January 23, 2007 -
In yesterday's GamePolitics coverage of the increasingly ugly situation surrounding Utah's pending video game legislation, we mentioned in passing that controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson had issued a call for the impeachment of Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.Several readers wondered about the content of Thompson's letter, which we chose not to include in yesterday's GP. But you asked, so here it is (MS Word format).
In regard to Thompson's dust-up with Shurtleff, GP posed three questions to the anti-game attorney last evening. Those questions, along with his answer, follow:
GP: What has (bill sponsor) Rep. Wyatt had to say about your attacks on A.G. Shurtleff?
GP: How do you see demonizing the state’s A.G. as an effective strategy?
GP: Do you fear that the ugliness (surrounding your legislative efforts) in Louisiana and now Utah will dissuade people in other jurisdictions from working with you, going forward?
JT: Listen, goofball. Wyatt today endorsed everything I said. Secondly, morons like Shurtleff need to be called out as morons. The bill has no chance of surviving as a law if Shurtleff scuttles it. Finally, if you weren't such a coward and would allow me access to your site, you'd know even more of what is going on. You are absurd.
Comments
I saved a bunch of stuff from his LiveJournal stalking days. But wikiquote would be a better bet.
@ Gamepolitics
(and you would be amazed at the amount of stuff we get from JT vs. what actually makes it into the daily GP.)
Heh. I can only imagine.
So Jacky boy was rude when anwsering Dennis' questions. It doesn't suprise me one bit.
It's a shame that wasn't asked for a printed mainstream publication. The public's reaction to those anwsers would be interesting. But the reality of that would be that if it were for a Newspaper/Magzine His answers would more civil anyway. As he only treats gamers (and any one else who disagrees with him) in that manner. And would not want anyone else to know he treats others in that reguard.
Again - posting from school.
- Warren Lewis
Consumer responsibility is just as important as Corporate responsibility. So, be responsible consumers.
Regarding his letter. Occasionally, JT says something that I find outrageous even from him. This time, it was comparing AG Shurtleff to Mike Nifong, the prosecutor in the Duke (alleged) Rape case. Jack needs to look in a mirror before making statements like that. The Duke case is/was all about making a case where none exists for political gain (Nifong's re-election in a predominantly non-white district). Every time JT has coerced some family into retaining him as counsel and filing a civil or criminal case against a game company for allegedly causing an offender to commit a crime, he has been making up cases where none exist in order to achieve some political gain.
Personally, I appreciate AG Shurtleff's approach. He may not be the game industries bosom pal, but he has shown a willingness to work with our trade agencies to educate parents and retailers about marketing and selling games appropriately.
I think we should let Jack Thompson post on this site again.
Why, you may ask? My crackpot theory is that if Jack has access, he'll spend the majority of his time blowing hot air at us in the comments, and spend less time drafting clearly unconstitutional measures against the video game industry.
His new comments will also give us more proof as to what sort of man Jack Thompson is. When those in charge see the kind of abuse the man spews on a news site, how could anyone take him seriously?
Then again, he seems to be quite successful at spewing abuse despite his inability to comment. Maybe my theory is unnecessary and not a good idea after all.
Jack Thompson is the Tom Green of the game industry. Everything is a publicity stunt, there is no logic to his actions, and the only reason he's funny is because he continually makes an ass out of himself.
The only difference is that Tom Green knows he's an idiot.
(Personally, I appreciate AG Shurtleff’s approach. He may not be the game industries bosom pal, but he has shown a willingness to work with our trade agencies to educate parents and retailers about marketing and selling games appropriately.)
I think that is why Jack is slinging mud. Becuase he wants someone who is willing to fight the videogame industry rather than one willing to work with the industry and help parents with the ESRB. Therefore he must want him to be replaced with ssomeone who will fight.
Oh and I agree that he still has access to this site, as far as viewing goes.
Still posting from school...
- Warren Lewis
Consumer responsibility is just as important as Corporate responsibility. So, be responsible consumers.
Also, and I'm sure he's been told this many times, but calling people "morons" and "cowards" is no way to argue a point. And using the word "goofball" in -any- sense doesn't help much either. If he really wants to get attention, he needs to clean up his act, and stop using charged language (such as referring to the ESRB as a "sham" several times in that letter).
By the way, I have yet to see Thompson (or anyone else) point to the "sworn testimony" before Congress that the ESRB s a "sham". Is he making this up, or can someone point me to the testimony? I'd like to see some evidence of that claim.
-EOTD
Root'em out
Root'em out
Root'em out, Joe!
Face we are Human first and as being human we have our opinions. And just because u strong believe in something and I dont doesnt make me a bad guy does it (probably in jack thompson world it does). Well anyways it tough to defend bill u have a strong opinion against. Its like asking a minority lawyer to defend a bill that is made to charged miniority differently in crimes. (Dave chapelle jokes aside).
I still suspect that the reason JT is so prominent is exactly because his articles generate such huge comment threads, and his newsworthiness or lack of it is essentially irrelevant. GP and JT have developed a symbiotic relationship. They're not at all adversaries as has been suggested, they're simply exploiting each other for their mutual gain. It's win-win for both of them from a publicity point of view, but I hope its obvious it makes for poor journalism.
My position regarding his relevance also remains unchanged. I think that GP covering JT is like a scientific journal covering the Time Cube theory. Another reader expressed the view that if GP doesn't constantly counter JT's insanity, people will start to believe it. I don't think that's giving people a lot of credit. One could just as easilly argue that spending so much attention and effort on JT simply legitimises him and makes it more likely that MSM will continue to use him as the standard countering view.
Of course, it's not GP's place to try to safegaurd gaming, or influence the MSM, but rather impartially report on gaming as it relates to politics. My argument is not so much that GP is helping JT make his talking points, but rather that GP is exploiting his notoriety for hits and (IMHO) is providing a distorted view of his significance, and in doing so is compromising its journalistic integrity.
"He'll cry misquote," is a non-starter for me. Let him. Who cares? Who'd even believe him?
Lastly, if "GP came to your work place," I would restrain them and call the police. I work at home. ;-) But if I put up a public forum and invited people to comment on all aspects of what I do, then yeah, I might be receptive to criticism in that forum. The tone of the GP forum tends to be maybe a touch bombastic and off-the-cuff, but I see your point that I could have approached the subject better. On the other hand, they don't seem to have a problem with JT's approach...
Please think about this, however: certain issues become very topical for short periods. Think back to the Boston GTA ad-banning, for example.
Legislation is out #1 focus. Here's an important bill and he is right in the middle of it.
And, to be perfectly honest, I believe there is some value in hearing from the critics. In particular, in his case, his comments and actions are very revealing.
Anyway, like I said, sorry if you took my remarks the wrong way.
You will notice however that the stories, even when reported in a completely neutral manner, have the air of absurdity about them, and that is due entirely to Jack. This may come off as seemingly tabloid, but you cannot dismiss. Imagine for a moment that you have never heard of Jack. All these laws that are being passed and failing on appeal... where are they all coming from and why are they so similar and unconstitutional? Suddenly when you add him to the mix, the pieces fit. Sure the final picture is laughably stupid, but at least it makes sense.
GamePolitics has covered many stories and perspectives since I've been reading it but he has been a constant source of both frustration and hillarity since day one. It will take exposure of all his methods and outbursts for people to get a rounded picture of him as a man and a laywer, not just as how he would like to be presented himself.
Yes, there may be a conflict of interest as far as the ESRB is concerned, however, the AG would not refuse to defend a law simply on those grounds alone. He wouldn't have made it to the position of Attorney General if that were the case.
To be honest, Shurtleff HAS to work on precedent, and the precedent is, time and time again, that these bills, no matter how often the author attempts to find 'loopholes' in the contitution to abuse, are against two amendments.
Basically, when getting a law passed degrades to the point where people are looking for ways to 'cheat' in order to get them passed, you know things have sunk into absurdity.
Funny bit is, didn't Jack make a rather abortive attempt at getting GP shut down at one point because they were reporting things that dared to prove him wrong? Called this a 'Terrorist Site' iirc.
He kinda reminds me of Cartman in the "Cartoon Wars" episodes of South Park.
Basically, what Jack wants is for the Government to dictate what people should do, not the public themselves. If that ever comes to pass then you may as well use the Constitution as toilet paper. Not even the 'Censor Happy' UK would put that kind of power into the hands of people with an agenda that may be completely removed from the needs of both the Gaming Industry and their customers.
-Auto
I put it in inverted comma's because I don't think it's particuarly true myself, but it IS an image that a lot of people hold of this country. It may even have been true 25-30 years ago, but we've grown up a lot since then.
Pity JT can't.
In GP's defense: He sees that same, "Why report about JT," question several times a day. And you first post wasn't very thoughtful. But your second comment, had you posted it first, would liekly have netted a less dismissive response.
I actually agree with you on the level of reporting on JT's ill-deeds - summary, condenseations and no direct quotes. But, JT then calls out GP as misinterpreting his letters, etc. Really it's a no-win scenario. But, he is a major player in the video game debacle amid politics. Not reporting on him would have been like not reporting on Pat Pulling back when D&D was the devil. So, GP has to walk the line between the readership's wishes (Many here were asking for the letter to be printed), and not playing JT's game. I personally think GP does a bang-up job with this, obviously you disagree.
If GP came to your work place and told you how to do you job, would listen? Would you listen if he made sense, as part of your second post did? I don't know, but I know how I would react if GP tried to tell me how to do my job without even taking the time to explain his reasoning.
I do agree that GP gives a lot of press time to JT, and in a few cases (this one article) there doesn't seem to be a good reason for it - because I think GP's articles covered this isse well already. But readers asked for it, so I can't blame him for running it. And I personally enjoy seeing how ridiculous JT is getting now that a bulk of court precedent is turning against him. Lastly, no one forces you to read/post in articles pertaining to JT. There's something to be said about the fact that articles with JT in them have ridiculous thread lengths, and other 'good' game politcs new stories - ESRB/Clinton mending of fences, etc. - hardly get any posts. People want to read about/ talk about JT.
IMO GP and JT are arch-rivals. Like Professor X and Magneto. Except JT isn't as cool a villian as Magneto is. But I digress . . .
It's kind of sad to know he's still obsessed with getting in here to flame us. How long has it been since we dropped the ban hammer anyway?
Are you a lawyer or some punk at the school playground? Seriously! It boggles the mind that a fifty-something could be so immature.
Why don't you fight for something worthwhile in this world? People are starving to death. Genocide in Darfur. We have a war that even under the best circumstances is not going as well as we would have hoped. Crisis in New Orleans. And you're sitting here crusading against video games?
Oh, bravo, JT. Do you want a medal?
If you look at the whole of it, Gamepolitics does cover the majority of game-related political news, and JT does happen to be a sizable source of it. Whenever possible, GP DOES condense his main points and uses as few quotes as possible.
"You’re pandering to your audience’s less noble drives here, it’s cheap tabloid journalism."
That's kind've a low blow- you don't seem to keep in mind that they "pander" to the audiences "less noble drives" because the majority of the game-legislature is aided by JT himself.
Keep in mind, that if NOBODY wrote up about JT and pointed out how wrong he is, all people would hear is about how RIGHT he is- People will accept what they're told if only one side is given, if nobody is there to say "look, this guy is WRONG and he's screwing you people over because of it."
Yes, it's true that he is getting what he wants- more press time- but as long as GP and other news media are exposing him for the dummy he is, nobody is going to take him seriously, he'll be known as someone you can't trust, and in the end, he'll fade in the backgroud, just as all other scaremongerers have, like Joseph McCarthy and Fredric Wertham, as infamous figures that almost certainly had voices in their heads.
That being said, the man is entitled to his opinion and free speech to voice that opinion just the same as Thompson is. If you cut all the fat from Thompson's letter (quite a chore), he wants to impeach Shurtleff for being honest.
As for allowing JBT himself to post... part of me is screaming "no, bad idea," but at the same time I really think that in the interest of discourse, we should offer JBT this outlet, so long as he agrees to remain civil.
The real question is, how many gamers would offer Jack Thompson any kind of civility? I know that a good number of the regulars here would be able to restrain their frustration and hold off on insults and profanity, but frankly I question the maturity of some posters here.
Gamers - especially when talking/posting online - aren't known for their rationality, and some of the replies posted to GP stories are much worse in every respect than anything JBT's ever thrown at us.
If we're going to demand that JBT treats us with some respect, we've got to extend the olive branch first, or else we just end up confirming his accusations for him.
For a period back on the old LJ system, I used to sign off all my posts with my full name, city/country and full cellphone number (I was a little disappointed nobody from GP tried calling me).
But if JBT comes back, I'll start doing it again. I've got nothing to fear from him; his legal threats mean nothing in the UK.
"Email me again and I'll sue you for harassment."
JT, I'm pretty sure you read this: if you were on the New York Times website consistently harassing and belittling its customers, I can guarantee that you would be banned. Why is GP any different? You seem to think that, as gamers, we are somehow a lesser form of life. This kind of hatred can only lead to your destruction both mentally and morally.
I challenge JT to debate with a gamer, game developer, or ESA representative and show some respect. Actually listen to what they have to say, and then make a sound argument against it. Suffer through a few comments that you disagree with and then refute them intelligently afterward. Show the world that we really are just goofballs who are wasting our time, with real logic, instead of just insulting us like children. It would be the respectable and professional thing to do. Anything else is just a circus act.
If you must cover him, you could still reduce the height of the soapbox you're giving him. You're pandering to your audience's less noble drives here, it's cheap tabloid journalism. Stop quoting him, stop giving him an open mic, and just condense what he says to the essential points (if you can find any). Stop throwing gasoline on this sensational but ultimately pointless fire.
Like I said before, there's a whole world of game POLITICS out there. (I thought your shot about cheat codes was unnecessary and came out of nowhere.) Get a couple more unpaid correspondents from the EU, Japan, Australia, China, etc. GP is a really cool concept and its filling an extremely important function, but it's become very myopic. I'm just about ready to take your advice and find another feed.
I suggest you go read Cicero's The Republic and The Laws. Maybe it will help you understand the basis of todays legal and political systems.
Hell, I have two companies to run every day, and barely the time to even keep up with news (gaming or otherwise). How can such a busy, "important" lawyer like JT have the time to read these sites- let alone send emails.
JT must spend as much time on the internets as any WoW "addict".
There is no way I'd ever take this guy's letters seriously if they were sent to me.
GP is a business, and Thompsons mouth could potentially scare off clients/readers/etc.
I'll give him my home address. Why not? I'll just post it here actually.
455Hole ST FUlton, NB.
Nope, never heard from him since.
The man is right in the middle of Utah’s legislative initiative regarding video games. He is on the offensive against Utah’s attorney general. It’s all enormously political and it revolves around video games. It’s what we do here.
If you would prefer to read about cheat codes, game reviews, etc, by all means, there are plenty of sites for that. But however you feel about Thompson, when he is involved this deeply in a political situation, how do we not cover it? WHY wouldn’t we cover it?
A;; Jack wants is a high-horse to advertise from, he's not interested in debate, since when have facts had any impact on his decision, and has he EVER involved himself in a reasonable discussion with anyone who doesn't agree with him? His responses at the top of the page prove he is still incapable of operating at that level.
He's like a cheap car salesman, leaping up and down for attention, and frankly, I'm glad he's not allowed on here.
Just use common sense, if you are a parent, spend two minutes and type the games name into wikipedia and read the plotline or visit the games website.