The Doxxing of the Obama Family

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

This week while the United States Supreme Court was working overtime (figuratively, if not literally) to insure that culturally and financially disadvantaged students of color receive no equalizing treatment as they apply for spots in America's top two hundred universities, the schools from which most of America's leaders ultimately emerge - and also while the Supreme Court worked diligently to make sure that any poor student who was fortunate enoiugh to receive a student loan to help pay for college, must pay back every damned nickel - and also while the Supremes expanded the list of people and professions who do not have to recognize the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of free speech of LGBTQ Americans - while all of that was happening, there was another significant political outrage occurring that did not receive nearly so much attention in the press.

Former President Barack Obama and his family were "doxxed". What is "doxxing" you may wonder? According to the Oxford Dictionary (on-line version), the verb "dox" means "to search for and publish private or identifying information about a particular individual on the internet, typically with malicious intent."

This week Barack Obama - and, by extension, his family - got doxxed in an incident that could have had deadly consequences.  Several internet news sources says the situation began when a certain former President whose persona reeks of malicious intent, posted the address of the Obama's Washington, DC, home on the internet site, Truth Social, and then that information was re-posted by another man who was on the run from an active warrant regarding his involvement in the January 6th insurrection.    The re-poster was camping out (living out of his pickup camper) in the Washington, DC area.  He added the words "Got them surrounded" to his re-posting.

This past Thursday the US Secret Service spotted the individual who had made that threatening comment as he was walking in the neighborhood where the Obama's live when they are in the DC area.    They Secret Service gave chase, and the man ran into a restricted area and toward the Obama home - but was quickly captured and arrested.   The not-so-fleet-of-foot felon is now in jail on a charge of being a fugitive from justice.   Police located the man's pickup camper nearby where he was arrested, and a search of the vehicle produced two guns, 400 rounds of ammunition, a machete,  and materials which could be used for making explosives and Molotov cocktails.

(While I have never been a lawyer and never wished to be one, I did find an interesting article on the internet regarding a case in which a volunteer in the US House of Representatives was charged in 2018 with releasing private information on five US Senators over an internet site.  In an attached review of maximum sentences for related crimes, the US Department of Justice noted that "making public restricted personal information" was a federal offense with a five-year maximum sentence.   - I welcome corrections and/or clarifications from anyone with real legal training!)

The 37-year-old social misfit from the state of Washington who seemed to be obsessed with bringing harm to Barack Obama and his family should definitely be provided with some serious mental health counseling during the several years that the United States government (hopefully) has him locked away.  And, more importantly, the tragically flawed ex-President, the man who started this whole mess by doxxing Obama, also needs intensive mental health services while he, too, is incarcerated for the federal offense of "making public restricted personal information."

The law must apply to everyone, even loud-mouthed bullies!