So here goes David Cannon comparing wildly different atrocities to the Jan. 6th riot (“The Jan. 6 protest, BLM riots, and the Reichstag,” published April 21). Rwanda, Vietnam, really? He than goes on to state how little damage was done to the Capitol compared to the antifa/BLM protests, and he does have his facts straight regarding the costs.

I actually don’t know if there are any figures on the Capitol riots or not but the cost of the damage is really irrelevant, it’s the intent that makes the difference. The antifa/BLM protests were a response to a vastly unequal system of justice in our country that:

One, allows police officers to kill people, mostly of color, with no penalty whatsoever; and

Two, incarcerates them at much higher rates for much lesser crimes.

The Capitol riots were based on a huge lie promoted by President Trump and his loyal followers that caused his rabid followers to attempt to overthrow the duly-elected government of our country. Big difference.

Now, no weapons, really? Stun guns, pepper spray, baseball bats and flag poles used as clubs, also several people had zip ties used as handcuffs by police, who do you suppose they were going to use them on? Pipe bombs were also planted. Since few people were arrested on site, there is no way to really know how many of these people were armed, but several were arrested for carrying guns.

Mr. Cannon then refers to CNN/MSNBC, etc. as Pravda news services. I would contend that he has that confused with Breitbart, Fox News, etc. who continually spread lies and disinformation. These were the organizations who continually agreed with the former president in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary that the election had been stolen.

Mr. Cannon asks if you remember John Sullivan. Well, yes, I’ve heard that there is actually no evidence whatsoever linking him to antifa or BLM.

Oh, and, indeed, it was a monumentally stupid thing for his supporters to do, at his behest and with his blessing.

Larry Benson

Enumclaw