Douchebag of the century (Jack Thompson general thread)
Posted by Alastorhttp://www.vgcats.com/jack.php
Discuss. :cool:
Posted by SpeedfreakIn this instance, I actually agree with him. I mean, if reviewers are saying it...
Posted by Vampiro V. Empire
Quoted post: In this instance, I actually agree with him. I mean, if reviewers are saying it...
No, it's rated M. That's fine. I'm pretty sure every seventeen year old is familiar with sexuality, swearing, blood, et cetera. I'm sure they can handle it. There's no reason for there to be an AO rating, since, it only bumps the age limit up a year. He only wants AO because he know it will cause trouble for the company, and will stop it being sold. That's it.
Anyways, the guy's a complete moron. Anything he says should be ignored, especially if half of that was true.
Posted by SpeedfreakGame stores generally take that rating more seriously, though. They'd less likely sell a 6 year old an AO game than an M one.
Besides that, "full-blown sex scenes". With a film you'd need to be 18 to see that, I don't see how this is any different.
Posted by Vampiro V. Empire
Quoted post: Game stores generally take that rating more seriously, though. They'd less likely sell a 6 year old an AO game than an M one.
Those same game stores probably won't bother to sell it.
Quoted post: Besides that, "full-blown sex scenes". With a film you'd need to be 18 to see that, I don't see how this is any different.
I don't remember seeing any "full-blown sex scenes". Though, maybe I missed them.
Posted by SpeedfreakOh, you bought it? I'm just reading the quotes from reviewers in his email.
"[size=1]profanity, sex and bloodshed are commonplace
Posted by AzusaHuh. Not really sure who Jack Thompson is, but he sounds like a pretentious ***.
I agree with Ramsoomair.
Besides, its not the ESRB's choice more than it is the child's guardian to dictate what's suitable for their child.
Posted by SpeedfreakUnder that logic any person under the age of 18 would have to to have a gaurdian present at all times lest they buy porn and watch it, because it damn well isn't the store's responsibility.
Posted by sabreYeah, I knew that Jack Thompson was dumb, but I think that convo pretty much seals it for me. I never knew "mature" men could act so childish.
http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/images/comics/20050808.jpg
Posted by Vampire SlayerDidn't Fear Effect have an M 18+ rating on it, because there were lesbians in it? So why can't they just give Killer 7 and GTA: SA a M 18+ rating?
Posted by loathingJack Thompson is WRONG in the case of Killer7 due to the fact that the IGN review in question greatly exaggerates the "sex scenes" in question. The actual (and only) sex scene in the game features a clothed woman straddling a clothed man in a wheelchair while moaning. It is nowhere as graphic as the Hot Coffee minigame, and if a similar scene was shown in a movie it would be worth a PG-13 rating, and at the worst an R-rating.
Now, there are things in Killer7 that make that M rating questionable (the character of Curtis Blackburn) but sex definitely isn't one of them.
Posted by Lord of Spam[url=http://gc.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=5883]'Nuff said.[/url]
Posted by maianWell. All I can say is
lmfao
Posted by GameMiestroMe thinks thou doth protests too much...
Posted by ZetaA video game about destroying the video game industry? No one is going to buy that... Except for soccer moms, but they don't actually count as people.
Posted by Vampiro V. Empire
Quoted post: A video game about destroying the video game industry? No one is going to buy that
If it was good, I'd buy it.
Unless it was actually based on Jack's idea. Then **** that.
Posted by Drewboy64OMg, this videogame has too much violence: you kill videogames and all this plastic spurts out.
Posted by GameMiestroWe really dont have to worry. There's tens of thousands of people dead set against stopping the tobacco industry, and that isn't gone, now is it?One guy really isn't going to much. And about his propasal? I really dont think he is serious, it sounds a lot more like he is being sarcastic (in a most jerk-ish way)
Posted by Vampiro V. Empire
Quoted post: and that isn't gone, now is it
Eh, the fact that the government tends to profit form it can't help.
Posted by Speedfreak...old.
Go check Penny Arcade for a little banter between Gabe and Jack Thompson.
Posted by HyperI'd buy it just to spite the dick. I'd email him my stats and everything.
Though there should be a final boss, like Bill Gates or something.
Posted by SpeedfreakI'd totally buy a game where you fling gorilla shit at Jack Thompson. It's not violent at all, either.
Posted by Lord of SpamI'm all for killing Bill Gates.
omg i gues sthey do cuase vilence
Posted by GameMiestro[quote=Speedfreak]I'd totally buy a game where you fling gorilla s[COLOR=lightgreen]h[/COLOR]it at Jack Thompson. It's not violent at all, either.
It could be the next Donkey Kong game. And since its made by Nintendo, it cant possibly have a bad influence...
Posted by boomstickWho wants to bet Take-Two and Rockstar develop a game about killing *****ing lawyers who just don't seem to shut the **** up.
Posted by Non-ExistentOne
Quoting Speedfreak: ...old.
Go check Penny Arcade for a little banter between Gabe and Jack Thompson.
"I was curious if somebody actually made his violent videogame, would he have to sue himself?"
Posted by Vampiro V. Empire
Quoted post: Who wants to bet Take-Two and Rockstar develop a game about killing *****ing lawyers who just don't seem to shut the **** up.
I would laugh. That would be brilliant.
Posted by boomstickAnd here I thought he actually HAD some supporters, I was wrong:
Quoting Gamespot: Earlier today, GamePolitics.com broke the news that Jack Thompson, long known for his tireless efforts against controversial media from the 2 Live Crew to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, had been asked to stop invoking the name of the National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF).
NIMF president David Walsh distanced himself and his group from the Florida attorney in an open letter to Thompson, writing, "Over the past few months, I and members of my board have a growing concern that your use of our name, without our permission, has had a negative influence as we try to educate the public on this important issue.
"Your commentary has included extreme hyperbole and your tactics have included personally attacking individuals for whom I have a great deal of respect."
Walsh then asked Thompson to stop using his or the group's name to give people the impression that the NIMF supports his efforts. He also asked Thompson to remove the NIMF Web site link from Thompson's own site.
Thompson, who has in the past made headlines for comparing Entertainment Software Association Douglas Lowenstein to Adolf Hitler, responded to Walsh's letter Friday in a letter sent to GameSpot, among others.
"Dr. Walsh's efforts are funded by Target and by a foundation run by Best Buy lawyer and Best Buy Director Elliot Kaplan," Thompson wrote, later adding, "I am suing Target and Best Buy over the Bully game, which both Target and Best Buy are pre-selling. You connect the dots."
Thompson also denied ever claiming that Walsh or the NIMF supported his actions. "The fact is, I have never suggested that Dr. Walsh approves of what I do," Thompson wrote. "I have countless times told people that I believe he is an expert about the dangers of video games. The mistake I made, apparently naively, is in thinking that a person of his expertise would use it actually to help some bereaved families rather than choose to protect his relationship with portions of the video game industry and its reckless retail network."
Walsh's decision to air his grievances in an open letter that was also sent to Kaplan, Target chairman Robert Ulrich, and Lowenstein drew particular criticism from Thompson.
"I am a Christian. As far as I know, Dr. Walsh is as well," Thompson wrote. "There is a very clear passage in the New Testament in which believers are admonished that if they have a problem with someone, to go to that person in private and try and work it out. He didn't do that. He did not want to do that. What he wanted to do, it seems is ingratiate himself with some of the folks that fund his organization, so that he will continue to be considered 'a responsible critic'--one who can be counted upon not to go too far with his criticism."
In closing, Thompson again lamented Walsh's actions. "A child psychologist who would give a heads up to Doug Lowenstein in such a matter without confronting me directly man-to-man is a person who has lost his way, in more ways than one. He is the latest casualty in an escalating war started by a reckless industry whose socipathic [sic] poster child is [Take-Two Interactive president] Paul Eibeler. Dr. Walsh has now cast his [lot] and his efforts, whether wittingly or unwittingly, with him."
Posted by Vampiro V. EmpireWow... ouch. That's a hard slap in the face. but he deserves it.
Posted by Non-ExistentOneSo, Mr. Thompson wants to himself his own client and rather then sue the company making Bully, he wants to sue the places selling the game? Wow. Just...just wow.
I can just imagine that idiot going into a courtroom and arguing with himself, going onto the stand then jumping down, and continuing that fashion. South Park should of voted him biggest douchebag in the galaxy.
Posted by Zeta[quote]"Dr. Walsh's efforts are funded by Target and by a foundation run by Best Buy lawyer and Best Buy Director Elliot Kaplan," Thompson wrote, later adding, "I am suing Target and Best Buy over the Bully game, which both Target and Best Buy are pre-selling. You connect the dots."
Hey ho and what do ya know! Thompson gets bumped up to Douchebag of the Millenium! (Like no one saw that coming :rolleyes:)
Posted by pspLMAO, just like my avatar says. This guy is just too much.
Posted by Aioros[COLOR="Yellow"]So now this idiot wants to use video game violence, the very same thing he's been protesting against for years, to try and make a point? I'm trying to remember what we call people like him. Hypocrit isn't fitting enough so i guess douche will suffice. The money's going to charity so developers should go for it, if it's for a good cause.
Who knows? Maybe the comedic self-parody in the game will make it wildly popular with gamers and critics alike, eventually causing a number of fanatic teenagers to commit homicide imitating the contents in the game. Thus, ending with the families suing the crap out of Jack Thompson for pitching the idea. It's a win-win situation.[/COLOR]
Posted by GameMiestro[quote=Aioros][COLOR=yellow]Maybe the comedic self-parody in the game will make it wildly popular with gamers and critics alike, eventually causing a number of fanatic teenagers to commit homicide imitating the contents in the game. Thus, ending with the families suing the crap out of Jack Thompson for pitching the idea. It's a win-win situation.[/COLOR]
Except for the teenagers...
Posted by SpeedfreakSouth Park episode based on Jack Thompson, please. PLEASE.
Posted by Prince ShondronaiMr. Thomson lives in a world where kids don't have parents, apparently. Sadly, 9-times-out-of-10, this is the world the rest of us live in as well.
Posted by Drewboy64Wow... What a dumbass. "As O.K. pees on their brainstems." Someone was a little hot-headed when he wrote that. Jack Thompson needs to grow up.
Posted by VicEI've long lost anything resembling respect for ol' Thompkins when someone on another forum I go to sent him a very polite e-mail and got a response that said something to the effect that everyone even remotely associated with the video game industry had the intelligence and maturity of a 12-year-old (seriously, those are pretty close to his exact words) and basically sounded like some whiny middle schooler's Livejournal rant about how much popular kids suck.
The guy needs to just grow up and start focusing all his energy on doing something about real issues rather than getting his panties in a bundle over some pixelated blood and suggested sex in an entertainment product that was intended soley for adults in the first place.
I have the feeling that he is honestly completely unaware of the fact that there are video games in existance OTHER than the OMG CONTROVERSIAL!! ones like GTA. I'd love to throw the deepest, most complex (yet as blood-n-sex-free as possible) RPG or strategy game at him and then see if he thinks all video game designers are snot nosed pre-teens who giggle uncontrollably at the word "boobies".
Posted by AzusaMy contribution to this thread.
[IMG]http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/images/comics/20050808.jpg[/IMG]
Posted by Prince ShondronaiYou and that comic are right, Azusa. The idea that Jack Thomson was ass-raped by a giant video game as a child makes much more sense than anything that comes out of his mouth.
Posted by GameMiestroI could imagine Jack Thomson replacing Dumbledore in Azusa's sig. :) :)
Posted by AzusaSnape kills Jack Thompson? Heh.
Definitely worth photoshopping.
Posted by boomstickHas anybody seen the new I HATE Jack Thompson shirt Penny-Arcade has out, God, this guy is quickly moving up the most hated anti-gamist list right with Hiliary Clinton.
Posted by stone cold nicholashere's something i saw once it was like a collection of e-mails from one guy to jack thompson and in it the guy wwho is a 14-year old explains that the blood and guns are just pixels and despite being a way smarter guy than jack jack tells him to commit himself to a mental institution and when jack says he hangs out with politicans he asks to know who they are so he could ask them about that he stopped anwsering. if anybody knows the link to this page please put it up so everybody can see jack thompson is a mentally retarded *******
Posted by HyperHey, you can be quiet until you learn some grammar. Thanks.
Posted by KMFDMFor someone that hates violent video games he sure made a good one. I think the game he is pitching is more violent than any GTA game I ever played.
Posted by Hyperyou aren't kmfdm_kid2001!
And yeah, that's kinda obvious.
Posted by Fate[url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6135846.html]Thompson responds to cold shoulder[/url]
Thompson was owned by a group he supported and just retaliates with Christian bull****. This guy gets more pathetic with each news update.
Posted by Skitzo ControlNo surprise there: I don't even think Jack Thompson likes Jack Thompson.
Posted by VicEhttp://www.technical-difficulties.com/osaki/
http://home.cwru.edu/%7Etss9/zorkthompson.swf
http://walkingfish.com/modestvideogame/
http://creepyguywas.shijyou.com/goldenrule.html
Well, that didn't take long.
EDIT: But, naturally Mean Ol' Mr. Thompson has completely gone back on his word to donate $10k should someone actually make the game, now all of a sudden saying that the whole thing was a joke and that we gamers are naturally too stupid to get his oh-so-razor-sharp sense of humor:
http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000743063662/
Holy crap I hate this guy.
Posted by Vampiro V. Empire
Quoted post: EDIT: But, naturally Mean Ol' Mr. Thompson has completely gone back on his word to donate $10k should someone actually make the game, now all of a sudden saying that the whole thing was a joke and that we gamers are naturally too stupid to get his oh-so-razor-sharp sense of humor:
http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000743063662/
Holy crap I hate this guy.
Wow, this guy is the greatest man to ever live. And I'm serious. No one has provided such good laughs as he has.
Posted by Zeta[url=http://croqaudile.com/?article_id=10299]I love this article.[/url]
[quote]and that we gamers are naturally too stupid to get his oh-so-razor-sharp sense of humor:
'Razor sharp'? Please, a balloon is sharper than his wit.
I am absolutely AMAZED that this guy hasn't got shot in the head by one of those GTA-playing 12-year olds yet.
Posted by Prince ShondronaiSo...If Jack Thomson has a problem with the video game industry, why did he not follow his own beliefs and go to the people in it that he has a problem with and try to work out his issues in private?
Posted by SladeMeh, he just wants attention. Poor, poor little Jack.
Posted by Drewboy64You've gotta feel sorry for the guy. A 30 or so old man trying to destroy the entire videogame company... With no one agreeing with his views whatsoever. He must have been some lonely guy that got beat up in school alot.
Posted by HyperHe probably walks around with a bodyguard to protect him from such an event. What a joke :(
Posted by Vampire Slayer
Quoting Drewboy64: You've gotta feel sorry for the guy. A 30 or so old man trying to destroy the entire videogame company... With no one agreeing with his views whatsoever. He must have been some lonely guy that got beat up in school alot.
I don't feel sorry for him. I hope he dies alone and hated. I feel this way about anyone that tries to stop the "threat" that video games pose on America.
Posted by Aioros
Quoting Prince Shondronai: So...If Jack Thomson has a problem with the video game industry, why did he not follow his own beliefs and go to the people in it that he has a problem with and try to work out his issues in private?
[COLOR="Yellow"]HINT:
He doesn't really have any beliefs. He's just trying to make a profit out of as many lawsuits as possible to further help his own political agenda. Nothing more than a hypocrit, that when backed up against a wall, tries to crawl his way out with religious excuses.[/COLOR]
Posted by Big Boss
Quoting Aioros: [COLOR="Yellow"]HINT:
He doesn't really have any beliefs. He's just trying to make a profit out of as many lawsuits as possible to further help his own political agenda. Nothing more than a hypocrit, that when backed up against a wall, tries to crawl his way out with religious excuses.[/COLOR]
And he has A LOT, as in... A LOT of time on his hands.
Posted by Prince ShondronaiHis professed beliefs, then. "Sueth not, lest ye be sued."
Posted by GameMiestroI swear I read this exact article in another thread, except from a different website.
Posted by boomstick
Quoting GameMiestro: I swear I read this exact article in another thread, except from a different website.
I posted it up in another thread, but this deserves it's own thread to see how lonely this guy is in his crusade or whatever.
Posted by FateHuh. Sorry about that. I thought it was new news. :(
Posted by SpeedfreakAioros, Big Boss and Prince all agreeing on something. Weird.
Posted by boomstick[QUOTE=Gamespot]Early this morning, GameSpot received an e-mail from Jack Thompson that contained a copy of a complaint letter he faxed to the Seattle Police Department regarding the Web comic Penny Arcade. In the letter addressed to Seattle Police Chief R. Gil Kerlikowske, Thompson claims that Penny Arcade "employs certain personnel who have decided to commence and orchestrate criminal harassment of me by various means." As evidence of harassment, he notes that the site sells an "I hate Jack Thompson" T-shirt, calling it "just the tip of the iceberg."
According to Thompson, the reason Penny Arcade has harassed him has nothing to do with the Web site's $10,000 donation to charity yesterday in an attempt to very publicly show him up. That event goes unmentioned in his letter. Instead, Thompson says it is because he went on 60 Minutes twice to explain a wrongful-death lawsuit he brought against Grand Theft Auto creator Rockstar Games on behalf of two Fayette, Alabama police officers and a police dispatcher. The three were killed by Devin Moore, who Thompson says "obsessively trained on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to kill them."
In closing, Thompson notes, "I look forward to working with your fine Police Department to shut this little extortion factory down and/or arrest some of its employees."
In the letter, Thompson accidentally misdirected police, sending them to [url]www.pennyarcade.com[/url], an unrelated and defunct site, instead of the comic's proper URL, [url]www.penny-arcade.com[/url].
The e-mail GameSpot received was sent to Penny Arcade creators Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins and the site's business development manager, Robert Khoo. Copies of the e-mail were also sent to other media outlets, as well as several addresses at the national law firm Blank Rome LLP. Blank Rome Government Relations represents not only Take-Two Interactive, but also the City of Seattle.
However, it appears Thompson did neglect to send the letter to one very important party. As of 9:55 a.m. PDT, the Seattle Police Department confirmed to GameSpot that it had not received any such fax from Thompson.
Thompson has since e-mailed GameSpot again, saying that he has fixed the URL and apparently faxed the letter, saying "they have it now." Thompson added, "The moral midgets like the computer geeks at Penny Arcade think that I am some sort of pixelated pi
Posted by Alastor[QUOTE=Thompson]"The moral midgets like the computer geeks at Penny Arcade think that I am some sort of pixelated pi
Posted by Lord of SpamThis guy just keeps seeming more and mroe retarded as the days go by. The sad part is that most likely, this is going over just as he hopes with the uninformed moron parents that he is working to influence.
Posted by Drewboy64It's funny how he uses "computer geeks" to describe him. It might be true, but it seems sort of immature for a lawyer.
And has Jack Thompson heard of Freedom of Speech? If he want's to stop being made fun of because hes little feelings are being hurt, he should stop being an idiot.
Posted by Zeta
Quoting Drewboy64: And has Jack Thompson heard of Freedom of Speech?
The website he got his certificate from didn't cover that lesson. Nor did they cover how to not sound like a whiny 2-year old.
Posted by Drewboy64haha.
"You know what, Jack? We're going to be the men you're not. You said that your insulting, illusory ten thousand dollars would go to the charity of Paul Eibeler's choice. We've got a good guess that he'd direct your nonexistant largesse toward The Entertainment Software Association Foundation, a body that has raised over six point seven million dollars over the last eight years. We've just made the donation you never would, and never meant to. Ten thousand dollars' worth. And we made it in your name.
(CW)TB"
From Penny Arcade.
I'm glad Jack Thompson's not my dad. Imagine not being able to play anything above E. I wonder if he lets his kids play things about E 10+. "I know you're 22, son, but this game has 'comic mischief' in it."
Posted by Drewboy64Jack Thompson has probably never been laid.
Posted by Drewboy64Jack Thompson probably wants all games to be rated M. "OMG, attractive women! OMG ATTRACTIVE MEN! Ao!"
I think there should just be one Jack Thompson thread, too.
Posted by boomstick
Quoting Gamespot: [UPDATE]: GameSpot once again called the Seattle Police Department to confirm receipt of Thompson's fax. As of 2:31 p.m. PDT, Kerlikowske's office still had not received any communication from Thompson.
GameSpot spoke with Khoo earlier today about Thompson's accusations. "We were really surprised that he is actually reacting this way," Khoo said. "I don't think he really realizes who Penny Arcade is and what sort of support we can rally. And where our place is in the [game] industry.
"I really don't expect him to know who we are, but I'm pretty sure he just thinks we are either just bunch of kids or someone who probably does not know what they are doing, and that he can scare off with idle threats and threats of legal actions."
As far as that goes, Khoo says that Penny Arcade, which is no stranger to Internet dust-ups and threatened legal action, isn't overly concerned with Thompson's accusations.
"I've spoken to our legal team this morning and every one of his claims that he has made is pretty ridiculous, especially given the fact that he's a public figure. His grounds for harassment, criminal harassment, is pretty silly," Khoo said. "He puts himself out there as a public figure going up against the game industry. Does he really not expect that the game industry's going to fight back?
"Maybe he really doesn't really know what he's getting himself into."
Yea, well, it'd be pretty **** funny if Thompson keeps pushing this.
Posted by Crazy KNow I need to get a t-shirt that is againts this guy. Geesh how lame can a guy get?
Here is a shirt I would wear:
[IMG]http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/6273/jackthomsonisgay3yp.jpg[/IMG]
It aint a good picture, but oh well. And I made it aswell, made on MSpaint.
Posted by boomstick
Quoting Crazy K: Now I need to get a t-shirt that is againts this guy. Geesh how lame can a guy get?
Here is a shirt I would wear:
[IMG]http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/6273/jackthomsonisgay3yp.jpg[/IMG]
It aint a good picture, but oh well. And I made it aswell, made on MSpaint.
I know of a I HATE Jack Thompson Penny-Arcade has.
Posted by Crazy K[Quote=boomstick]I know of a I HATE Jack Thompson Penny-Arcade has.
I'd wear that too.
Posted by HyperI'm considering buying the "I Hate Jack Thompson" t-shirt because of this. The fact that they actually paid up his $10,000 is kickass.
Posted by Lord of Spam[url=http://www.vgcats.com/jack.php]I'm just throwing this out there for anyone who didnt see it.[/url]
Posted by Big BossThe events that have occurred in the past few weeks have been a great source of entertainment, but if he keeps this up the industry might just get tired of him and fight back for good.
Posted by Prince ShondronaiPinatas give candy when you break them open. Jack Thomson is full of many things, but candy is not among them.
Posted by Drewboy64Jack thompson is full of bull****
Posted by GameMiestroEven squirrels hate him. Thats pretty sad.
Posted by boomstick
Quoting Gamespot: This week has seen much attention in the games press focused on the ongoing feud between Jack Thompson, increasingly high-profile antigame activist, and Penny Arcade, the popular game-enthusiast cartoon Web site.
The spat came to a head after Penny Arcade announced its intention to donate $10,000 to an Entertainment Software Association charity in Thompson's name. An incensed Thompson, one of the ESA's most vociferous critics, then accused Penny Arcade of harassing him by selling "I Hate Jack Thompson" T-shirts via ThinkGeek.com and threatened the site with legal action. He then issued a press release saying he had faxed the Seattle police asking them to take action against Penny Arcade, which he accused of being a "little extortion factory." However, on Thursday morning, the Seattle Police Department told GameSpot that it had not yet received any such complaint from Thompson.
This morning, it appeared that Thompson's tactics had backfired. Many game sites reported that the Miami-based lawyer was now under investigation by the Florida Bar Association (FBA) over his actions in the Penny Arcade dispute. Most of these sites linked back to an article on PC enthusiast site Ars Technica, which said only that "Penny Arcade forum members wrote, edited and sent letters and faxes to the FBA detailing Thompson's activities and urging the review of his license to practice law." The article does not say specifically that an investigation had been launched.
This morning, GameSpot called the Florida Bar Association to see whether any new investigation has been launched against Thompson. Representatives of the FBA's disciplinary division said that despite "many complaints" filed over the past week, no new investigation into Thompson's activities had been launched as of this morning. However, the reps would not rule out the possibility of any future action being taken.
The FBA did say there are two investigations into Thompson currently ongoing--one filed in March 2005 and the other in September 2004. While the disciplinary board would not say what the subject of the investigations were, Thompson was more than happy to tell GameSpot about both suits' origin.
"They're brought by the lawyers who represented Howard Stern's station, because I got him off the air down here," he said, referring to his wider campaign against profanity in the media. "This is a very old strategy that I'm used to. Penny Arcade needs to be very careful, because I've been down this road, and they have not. They've now put themselves even more in harm's way."
Besides his comments to GameSpot, Thompson also sent out an e-mail statement to numerous media outlets "Targeting of Jack Thompson for Criminal Harassment by 'Gamers.'" His statement, which is also addressed to the Florida Bar's Board of Governors and its president, Alan B. Bookman, reads as follows:
Dear Mr. Bookman and All Governors of The Florida Bar:
As you know, eighteen years ago I commenced efforts against the entertainment industry's illegal distribution of adult entertainment to minors. That fledgling effort resulted in the first decency fines ever levied by the FCC.
The broadcasters struck back with Bar complaints. One happy result of that is that The Bar's insurance carrier had to pay me money damages for The Bar's having taken the bait offered by the SLAPP bar complainants. SLAPP is the acronym for 'strategic litigation against public participation.' Filing such a complaint violates certain federal civil rights statutes and state laws as well.
As you also know, the Philadelphia law firm of Blank Rome, which is lead lawyer and chief lobbyist registered in the US House of Representatives and in the US Senate for Take-Two Interactive, has chosen to use the SLAPP approach in our wrongful death case in Alabama by asking the Alabama state judge to kick me off that case because 1) I have been so effective in telling the American people about the reckless activity of their clients, Take-Two and Sony, through 60 Minutes and Reader's Digest that they can't now get a 'fair trial,' and 2) I have a 'colorful history' of pornographers filing SLAPP bar complaints against me, which indicates I am unfit to practice law.
Interesting logic, but remember: this is Blank Rome talking. Blank Rome has a very long history of 'opposition research' through partners such as 'Barbara Comstock,' who was called by the Washington Post a 'one-woman wrecking crew' for her brilliance in character assassination on behalf of her clients.
Blank Rome's Comstock is the US Congressman Dan Burton staffer who was doing his 'work' for him when he was clandestinely keeping a mistress on his federal payroll staff in violation of federal law.
Blank Rome also has been recently caught up in the scandal of securing Department of Homeland Security contracts for its clients allegedly because of its massive campaign contributions to former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, Bush-Cheney, and the RNC. This has been covered in the mainstream media. Blank Rome is clearly the most powerful law firm, right now, in America, because of its tight personal and financial relationships with Jeb and George Bush. Blank Rome likes to make stuff up to run over people who are in the way of their clients. Pretty standard stuff, really. But don't you love the fact that a bunch of 'family values' Republican loyalists to George Bush are representing Take-Two/Rockstar and fraudulently smearing a conservative Christian Republican who has got Rockstar on the run? But this is what the GOP has become: the lap dog for corporate America, the parents who provide the party's base be ****ed.
"I hear today, then, from the Internet-based 'enthusiast video game press' that 'gamers' are going to file or have filed new SLAPP Bar complaints against me. Here's why:
An outfit in Seattle called 'Think Geek' is marketing a t-shirt emblazoned across the front of which are the words 'I Hate Jack Thompson.' That kind of tells us where they are on the subject of me.
The parent company is an outfit called Penny Arcade. In the last several days, the folks at Think Geek provided, improperly, Penny Arcade with my email address, which had not been widely circulated (I had to get rid of the last one because of death threats and the like). Some idiot at Penny Arcade foolishly emailed me and told me, in effect, of the amusement that comes from going after me, and then he foolishly explained on the Penny Arcade site how they were going to do it.
Penny Arcade put out a 'news story' that was wholly false, and the purpose of it, of course, was to generate the sort of Internet-based gamers harassment of me that has caused me to coin the useful phrase 'pixelante.' Blank Rome is just a highly-paid pixelante. I was not getting this harassment at my new e-mail address until Penny Arcade did this.
The result of Penny Arcade's intentional targeting of me is that I almost immediately started receiving emailed and phoned death threats, many of them referencing Penny Arcade. Penny Arcade has every right to express their warped bizarre opinions, but they don't have the right to use the Internet to orchestrate criminal harassment of me, which is precisely what they did.
I asked to speak with their attorney, which I did yesterday, and this guy is a perfect fit with Penny Arcade, because his position is that this is all my fault.
"I have written the Police Chief in Seattle and asked that their department investigate this matter, as I believe this constitutes a criminal act by Penny Arcade. Penny Arcade has thus ramped up the harassment, and now there is a campaign among gamers to go to The Florida Bar to 'discipline' me for trying to protect myself and my family, as well as my right, under the First Amendment to try to get the video game industry to start acting like something other than a bunch of sociopaths.
I was on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 two nights ago because there is now a new game out in which pro footballers send prostitutes to the other team's players' hotel rooms. Quaint stuff. I think I have a right to complain about that, which CNN wanted me to do when they contacted me. Anderson Cooper was more negative about it than I was. I am making progress.
"But I especially appreciated the computer-generated call last night that said 'We are coming to get you, Mr. Thompson.' This is from the Penny Arcade faithful. That is precisely what Penny Arcade wanted, and I have received similar computer-generated calls threatening me.
I am quite certain that lawyer Daniel Horowitz would advise me to take such threats seriously, aren't you?
Several weeks ago some gamer idiot (sorry to be redundant) managed to email me thousands of death threats from a blast email service based in Ireland using the following email address: [email]georgewbush@whitehouse.gov[/email]. The Secret Service shut that pixelante right down. It's probably too much to expect the Secret Service to shut Blank Rome down. That's a joke, by the way.
Now, let me be clear. Any Bar complaint coming from these morons arising out of the above incident is baseless and itself constitutes a violation of a specific federal civil rights statute.
If The Bar proceeds with any of these, it does so at its own peril. The Bar paid me once. I am certainly willing for it to pay me again, along with others.
Regards, Jack Thompson
After receiving this e-mail, GameSpot called the FBA again to see if they had received it as well. A less forthcoming spokesperson said that the Board of Governors was at an annual meeting until Saturday, and the only person that could address any current investigations was not currently available. A third call was transferred to several reps before ending in a voicemail dead end. Messages left had not been returned as of press time.
However, to drive his message home, Thompson sent out a second e-mail to GameSpot exclusively, which repeated many of his previous points, warning that "The orchestration of these [SLAPP] complaints also happens to violate certain federal civil rights laws. The Florida Bar processes them at risk to itself." Thompson concluded his e-mail with the following paragraphs:
I'm not putting up with this crap. You, who actually have jobs and are normal human beings, are notified however, that I am a moving target, and this email address will not work in an hour or so. I had to change my last email address. Such is the price of pixelantism.
Call me at the below number if you want or need my new email address or need to communicate something other than a death threat to me. [Note: Thompson asked GameSpot not to publish his phone number.]
"As these scum wish me their worst, I will continue to try to do my utmost for His highest."
So it continues
Posted by FateOkay, it's not even about video games anymore. This guy is the worst lawyer ever.
Posted by GameMiestro[URL="http://gr.bolt.com/articles/jack/jack.htm"]http://gr.bolt.com/articles/jack/jack.htm[/URL]
WOW
At least I know now where psp's avatar came from...
Posted by boomstickThompson apparently has no intention of letting this go.
Quoting Gamespot]Web comic Penny Arcade is well-known for its loyal and passionate fan base. A simple link to an outside Web site in a PA news post has commonly resulted in the linked site being shutdown by the resulting flood of visitors, or "wanged," according to the comic's vernacular. Depending on the context of the link, the site on the other end of a link may receive an avalanche of laudatory e-mails, a spike in business, or a rush of furious hate mail.
Now Florida attorney Jack Thompson is pointing to the comic's loyal fanbase as having been used as a tool of harassment.
In a letter addressed to John McKay, US Attorney for the Western District of Washington, and sent to media outlets, Thompson this morning said the site was using a variety of means "to encourage and solicit criminal harassment" of him.
Thomspon wrote to McKay, "Please help me if you can," but did not include specific actions he wished to have taken against the site. McKay's office prosecutes cases investigated by several law enforcement agencies in Western Washington, including the FBI.
In today's news post, Penny Arcade artist Mike Krahulik addressed the situation for the comic's fanbase. "Apparently many of you took it upon yourselves to send some extremely well thought out complaints to the Florida Bar," he wrote. "I have a feeling that might explain Jack's most recent attack on us. I want to stress that I don’: a bunch of legal dry humping. He’s not actually going to accomplish anything with these faxes and they really don’t have the intended effect on us. That is to say we are not scared."
Within that text, Krahulik linked to the front page of the Florida Bar's Web site, which spurred Thompson to compose a follow-up e-mail to McKay saying that the site did this "in order to solicit and encourage Bar complaints" against him.
"This is simply illustrative of what has been going on by this outfit for quite sometime," Thompson said. "The principals at Penny Arcade, like many others in the video game world, want those of us who know and can prove the dangers of the game industry driven by extortion, and other means, from the public square."
The charge of extortion is one Thompson has brought up several times in e-mails regarding Penny Arcade (along with harassment), though the specifics of the accused extorting are unclear. When asked for clarification, Thompson responded to GameSpot's request with the following:
"Penny Arcade, by means I choose not to specify because that would be really dumb to do right now, given what will be distribution of this information, have intentionally orchestrated death threats and other harassment toward me. I'll provide the proof, some of which these folks don't know I have, to the charging authorities. That's as specific as I want to be given to whom I am ulimately[sic] speaking. I'm not as dumb as I look."
Thompson also sent along a copy of an e-mail he'd received from an assistant to Washington State Legislature Representative Mary Lou Dickerson. The e-mail said Dickerson's office had contacted McKay's office and encouraged him to look into the issue with Penny Arcade.
The spat first picked up steam after Penny Arcade announced its intention to donate $10,000 to an Entertainment Software Association charity in Thompson's name. Thompson then accused Penny Arcade of harassing him by selling "I Hate Jack Thompson" T-shirts via ThinkGeek.com and threatened the site with legal action. He then issued a press release saying he had faxed the Seattle police asking them to take action against Penny Arcade, which he accused of being a "little extortion factory." Days later, the Seattle Police Department had no record of such a fax, but earlier today a representative of Seattle Chief of Police confirmed for GameSpot that Thompson had contacted the department, and that his complaint had been forwarded to the appropriate party.
As of press time, McKay's office had not been able to confirm or deny acceptance of Thompson's messages.
Posted by Drewboy64[IMG]http://penny-arcade.com/images/2005/20051014l.jpg[/IMG]
Posted by stone cold nicholashttp://croqaudile.com/?article_id=10299
Posted by Drewboy64hahaha!
I want to write a letter to jack thompson, but i'm too busy and too lazy.
Posted by HyperThis gets more hilarious by the day.
Posted by HyperThat kid deserves a cookie.
Posted by Aioros[COLOR="Yellow"]PWN3D by a 14 year old. Ouch![/COLOR]
Posted by SpeedfreakI want proof of 2 things. First, that the writer is actually 14. Second, that Jack isn't.
Posted by PitMeh, with these 14 year olds on VGC trying to be like 30 and uptight, I wouldn't be surprised if that kid was 12.
Posted by GameMiestroYou can find his address on [url]www.stopkill.com[/url]
Posted by GameMiestroI really hope thats not his house address...
Posted by Drewboy64If it was, he would prove to be even more idiotic; complaining about people threating him and making perfectly legal T-shirts about him, then giivng out his address.
Posted by Nightscarehe deserves to be beat with his own buttplug. his boyfriend should be beat to death too. and then we should bury him with every violent game ever and also a t-shirt that says i suck
Posted by BebopMan Jack Thompson is an embarrasment.
OMG SIG BAND WAGON
Posted by boomstick
Quoting Gamespot: Web comic Penny Arcade made headlines last week when it was the subject of an angry complaint letter sent to the Seattle Police Department alleging organized harassment and extortion. In his letter, Florida attorney Jack Thompson said he looked forward to working with the police "to shut this little extortion factory down and/or arrest some of its employees."
However eager Thompson may be for that, it doesn't look likely to happen anytime soon. A representative with the police department told GameSpot today that it hasn't found any crime to prosecute in the matter.
"Our preliminary review of the document has led us to believe that it is most likely a civil matter," police spokeswoman Deborah Brown said, "but we have forwarded it to the chief of our criminal investigations bureau to make sure that it is correct."
Unless the chief of that bureau finds some criminal activity that wasn't apparent upon first examination of the complaint, this part of the ongoing dispute between Thompson and Penny Arcade is resolved.
Calls seeking comment from the office of US Attorney for the Western District of Washington John McKay, whom Thompson also contacted for help in his spat with Penny Arcade, were unreturned as of press time.
Not too surprising, now it looks like this can finally cool down abit unless Thompson just insists on being an *******...
Posted by ArczuNo, seriously, what is this guy thinking? I wonder what he was doing before he decided to go on the "take sec/violence out of the video game industry" rampage of tom-foolery recently...
Quoted post: attorney Jack Thompson said he looked forward to working with the police "to shut this little extortion factory down and/or arrest some of its employees."
Some more brilliance from the guy.
Posted by KMFDM
Quoting Lord of Spam: [url=http://www.vgcats.com/jack.php]I'm just throwing this out there for anyone who didnt see it.[/url]
Hahaha! sorry this has to be the funniest thing I'v ever read! He acts like a little kid whenever someone has a point he changes the subject and starts name calling and threatening people.
Posted by Hyperhttp://igo.ampednews.com/news/2888/
ROFL. Discuss.
Posted by FateI already said he was a ****ty lawyer. I've seen from the beginning that his ethics didn't exist. rofl @ jack
Posted by Non-ExistentOne"I didn't start this food fight. They started it and I have a right to respond because, believe it or not, I have a life outside of this case."
Is he referring to the other eighteen cases against video games that he started?
Posted by Lord of Spamits not really a suprise considering that he had to resort to telling a 14 year old to check into a mental institute...
Posted by Luigi182Rock on! :D I had heard about that, as I had discovered this:
[URL="http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1541&Itemid=2"]Anti-game crusader, Jack Thompson has been removed from 'the GTA case' in Alabama.[/URL]
Seems like he just decided to leave the case...
Posted by boomstickYeah, he deserved it, now he needs to go into a deep hole somewhere
Posted by Zeta*Crosses fingers*
Revoke his license!
Revoke his license!
Revoke his license!
Revoke his license!
PUH-LEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAASE REVOKE THE DOUCHE'S LICENSE!
Posted by Vampiro V. EmpireGood to know the rest of the lawyers down there have some sense in them.
Posted by Lord of SpamYou know you're considered low when other lawyers consider you unethical.
Posted by Vampiro V. Empire
Quoted post: You know you're considered low when other lawyers consider you unethical.
lol
that was pretty funny.
Posted by Hyper[url=http://igo.ampednews.com/news/2898/]He's off the case[/url], but this definitely won't be the last we hear of him.
Posted by AxisJack Thompson news is getting old.
Posted by Burritohttp://www.gamespot.com/news/6140117.html
YES!
Posted by boomstick
Quoting Hyper: [url=http://igo.ampednews.com/news/2898/]He's off the case[/url], but this definitely won't be the last we hear of him.
Of course, and he will team with over closed-minded and shallow anti-game activists and gain more strength to only be shot down again.
Posted by HyperExactly what I meant.
Posted by boomstick
Quoting Hyper: Exactly what I meant.
For some reason I think of that Family Guy episode about the FCC when I think of Jack Thompson returning.
'What're we going to do, Jack?'
'What we must do, destroy all video games, listen to my orders, fool!!'
Posted by gamerSamJack tells children that Hitler was lead by video games. That sicko!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Zetahttp://www.gamespot.com/news/6165406.html
[quote]Florida Bar faces Thompson in court again
Organization files complaint against vocal lawyer for violating rules of professional conduct, repeatedly disobeying a judge's order.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
Posted Feb 5, 2007 1:21 pm PT
Florida attorney and game-regulation activist Jack Thompson has been involved in a number of public feuds stemming from his efforts against the likes of shock-jock Howard Stern, Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive, and the lawyers who have represented them. Thompson has even sued the Florida Bar, of which he is a member.
Now the Florida Bar has rolled up all those feuds and more into a 40-page complaint filed with the state's Supreme Court. Self-explanatory game blog GamePolitics broke the story over the weekend, reporting that the Bar's complaint makes five allegations against Thompson for violations of professional conduct.
GameSpot obtained a full copy of the complaint, which accuses Thompson of a number of misdeeds, such as repeatedly disobeying a judge's orders and violating Alabama's rules of professional conduct. Specifically, the complaint says Thompson made out-of-court statements that could tamper with the court case, knowing that they would be picked up and widely reported.
The complaint also alleges that Thompson directly violated a judge's orders multiple times. In November 2005, Fayette County Circuit Judge James Moore revoked Thompson's temporary license to practice law in Alabama for his behavior in the civil suit of a man convicted of killing two police officers and a dispatcher. Moore also ordered Thompson not to send him copies of any letters or e-mails he sent to a third party. The complaint says Thompson violated that order at least 30 times.
Another count accuses Thompson of making statements about Take-Two's lawyers opposing him "for no substantial purpose other than to embarrass, disparage, or humiliate them," of threatening disciplinary charges just to get a leg up in his civil suit, and for making statements about the qualifications or integrity of a judge with a reckless disregard for the truth. The final two counts allege that Thompson disparaged the lawyers representing Howard Stern in his legal battles with the radio host, accusing them of extortion and racketeering, among other things.
Thompson has filed a motion to stay any disciplinary action in the case and a motion for mediation. The Bar has not filed a response, and the judge has not ruled on either motion yet.
****ing owned
Posted by Prince ShondronaiHow much longer before the good court determines that thompson should not be allowed to speak, gesture, or otherwise interract with human civilization in any way, shape, or form? A damp, rat-infested hole in a 3rd-world prison is too good for that guy.
Posted by Linko_16Had it coming.
Just stay in your mansion all day. Then we're all happy.
