I’ve gone back and forth over whether I should post this thread, but I think it might matter a tiny bit in describing the price of public participation. This is increasingly what happens when you speak or write about politics, religion, or culture. Here goes: /1
The first scary incident happened about five years ago, A man drove to my house, blocked our driveway, approached my wife (with my kids present) and demanded to see me. He was also seen driving slowly through the parking lot at my kids’ school. /2
The next major incident was a probable SWATing attempt. I was involved in a First Amendment matter against a person suspected to engage in such tactics, and someone made a “shots fired” call. Fortunately, we warned the police this might happen, and they responded calmly. /3
We had a period of peace, but then in 2015 (as I’ve written about before), the alt-right targeted us, focusing on my youngest daughter (she was seven at the time), She’s adopted from Ethiopia, and they targeted her for vicious, racist attacks. /4
The worst of the alt-right attacks came the night they filled the comments section of my wife’s blog with gruesome images of dead and dying African-Americans. I couldn’t sleep for days, fearing for my daughter’s safety. /5
Like lots of folks, we got a very worrisome email threat, but unlike lots of others, we actually had someone break into a phone call between my wife and father-in-law. He screamed obscenities about Donald Trump. We have no idea how he did this. /6
Then, yesterday (as I’ve tweeted), we found out that the Trump superfan mail bomber searched for my home address. /7
I’ve not dwelled on the “normal” dreck that includes such delightful things as daily petty insults, occasional mockery of my wife’s sex abuse when she was a kid, and periodic attacks on us for adopting. That’s the typical price of online engagement. /8
And others have had it so much worse. It’s intolerable that Christine Blasey Ford is still under threat. It’s intolerable that Brett Kavanaugh’s family was under threat. Many of us don’t have the resources to hire security. We can buy firearms. We can’t hire guards. /9
It’s sad to see the withering contempt online when journalists and others share their fears. Read Twitter and see that thousands of people _want_ their ideological opponents to feel fear. A darkness is gripping people’s hearts. /10
I don’t have a political answer. We need Jesus! But those of us who are targets can resolve to keep speaking the truth without fear or favor. We can resolve to show compassion to our opponents. They’re likely fighting a hard battle. Seek justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly. /end
