We’re living in an era when political activism is becoming extremely dangerous thanks to innovations in technology and an outside-of-the-box radical mentality. Nowhere is that more evident than in the practice of “swatting,” something that has impacted folks from all walks of life, even those who are non-political.
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According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “swatting” is defined as “the action of making a false report of a serious emergency so that a SWAT team (= a group of officers trained to deal with dangerous situations) will go to a person’s home, by someone who wants to frighten, upset, or cause problems for that person.”
This sort of pranking has actually caused victims to receive serious injuries, and a few have even died during incidents.
The Daily Mail is reporting that the latest victim of swatting is the White House. Both ambulances and fire trucks rushed to the home of the president at 7 a.m. on Monday after someone phoned emergency services and claimed that there was a fire at the residence and someone was trapped inside with no means of escape.
After the emergency vehicles showed up outside the White House, it did not take long for the U.S. Secret Service to conduct a quick investigation and determine that the whole thing was false.
“Fire in the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” a Washington, D.C., dispatcher said at 7:04 a.m. this morning. About 10 minutes later, the authorities issued an “all clear” signal. Fortunately, nobody was harmed during the incident.
There’s a lot of animosity for President Joe Biden right now, and it is well-earned and deserved. However, there are plenty of more productive ways to express your feelings about him that don’t involve potentially endangering lives and winding up in prison. I’m assuming this was politically motivated, but it might not have been. The whole thing could have been for giggles.
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Biden wasn’t even on the premises at the time of the call, having flown to Camp David. Authorities traced the prank call to a spoofed number.
“Someone who was reached at the callback number for the 911 report indicated they did not place it, a source told the Associated Press, indicating it was likely spoofed,” the Daily Mail reported.
A few of the latest politicians to become victims of this practice include Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). Some celebrities have also fallen victim to swatting, including “That ’70s Show” star Ashton Kutcher, pop star Justin Bieber, and even reality show star Kim Kardashian.
The bottom line is that this isn’t anything a person should be doing. It’s dangerous and deadly and could end up with you spending years of your life behind bars. Is making a point or getting a good laugh worth the price? I don’t think so.
If you desperately want your voice to be heard, to take some kind of action to voice your displeasure with the current administration, try voting. It’s safer, legal, and has way more influence than a prank call.