A report recently came to the Town and Country that there was an incident of literature, of a white-supremacy nature, being passed out in an East Greenville neighborhood.

            It came to us from a reader who saw it posted on Facebook who wanted to know if we knew about it.  The social-media poster also wrote, that it was reported to the state police and was wondering if the Town and Country has the "b---s to print it."

            Notice, they didn't contact us – just posted it on their Facebook account, available to only their "friends."  Fortunately, a reader let us know about it so we could check it out.

            Anyway, there you go – we printed it.

            Oh, by the way, we checked with the East Greenville Police and the Pennsylvania State Police who let us know that they've received no complaints or reports of that type of literature being handed out in East Greenville.

            So now, the ball (ahem) is back in the Facebook user's court.  If you or someone you know filed said report, you may want to check with the proper agency to make sure they have it.

            If we know about it, we'll make the necessary contacts to try and verify it – just not on social media.  We'll put it in print where we can be held responsible for it and the information is publically available to anyone who wants to read it – not just privately to our "approved" friends.

            Now, there was such an incident last week in Upper Hanover Township that was reported to the State Police.

            The point here is to show how social media, and the spreading of partial information could make one person, in this case a police department, look bad because the posted location of an incident was incorrect.

            This is just one small example of many.

            There is plenty of bravado when you're among friends.  When you are called upon to hold your own or explain yourself in public, many people choose not to do so.  Instead they escape to the perceived sanctity of their social media account.

            How do you know your opinion counts, if only your friends can hear it?

            How do you know your government officials have heard you complaints if only your friends can hear them?

             Only when you continue to stand up for what you believe to be right will you be heard.  Arguments made at public meetings become part of the record.  Social media does not. 

            Documented public positions are part of official history – ready to be referred to and produced in the present or future.  Not so for social media comments.  Oh, the comments are there – with no official weight.

            When public meetings and the acts of your government officials go contrary to the peoples will, it is then when the people must stay strong.

            Going home and banging on your keyboard to post questionable of venomous comments on social media may ease your frustration but rarely accomplish more than that.

            In the rush to put forth your message, facts can get muddled, your ignorance might be put on display, and the wrong people could be hurt by your words.