia Beach
Don’t sink Virginia
I love the way the Democrats, because they have no platform or plan, are trying to run against President Donald Trump. Trump does not affect what Virginia legislators do, and they cannot affect what he does. One has very little to do with the other.
Some of what Democrats passed, and which was vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, along with other things they publicly support or refuse to denounce are: biological males using girls bathrooms and locker rooms; biological boys in girls’ sports; a constitutional amendment that allows late-term abortions; green initiatives that could cause drastic increases in electric bills; requiring Virginia to follow California emission control standards; so-called “gun safety” laws that just control the weapons law-abiding citizens have and make people (especially criminals) feel good; and bringing back early parole initiatives for criminals. I could go on and on with their insane ideas, but this should give any voter the general idea.
The Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general not only wants political opponents dead, and said he would like to kill them and also their children. He not only is deranged enough to wish these atrocities but stupid enough to text them.
If this crowd gets elected to run the state, I suggest they change its name from Virginia to Titanic because it’s sinking.
Volpe M. Boykin, Carrsville
Election letters
We will accept letters related to the election through 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, and publish them, space permitting, through Friday, Oct. 31.
