Jack Thompson Tossed Out Of Court 381
dmouritsendk writes "According to a story at IGN, Jack Thompson has been removed from the lawsuit filed by the families of two murdered police officers vs. Rockstar, Sony and game retailers. While previously he stated that he had withdrawn, details have now come out that the judge actually pulled his temporary license to practice law in Alabama. The reason for all this? Thompson's behavior." From the article: "The removal of Thompson from the case does not necessarily represent the end of the trial as his long-time associate Ray Reiser will assume the role of lead counsel for the case's plaintiffs. Not one to take such things lying down, Thompson fired back at Judge Moore by claiming the the judge has 'has violated... The Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics by his unfortunate, improper, and prejudicial acts in this case, at the expense of three bereaved Alabama families.'"
Re:Grinning from ear to ear. (Score:5, Interesting)
I've read some of the emails that he's sent out. Did you know that his wife got some sample packet of vaginal lubricant in the mail, and he uses that as evidence that Blank Rome (the opposing law firm), the judge, and the Republican Party are all out to get him? Fascinating stuff.
Re:Grinning from ear to ear. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Who is Jack Thompson? (Score:5, Interesting)
Morality in the context of Jack Thompson must refer specfically to religious morality. As a Zen Buddhist I care nothing for his Christian morality. Neither, incidentally, does the justice system of the United States of America.
Yes, I truly hate the man; both for purposefully deceiving America about what is involved in my favorite hobby with the intent of attaching a social stigma to the practice of such, for striving to make the practice of this hobby impossible for me and many others through barring and outlawing the content, and for trying to hold responsible the makers of videogames for acts which should be laid firmly at the foot of the persons doing these heinous deeds, or in some cases, partially at the feet of their parents.
Yes. I can hate a man that does those things. And I don't feel any need to pander to some so called moral high ground... I'm not trying to convince anyone I'm right. I know I'm right. If other people want to believe me, great. If not, well that's their choice. I'm pretty sure that if you stood me and Jack Thompson in a room together for five minutes on national television, and I said the most inflammatory hateful things that is in my soul to say, that I would STILL come out of the debate looking far more credible.
Re:Asshattery (Score:4, Interesting)
Satisfying three or more of these criteria warrants a diagnosis of psychopathy or sociopathy. Jack's in trouble, but until he's looked at, so are we.
Anybody have a link to the actual decision? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:I think there needs to be a CSI:Miami Episode.. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I think there needs to be a CSI:Miami Episode.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Filet-O-Fish (Score:3, Interesting)
I resent that remark! The Filet-O-Fish is my favorite sandwich at McDonalds and is made from real fish. If you buy one, it probably comes out of the a little factory in Gloucester, Ma that also processes Gorton's premium fishsticks. It's a real fish product made here in the USA.
Besides, you never know what the "church down the street" might be saying. There are quite a few churches which have sermons against violence in video game. One of the biggest churches here in the Chicago burbs had a televised sermon against violence in movies and TV. Ironically, a couple months later they organized a group ticket sale for kids to see "The Passion" which is arguably the bloodiest most violent "snuff" flick I've ever seen (even if it was done in the style of a beautiful Italian art film).
Anyhow, the funniest thing about this whole Jack Thompson affair from my viewpoint (I work in video games and read TRST reports) is that usually when a game gets a lot of bad press for "ultra-realistic violence", the sales of the game actually go up.
Re:Who is Jack Thompson? (Score:3, Interesting)
And I never said that I do whatever I want to do and call it religion.
Nor did I say that I believe that knowledge of restraint and sacrifice are required to be spiritual.
I merely said that unfulfilled desire is the root of all evil. That's just one sentence. I don't believe that means I should have my every desire fulfilled; only that I don't believe it's wrong to have desires and passions that are fulfilled.
Nor do I believe one must purge oneself of all desire to attain enlightenment; only that one must learn to fulfill all desire, even the ones that cannot be fulfilled. And to answer your indirect question, yes I do believe that I am a much better person because of this.
Are my thoughts different from those of most Buddhists? Sure are.
That doesn't change the fact that I have them and that I believe they are in accordance with the group of teachings and writings that most people would identify as Zen Buddhist.
And you, my friend, I think need to examine your inclinations here. Are you a Zen Buddhist to prove to other people that you can masterbate in a temple with an Eastern interior decorator better than anyone else? Or to achieve enlightenment?
I'm not here to argue over my beliefs. Nor do I find such argument particularly productive. I didn't form my beliefs in a day reading some box of cereal. These are firmly held and well thought out convictions that I've held (and evolved) since I vowed to be completely nonviolent for the rest of my life nearly fifteen years ago. I appreciate your thoughts, I really do, but have to question the validity of advice on being a Zen Buddhist from a man whose primary purpose seems to be not to enlighten me, but to convince me I'm wrong.
Re:Who is Jack Thompson? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:He ain't one of us (Score:4, Interesting)
The core Southern Baptist belief is that asking praying to God in the name of Jesus Christ and asking him to forgive you for the bad things you've done means that you get to spend eternity in his presence after you die. That is one of the main, unarguable tenets - if you don't believe that, then you can't be a member of a Southern Baptist church.
The Southern Baptist Convention publishes lists of position statements [sbc.net] and their basic beliefs [sbc.net]. Although they explicitly declare positions in other areas of theological debate, they conspicuously offer no opinion on creation versus evolution.
Many churchmembers share my opinion: God created the Universe and all life in it, with scientific evidence currently supporting the theories (in the scientific sense) of the Big Bang and evolution, respectively. He made a complex and beautiful world for us, and gave us the intelligence and curiosity to learn how he did it.
Although certain individual churches or leaders may have expressed opinions on these subjects, it's important to know that the Southern Baptist Convention is more of a coalition than a hierarchy (as opposed to, say, the Roman Catholic Church). To the best of my knowledge, no broadly recognized authority requires adhering to belief in a 6000-year-old planet or "intelligent design".
I really didn't mean to be so long-winded. In summary, you can be a Southern Baptist in good standing without agreeing with every other Southern Baptist on every single issue. Some shared beliefs are very important to us, but I don't believe that this is one of them.
As far as violent video games, my personal belief is that they're probably not "solid nourishment" for your mind. A mental diet of GTA:SA is probably no better for your inner self than a physical diet of Pixie Stix would be good for your body. On the other hand, the occasional Pixie Stix is yummy and not likely to hurt you, unless you're genetically predisposed to react poorly to that trigger.