CALLOUS AND COWARDLY

During the recent riot in Washington, an act of bravery stood out while an act of cowardice went largely unnoticed.

A video shows a brave police officer inside the Capitol building risking his life while being pursued up the steps. He was keeping the mob at bay with only a baton until help arrived.

Juxtapose this image with one outside the building, where we see the mob at an entrance trying to gain access while being kept back by police.

Some of the rioters are using sticks as weapons — one of them appears to be a hockey stick — while several others are assaulting a police officer on the ground.

One rioter continues the assault, reaching out and repeatedly striking the fallen officer — until the assailant’s ball cap falls off. At this point, he abruptly stops, turns and bends over in an obvious attempt to retrieve the cap. He appears to be more concerned over the loss of his head covering than the injury he was inflicting on a fellow human being.

Have we reached the point as a society where a $10 ball cap has more value to some than a human life?

Keith Macisaac,

Sydney Mines