The entire nation was shocked by the weekend events in Charlottesville.
The sight of Americans displaying Nazi flags and salutes was disgusting. Brave soldiers, sailors and Marines gave their lives to defeat Nazi tyranny abroad. Now some twisted citizens use their precious Constitutional rights to bring such imagery to our shores. And they have the audacity to pretend to be patriots?
It was shocking, but not surprising to see their sick ideology erupt in deadly violence. We condemn these white supremacists, these neo-Nazis, in no uncertain terms.
We can't imagine how any American could do anything else.
We wanted to make that clear, because now we have something to say to those who, with good intentions, would use the Internet to combat this evil.
Be very careful.
No, we aren't talking about personal safety. We are talking about tactics. Don't become what you are fighting against.
In the past few days there has been a "name and shame" campaign on Facebook and other social media sites. Some are looking at photos taken in Charlottesville and trying to identify marchers and supporters.
While that's not necessarily wrong, it's important to be very, very sure. Because naming and shaming the wrong person could lead to a virtual lynch mob.
One photo showed a man wearing an "Arkansas Engineering" shirt-the kind easily purchased in a campus bookstore. He resembled an assistant professor in the University of Arkansas engineering department. And it wasn't long before the teacher's name was being bandied about the Internet as a white supremacist and neo-Nazi.
But a resemblance was all it was. The professor was in Arkansas at the time, at a conference. It was not him.
The university issued a statement to that effect. But his name and photo are still being shared, his reputation still being tarnished, online. This is the kind of thing that could damage his career in the longterm. It could also endanger him and his family if a deluded soul decides to take this further.
It's normal to be angry. It's normal to want to take a stand against the evil of injustice and racism. We encourage you to do so. But it's irresponsible to smear innocent Americans. They are people, not just collateral damage to a greater cause. Don't publicly identify these people until there is reliable confirmation. Don't share these "name and shame" posts unless you can independently verify they are accurate.
The Internet is powerful. When something gets out of hand, it spreads rapidly through social media and there can be serious consequences. What happened in Charlottesville was terrible. But you do not find justice through injustice.