I was in a mob once.  It started out as good fun.  Protesting.  (I would give the details, but they are pretty boring.)  Soon, however, it turned into mischief.  Again, harmless enough.  But then it changed to mindless physical encounters.  I said to myself, Greg, you'd better get the hell out of here.  Which I did.

A mob has no mind of its own.  When it discovers that physical numbers can overcome resistance of even the police, a dangerous line has been crossed.  That line is the one between civil law and jungle law/anarchy.  For example, a woman in a grocery store isn't wearing a mask.  A mob quickly gathers and threatens her.  Their taunts are filmed.  And the film goes viral.  The social media pick it up.  And the nation, without consciously realizing it, has witnessed a stoning.  The woman has lost her safety.  We are all less safe now.

During World War II, a woman known as Tokyo Rose broadcast propaganda for the Japanese.  It was disinformation aimed at demoralizing our troops.  It was also clear that hatred of Jews was deliberate propaganda, aimed at rallying support for blind adherence to government control.  At the time, around 10 years of age, I thought propaganda could not work in America.  We were too sophisticated and intelligent.  Further, our government would never resort to mind-control efforts.  Unfortunately, leftist leaders of our government have discovered that a demoralized populace is easier to control.  A dangerous line has been crossed.  People's voices have been silenced, mostly by censorship, but also by retribution.  Terminating an employee whose Facebook posts are found offensive, calling for resignations of business and government leaders whose policies offend, tearing down statues and burning buildings as though these inanimate objects had committed some offense — all are akin to a stoning.  We are all less safe now.

Those who lead in the stonings — the leftist media, the strident street marchers — might cast themselves as innocent and peaceful, but when the object is to vilify the police, or whitey, or the menu of the day, what's the difference?

It's still a stoning.