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Blake, Wm. The First Book of Urizen. 1794.

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Patrick S. Tomlinson, a science fiction author based in Milwaukee, has faced 47 swatting incidents over four years, part of a targeted harassment campaign.

Tomlinson came to the attention of a hardcore group of online stalkers five and a half years ago after posting an innocuous tweet about the late “Saturday Night Live” comedian Norm Macdonald.

“Hot take: I’ve never found Norm Macdonald funny and was pretty sure all my comedy friends who did were either nuts or screwing with me,” he posted on 11 September 2018.

Alan Winston Filion, 17, allegedly ran a “swatting” service offering illegal hoax threats, including bomb threats and mass shootings, targeting various public figures and institutions. Tomlinson was among those repeatedly targeted.

Tomlinson has described the harassment as an obsession by “sociopathic” stalkers, leading to numerous dangerous encounters with law enforcement at his home, including being handcuffed and having guns pointed at him.

Despite Filion's arrest, a new Telegram channel named “Torswats Return” surfaced, indicating the continuation of the swatting service and specifically offering swats against Tomlinson for free.

The harassment campaign against Tomlinson has included death threats, impersonation, and derogatory online posts, severely impacting his life and safety.

Patrick S. Tomlinson: “You can’t fathom the amount of clinical obsession that grips these people. Trying to destroy my world is their full-time lives.”