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Jack Thompson Responds to Take Two Suit

Posted by Zonk on Mon Mar 19, 2007 12:41 PM
from the nothing-good-can-come-from-this dept.
Entertainment Games
interactive_civilian writes "Jack Thompson has personally replied to ArsTechnica regarding their coverage of the lawsuit from TakeTwo. Really, it's best for Jack to speak for himself: 'I have been praying, literally, that Take-Two and its lawyers would do something so stupid, so arrogant, so dumb, even dumber than what they have to date done, that such a misstep would enable me to destroy Take-Two. With the filing of this SLAPP lawsuit last week, my prayers are finally answered. This lawsuit, filed in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, is, without a doubt, the single dumbest thing I have ever seen any lawyers do in my thirty years of practicing law--while in continuous good standing to do so with The Florida Bar, I might add, the shock radio and video game industry's efforts notwithstanding.'"
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Ariastis writes "Jack Thompson has filed documents with a federal court in Florida requesting to subpoena President George W. Bush for a deposition to retain Thompson's license to practice law. Ah, and Jeb Bush too, for good measure."
[+] Your Rights Online: Jack Thompson Includes Gay Porn With Court Filing 333 comments
An anonymous reader writes "Jack Thompson has done it again, now by making available gay porn for unlimited viewing on public records. Judge Jordan wrote on an issued order: 'The attached exhibit, which includes several graphic images of oral and genital sex between adult males, was filed electronically in the docket in this case, without prior permission from the court... To the extent that the other attorney's alleged conduct is in any way relevant... there was no need for Mr. Thompson to file these graphic images in the public record. A simple reference to the website and its alleged links would have sufficed...'" I'm usually not a fan of giving Thompson continued free publicity, but some of the things he does are just too outlandish not to share.
[+] Thompson Sues ESRB, Best Buy 134 comments
Well known anti-gaming lawyer Jack Thompson is following up on his clever sting operations against Best Buy. He's filed suit against the consumer electronics retailer for allegedly selling M-rated games to underage gamers. He has also included the ESRB in that suit. GamePolitics reports: "As we reported, the claim against Best Buy suit looks as if it will be going nowhere. Thompson has also apparently named the ESRB in the suit. That looks like a non-starter as well. His explanation: 'The ESRB has been sued by Thompson because it is well known that it a) is owned and operated by the video game industry, b) does not even play the games it rates to conclusion, c) routinely mislabels games as to age appropriateness, per testimony before the U.S. Congress, and is engaged in representations to American parents that the age label are accurate and are keeping "Mature" games out of the hands of kids.'"
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Jack Thompson Responds to Take Two Suit 50 Comments More /

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  • No truth to rumors (Score:3, Funny)

    by Walt Dismal (534799) on Monday March 19 2007, @12:44PM (#18403529)
    There is NO truth to the rumors that Jack will star in Saw IV.
    • I can hear it now...
      • "Hello Jack. I want to play a game. For more than a decade you've seen yourself as a moral crusader. You've attempted to dictate to others what music they should listen to and what video games they should play because of your own sense of ethics. Today is different. You are now chained to a chair with one pound of dynamite placed directly beneath your scrotum. This dynamite will explode in ten minutes. In front of you is a PC with the game Grand Theft Auto:San Andreas with the Hot Coffee

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by inode_buddha (576844)
        IMHO there is a huge difference between morals and ethics. Mr. Thompson and his actions are the perfect illustration of this phenomenon.
  • I would ask if the man was mentally unhinged, but that's been obvious for a while. I wonder though, what he means by 'gone on March 23'?
  • Didn't the Florida Bar Association try to get him disbarred for his conduct?

    • Re:Define Good Standing (Score:5, Informative)

      by spribyl (175893) on Monday March 19 2007, @12:50PM (#18403611)
      According to this it was Alabama not Florida.

      http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051122-5613 .html [arstechnica.com]

      In Florida they are still working on it. Though, I don't think his status is still good standing.
      http://gamepolitics.com/2007/02/03/jack-thompson-f aces-florida-bar-disciplinary-hearing/ [gamepolitics.com]

      • Re:Define Good Standing (Score:4, Interesting)

        by nuzak (959558) on Monday March 19 2007, @03:42PM (#18405813) Journal
        Alabama hasn't disbarred him -- yet (he's not even licensed in Alabama). He got his pro hac vice status revoked on one case, along with 18 pages of blistering rebuke from the judge, an order to attach it to any further applications to practice in AL, a threat of contempt, and a referral to the Alabama bar's disciplinary committee.

        Thompson, in Classic Jack Style, filed his own ethics complaint against the judge. I think hearings are still pending. This was in 2005. I think Florida might be through with him before Alabama even gets to him, or it's possible that AL is just waiting, since if he's disbarred in Florida and has no other practice, the Alabama issue will be somewhat moot.

    • Re:Define Good Standing (Score:5, Informative)

      by bockelboy (824282) on Monday March 19 2007, @12:57PM (#18403687)
      Yup. Here's a good quote from wikipedia:

      In February 2007, the Florida Bar filed disbarment proceedings against Thompson over allegations of professional misconduct. The action was the result of separate grievances filed by people claiming that Thompson made defamatory, false statements and attempted to humiliate, embarrass, harass or intimidate them.
      Thompson also sued the state bar in April 2006. After a few press releases, he dropped the suit in May 2006. For the most part this is how his cases go. There are a few big releases about "SUEING TAKE-TWO FOR $234 million," then the case is dropped within a month or two.

      Also of note is that he did a similar campaign against Janet Reno. Yes, that Janet Reno. From wikipedia:

      Thompson gave Reno a letter at a campaign event requesting that she check a box to indicate whether she was homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. Thompson said that Reno then put her hand on his shoulder and responded, "I'm only interested in virile men. That's why I'm not attracted to you." He filed a police report accusing her of battery for touching him.
      Even more:

      In 1990, after his election loss, Thompson began a campaign against the efforts of Switchboard of Miami, a social services group of which Reno was a board member. Thompson charged that the group placed "homosexual-education tapes" in public schools. Switchboard responded by getting the Florida Supreme Court to order that he submit to a psychiatric examination. Thompson did so and passed, and since then has stated on more than one occasion that he is "the only officially certified sane lawyer in the entire state of Florida."
      Yup - his antics are so ridiculous that they made him take a sanity test.

      • Re:Define Good Standing (Score:5, Funny)

        by Chris Burke (6130) on Monday March 19 2007, @01:31PM (#18404151) Homepage
        Yup - his antics are so ridiculous that they made him take a sanity test.

        Yeah, and the psychiatric profession is still reeling from the blow to the credibility of their sanity test. They continue to look for the solution to what they call "The Thompson Erroneous Sane Diagnosis Anomaly" or just "The Thompson Anomaly".

  • Is this a man or a foil? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by RyanFenton (230700) on Monday March 19 2007, @12:47PM (#18403565)
    At this point, I have to ask: Is Jack Thomson a real crazy person, or is he some cleverly created foil? The man acts like a fictional villain, trying to transparently conflate religion and his own fevered obsessions, and then trying to say that this gives him legal justification for his own insanity, insisting that the fact that he hasn't been completely stopped yet is proof.

    I do understand that people really can be this crazy, and worse, but there just seems to be an air of even more blatant unreality at this point in his insanity.

    Ryan Fenton
    • Vell, Jack Thompson's just this guy, you know?
    • Fictional villain is a good analogy. He does seem to have such strange reactions and statements that show a persistent lack of reality. The March 23rd thing seems to be some weird prophecy that has no bearing on any announced events (as far as I can see)

      I don't know about you but like many evil super-villains, I am beginning to like him. Or maybe it's because I am British.

    • Is Jack Thomson a real crazy person, or is he some cleverly created foil?
      He has a Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] entry, so he must be real. Right.....????

      Also, while I was on Wikipedia, I found out that Sinbad had died.

  • Hoax? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jandrese (485) <kensama@vt.edu> on Monday March 19 2007, @12:50PM (#18403605) Homepage Journal
    Everybody knows Jack is a nut and all, but this smells like a hoax to me. The language doesn't feel right for a lawyer (even a crazy one) and I don't see the point of him sending a letter like this. However, if it turns out to be true then Jack has really gone off of the deep end.

    • The language doesn't feel right for a lawyer (even a crazy one) and I don't see the point of him sending a letter like this.
      Have you ever read any of his other letters?

      Honestly it's amazing the man even has a law degree. I seriously wonder if it was found in a cracker jack box.

    • The language doesn't feel right for a lawyer
      i agree. as i read it, in my head i'm replying "so's your face"

    • However, if it turns out to be true then Jack has really gone off of the deep end.


      Jack has not only gone off the deep end quite some time ago, he has spent years paddling around in it. It would seem the deep end is his element. What you're seeing here is simply Jack doing his usual backstroke while humming the theme to Jaws.

  • Something good can definitely come from this (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Dachannien (617929) on Monday March 19 2007, @12:57PM (#18403689)
    The "nothing-good-can-come-from-this" department?

    We've already gotten something good from it: twenty-four karat comedy gold!

  • God's Legal Team (Score:3, Funny)

    by CompMD (522020) on Monday March 19 2007, @01:00PM (#18403745)
    If only Jack would join forces with Fred Phelps, we'd have the ultimate legal team for all that is moral and right in this world.

    In all seriousness, I think Jack should move to Topeka with Fred. With the two of them together, I think we can justify the use of nuclear weapons on American citizens. Just two of them. It would so be worth it.

  • Pot, kettle...kettle. pot (Score:4, Interesting)

    by stubear (130454) on Monday March 19 2007, @01:02PM (#18403767)
    "This lawsuit, filed in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, is, without a doubt, the single dumbest thing I have ever seen any lawyers do in my thirty years of practicing law."

    Apparently he's never taken a good close look at the lawsuits he's filed against Take Two or the laws he's helped write - which, by the way, have all been subsequently rejected on constitutional grounds. Part of me hopes he gets disbarred but that might be the only thing that's helped keep him in check (well reasonably in check compared to what he could possibly do without the fear of being disbarred - run for office for instance).
    • Attempts to deflect the truth is a fairly common with his type. It's always convenient to say "they are the a-holes for doing x, y and z" all the while doing x, y, and z in a greater magnitude. The proverb of plank in your own eye vs. speck in someone else's eye still holds true.
  • He ... he quotes the Bible. Why is he quoting the bible? I mean ... if the Almighty God has sent Jack down to save us from the heathens, personally I think we're fucked I think the fact that jack seems to completely ignore games such as God of War (Which has the same rating as GTA, is MUCH more violent and has a much higher quality of nudity than the super secret unlockable) proves he doesnt really care about protecting the innocent children, take two was in the news a lot so going after them is big public
    • > jack seems to completely ignore games such as God of War

      Nothing more than a rather bland form letter at any rate: http://www.jackthompson.org/archives/index.htm#06_ 08_05_01 [jackthompson.org]

      Aside from his odd little rant at the Maxis Porn Simulator (aka The Sims 2), Jack's videogaming bete noir has consistently been Rockstar Games, transferred to Take-Two at large. Before that it was 2 Live Crew (yes, he was behind the campaign of hounding them)
  • Jack Thompson's letter closes with

    Amen, and Praise be to God Almighty, maker of Heaven, Earth, and yes, the maker even video games. Jack Thompson

    OMG, I'm like the most religious person ever with my raiding guild! Quick! To Blackwing Lair! For Justice! For Freedom! For Jesus!

    Man, I couldn't even TYPE that with a straight face!

    • Re:WOW! (Score:5, Funny)

      by MeanderingMind (884641) on Monday March 19 2007, @03:42PM (#18405817) Homepage Journal
      All I want to know is, how did Jesus manage to keep from releasing his spirit for 3 days without being in an instance? He couldn't have used a soulstone otherwise.

      But then he did say, "Into your hands I commit my spirit", which would indicate he instantly released. If that's the case, I guess the corpse run was just a really long one. Having them move the body into a sealed tomb probably didn't help, although he might have been in range to rez outside.

      I'm sorry God, don't smite me. I haven't hit level 60 yet!

  • Don Quixote (Score:5, Funny)

    by Vaibhav_Locke (1010373) on Monday March 19 2007, @01:26PM (#18404067)

    I me15ter on the ars discussion puts it best, so i quote his quote here:

    In short, his wits being quite gone, he hit upon the strangest notion that ever madman in this world hit upon, and that was that he fancied it was right and requisite, as well for the support of his own honour as for the service of his country, that he should make a knight-errant of himself, roaming the world over in full armour and on horseback in quest of adventures, and putting in practice himself all that he had read of as being the usual practices of knights-errant; righting every kind of wrong, and exposing himself to peril and danger from which, in the issue, he was to reap eternal renown and fame. -Don Quixote

  • Written by God? (Score:3, Informative)

    by n9uxu8 (729360) on Monday March 19 2007, @01:34PM (#18404195) Homepage
    Didn't David write the psalms? You know...singing and praying to God? You'd think he could at least get that right...

  • In continuous good standing with the Florida Bar? (Score:5, Informative)

    by Bogtha (906264) on Monday March 19 2007, @01:41PM (#18404263)

    This lawsuit, filed in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, is, without a doubt, the single dumbest thing I have ever seen any lawyers do in my thirty years of practicing law--while in continuous good standing to do so with The Florida Bar, I might add, the shock radio and video game industry's efforts notwithstanding.

    Would that be the same Florida Bar that he has sued (unsuccessfully) twice, which he alleges is unconstitutional, engaged in a vendetta against him, and is made up of criminal racketeers? The Florida Bar that is in the process of disbarring him?

    I guess his idea of "continuous good standing" and mine differ somewhat.

  • Question (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Sigma 7 (266129) on Monday March 19 2007, @02:27PM (#18404825)
    Does anybody know the term for a "pseudo-lawyer" that's comparable to "quack" being used to describe a fake doctor?

    And while I'm asking, if you're going to give him more media attention than he deserves, why not provide a link to one of his previous failures in the main article text? Sure, I could pull it up on a search, but there's at least some readers who aren't aware of previous blunders.

    • Re:Question (Score:5, Funny)

      by Jherek Carnelian (831679) on Monday March 19 2007, @03:11PM (#18405411)

      Does anybody know the term for a "pseudo-lawyer" that's comparable to "quack" being used to describe a fake doctor?
      Politician

    • Re:Question (Score:4, Informative)

      by nuzak (959558) on Monday March 19 2007, @03:51PM (#18405971) Journal
      > Does anybody know the term for a "pseudo-lawyer" that's comparable to "quack" being used to describe a fake doctor?

      Shyster. But he's not so much a fake or decietful lawyer so much as he is a garden-variety barking lunatic.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by dant (25668) *
      Pettifogger [m-w.com] is pretty good. It doesn't have the "unqualified" connotation that quack does, but you get "underhanded" in exchange.

  • Jack Thompson knows dumb (Score:3, Funny)

    by sdhankin (213671) on Monday March 19 2007, @03:50PM (#18405941)
    "This lawsuit, filed in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, is, without a doubt, the single dumbest thing I have ever seen any lawyers do in my thirty years of practicing law..."

    Listen to the man - if anyone knows stupid moves, it's Jack.

  • This can't be real, can it? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by LKM (227954) on Monday March 19 2007, @04:04PM (#18406151) Homepage

    Is this letter genuine? I mean, seriously? He's claiming that he's praying for crap to happen to Take Two? Wow, what a devout christian. And the idiocy doesn't stop there:

    First he writes:

    I encourage folks to read Psalm 35, a Psalm of David, which is brilliant in its entirety (since God Himself wrote it)

    and then he finishes with

    Amen, and Praise be to God Almighty, maker of Heaven, Earth, and yes, the maker even video games

    Ignoring all the mistakes he makes, if Jack claims that something is brilliant because god wrote it, and then claims that god wrote all video games, doesn't that make all video games brilliant?

    Personally, I think he's a heretic. We all know that god didn't make all video games. He only made some of the Mario games, the early Donkey Kong games, Zelda and Pikmin. I mean, Jack is talking about Miyamoto, isn't he?

    • Re:Good standing? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by drinkypoo (153816) <martin.espinoza@gmail.com> on Monday March 19 2007, @01:06PM (#18403827) Homepage Journal
      You're in "good standing" until your license is revoked. Sometimes it seems like a lawyer's primary skill is to lie by telling the truth. When he says that, he is technically telling the truth, but through the language he uses (which is absolutely technically accurate) he makes it seem like the bar is supporting him completely, which is of course the diametric opposite of the truth. English is a really great language for lawyers because every word tends to have a whole pile of meanings.
      • Sometimes it seems like a lawyer's primary skill is to lie by telling the truth.

        As Shakespeare wrote in "The Merchant of Venice", "The devil can site scripture for his purpose."

        • Re:Good standing? (Score:5, Informative)

          by tinkerghost (944862) on Monday March 19 2007, @02:39PM (#18404989) Homepage
          Good Standing is actually a technical term for professionals, as a lawyer it has a specific meaning:
          • He has a certified law degree.
          • He has passed the State Bar Exam.
          • he has paid his annual dues.
          • He has not been expelled or suspended from the State Bar.
          That's it. Once you are in, you are in Good Standing unless you loose your license or forget to pay your dues & allow it to lapse. So like Jack, you can be in the process of being disbarred for baritry while at the same time legitimately claim to be in good standard.

    • Re:March 23, 2007 (Score:4, Informative)

      by Vaibhav_Locke (1010373) on Monday March 19 2007, @01:23PM (#18404025)
      Actually he's referring to the fact that the CEO will be resigning, idk any details but the investors have decided to take over the board, mainly because of all the bad publicity they have been receiving (thanks in no small part to jacky). The CEO however was convicted of backdating stock options, something that has nothing to do with Jack or the video game industry at all.
    • If he kills them.. we are stupid for not seeing it coming.

      Well.. I guess I'm now going to be stupid if he dosen't try to kill them.. but.. whatever :).

      -GiH

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by aplusjimages (939458)
      A Joystiq user decided to talk to JT about Jesus. Here's his comment from Joystiq [joystiq.com]:

      112. I sent him an email last night about how Jesus didn't preach destruction of one's enemies. This is the response I got:

      "Actually, He is coming back to judge and to destroy. Learn your Bible, goofball"

      Anyone surprised in the least?

      • It's basically another case where instead of following God, he thinks God follows him. It's certainly true that Christians are supposed to live every moment working God's will and purpose, but many appear to assume that means that everything they do is God's will and purpose. It's an easy, if fallacious, assumption.

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