<strong>By Justin Jarrett</strong>

<a href="https://staging.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-13-at-2.40.58-PM.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-47776 alignleft" src="https://staging.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-13-at-2.40.58-PM.png" alt="" width="125" height="147"></a>I found myself disappointed, but not surprised, to read State Rep. Bill Herbkersman’s comments suggesting the armed insurrection on our nation’s capitol building last week was “unfortunate” but didn’t rise to the level of the Black Lives Matter protests last summer.

To conflate these events is beyond absurd and belies an inability to see the world as it actually is.

In one case, a group of people finally had enough and decided to fight back against injustice perpetrated over centuries that came to a head with the repeated murder of black men with impunity, by citizens and police officers alike.

The other case involved a group trying to perpetrate injustice in the form of preventing a democratically-elected government from taking power. One group was fighting for its lives; the other wants to take its ball and go home.

With regard to Rep. Herbkersman’s statement that, “at least it hasn’t reached a point where they’re burning cities like we saw six months ago,” the burning of buildings (no cities burned this summer) is a tragedy this country has endured many times. Don’t we know it here in the South.

Allowing domestic terrorists to attempt a coup, however feeble the attempt, without holding them accountable, is not something this nation will survive, even once.

If Rep. Herbkersman can’t tell the difference, and especially if he's questioning whether his loyalty is to his party or this country, I’d suggest it’s time for someone else to represent District 118 in Columbia.

<em>Justin Jarrett is the Sports Editor of The Island News.</em>