Amazon Misplaying Its Stated Mission

It must be starting to feel very lonely over there at Amazon.com .

First, the company irks investors by warning that profit margins may decline for the fourth straight year. Now it may alienate millions of customers by taking on the Humane Society of the U.S., which on Thursday filed a legal complaint against Amazon for selling animal-fighting magazines that the group says are illegal.

Although the issue of animal fights arouses strong opinions, a financial story isn't the best place to air them. Likewise for the debate over whether and where to place limits on free speech. So let's focus instead on how Amazon is handling this controversy, and what it means for shareholders of the company. ...