BRATTLEBORO — Perhaps the most appalling defense mounted by members of the GOP for the fallen Donald Trump was that the violence at the U.S. Capitol was somehow equivalent - or even less serious - than the protests for civil rights that occurred throughout the summer in the cause of Black Lives Matter.
Let me clarify.
The marches and protests that followed the extralegal lynching of George Floyd and the utterly incompetent raid that resulted in the murder by police of Breonna Taylor were actual heartbreaking injustices. They were crimes that stand in a long and continuing line of brutality by police towards African Americans.
Racist violence is real, and the list of unarmed and non-threatening Black citizens who have been killed and gunned down with impunity continues to grow.
Now let us look at the so-called injustice that inspired a mob to assault the U.S. Capitol and halt the work of our legislators and even threaten their lives.
This “injustice” was a fantasy, a lie, and a repulsive self-serving fraud perpetrated by a broken man in the White House. The “steal” of this election did not happen.
So how do we equate these two? We do so by saying the injustices born by Black Americans must be fake and overblown. At the same time, the completely made-up injustices felt by a white cop-killing mob are a holy crusade.
This equation is an abomination.
If you cannot see the racist underpinnings of this utterly false equivalency, then you need to look around, get educated, and stop believing whatever self-serving fake conspiracy has taken hold of your brain and your soul.
Yes, violence is not the way. I condemn it, as do all reasonable people.
But think for a moment and ask yourself, “What is the root cause of this anger? Is it real injustice, or is it a made-up conspiracy based upon lies?”
I think you know the answer.