@video game time

He wants steak banned because babies can't chew it.

What about the fact that... "ANYONE WITH A CREDIT CARD" can buy this stuff? I highly doubt that CHILDREN have credit cards, and hopefully, if for some reason they decide to steal their parents card for a few minutes and buy something they shouldn't, then the 'rents would find out eventually and punish them accordingly.

@ Conejo

Exactly. Best of all is this argument he made is ON RECORD in his very own court filings.

This lawsuit takes the place of what would have been a suit to declare Manhunt 2 a nusiance.

By the way, Jack- what are you doing now that the "October 25" release date for Halo 3 is here? :D

Ya know, this has got my thinking, didn't Nazi Germany control all aspects of the media and censor/ban anything they didn't agree with? Akin to JT wanting to censor/ban anything he doesn't agree with.

Games being burn in the street after a ban could be like the book burnings and concentration camps. No one dies directly from these, but the game makers loss of a living and money spent making the game could really wreck their lives.

As an aside, anyone here listen to Sabaton? I just got two of their CD's this week, both deal a lot with WW2 and to a lesser extent the Cold War. Kind of interesting to see this discussion after getting the CD's and since I know a lot of people here listen to good music (eg. Blind Guardian) would be cool to know if anyone else listens to Sabaton.

Prince was never good though..

Jack,

"What he doesn’t tell you is that the suit is based on Florida’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices act which in fact does make illegal selling a product in a deceptive fashion–LIKE SELLING MATURE GAMES TO KIDS."

I think you were going to note another point and then went off on a tangent, mixing up 2 unrelated charges. Would you please clarify the above statement?

Also, shall we expect to see this suit also riddled with spelling errors?

There is no Miami-Dade County Circuit Court case number (07-36080). They have been in the 90000's for awhile now. If you're going to lie, make it believable.

John B. Thompson, Attorney at Law
1172 S. Dixie Hwy., Suite 111
Coral Gables, Florida 33146

October 26, 2007

Dr. David Walsh
National Institute on Media and the Family
606 24th Avenue South, Suite 606
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454 Via Fax to 612-672-4113

Dear Dr. Walsh:

This week I sued the ESRB and Best Buy for their alleged violation of Florida’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act. As you know, Best Buy entered into a formal agreement with me to settle a prior lawsuit in which it promised to henceforth check anyone who appeared to be 21 and under in order to stop sales to kids under 17 of Mature games. Best Buy also promised the nation that it would do this.

Best Buy is obviously not doing this, at least not here in Florida. I have repeatedly proven that.

As you also know, you publicly attacked me awhile back for allegedly asserting that I was saying that NIMF endorsed my efforts. I never did any such thing. I was endorsing NIMF, because back then I thought you were doing a good job in what you do. I am sure there are some good things you do now. In fact, I know it. That is why I asked 60 Minutes to put you on the air again in March 2005, and they did.

However, your attack upon me was uncalled for and not fact-based. If you really wanted me to stop saying NIMF endorsed me, then you should have contacted me directly. I would have told you that I was not doing that, and I would have been happy, publicly, to make it clear that I was not doing that. Instead, you went to GamePolitics with a letter asserting I had done something I had not done. It reads as if it were written by Attorney Elliot Kaplan.

Which brings us to my request. As you know, you have in the past publicly asserted an alleged “100%” compliance by Best Buy with its alleged policy not to sell Mature games to anyone under 17. Dennis McCauley asked you about that at the time, but Dennis does not always dig where he does not want to dig.

I find again, as I found at the time, public documents that disclose funding of NIMF by Mr. Kaplan’s Foundation. Mr. Kaplan, of course, is legal counsel to Best Buy and serves it as its Secretary and Director.

NIMF, of course, has an obligation to be transparent about where it gets its funding so that the public, which hears your public pronouncements about these things, can judge for itself your reliability and your possible biases. Maybe you have no such biases. But when you are holding forth about how wonderful Best Buy is and then we find you get money from Mr. Kaplan’s Foundation, it at least gives one pause.

So, I want to know where I can get a listing of all of your donors for the past five years, Dr. Walsh. Is that list in the public domain? If not, please forward that list to me at the above address if you would be so kind. Thanks.

Regards, Jack Thompson

Copies: Dennis McCauley, GamePolitics
Hal Halpin, ECA
Elliot Kaplan, Attorney

Yep, Jack's lost it.

@DCOW

Nope, but I just found the last piece of evidence needed.

"Why ignore the movie industry?

There can only be a few answers:
1. Mr. Thompson is afraid of the people in the movie industry, as they would likely be viewed as "more powerful" than the game industry.
2. Mr. Thompson is giving undue weight to the unproven link between interactivity and a heightened impact.
3. Mr. Thompson has an unhealthy fixation on and unequivocal bias toward games, which cannot easily be explained.
4. Mr. Thompson's logic is flawed, for some other unexplained reason, so that he either ignores or actually favors violent movies. (Perhaps he is a Saw fan.)"

I vote ALL of the above!

The way Thompson handles legal issues it the equivalent of going hunting with a battle tank or a B52 bomber. That or he's the idiot in an online FPS who fires rocket launchers in narrow spaces.

Mr. Jack Thompson,
You'll comment here. I know you will. I want to ask, though, why do you still comment here? How many times have you sworn off this site? I am serious, I really want to know. Please answer me. Why do you make comments here? Why do you make comments that insult the site's creator and his readers? What do you hope to gain by that? Do you really think you can change any of our minds, especially with your inflammatory words?

@Al Wesker You can also ask where his promise to stop or at least ease off insulting gamers went

@kurisu

His promise went off with his morals.

(IF he ever had any in the first place).

@JT
"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 (etc and so on)."

Now then, to break down this farce into easy-to-digest rebuttals:
A) *cough* HORSESHIT! *Cough* The ESRB is an independant rating board that charges the publishers to rate their games. No one in the industry hands them a check with the intent of maintaining the ESRB. Again, classic Jack Thompson lie. Either that or he's so blind to any version of the truth but his own that he refuses to acknowledge reality. I vote the former.

B) Alright Jack. Aside from the overwhelming response that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to play all the games that last 20-40 hours and still produce timely results, I demand that you tell me exactly whats wrong with the video clip system. Or better yet, go get 100 of your lawyer buddies (Assuming you even have buddies) and play every game in existence. To it's utter completion. And don't forget the games that randomly generate their own content. ... and while you're at it, how about you play a few online games for about oh, 300 hours each and give me a nice cross-section of how the online experience changes gameplay. Until you can do that, you've got nothing.

C) Why the hell should anyone but the parents be responsible for keeping 'M' rated games out of the hands of kids. Just because you hand YOUR little boy a credit card and tell him to go buy games, doesn't mean that the rest of the american public has the IQ of the average banana. Like it or not, kids get carded for games more often than not. But then again, that's detrimental to your argument isn't it? Poor baby.

Get over yourself you inflated miscreant. You've all but lost and the only one that doesn't see it is you. That's no light at the end of the tunnel Jack... It's a Train.

AgnostoTheo, Capable of thought AND free speech, and you're not.

"Jack lost already. He argued that since you needed to be an adult to have a credit card, then minors would not be able to access his gay porn over the public dockett system.

Good luck, 'sweetie'."

Good point, Zerodash--he also conceded, in response to someone's post stating that the poster had played videogames all his/her life and had never gone on a shooting spree, that one person's anecdotal example was statistically insignificant. Thus, the two "stings," both of which involved him and his son (am I wrong, or were they not even done at the same Best Buy location both times?) are insignificant & do not prove any pattern of unfair trade practices. If Jack is bringing this suit in his own name, those statements come in as evidence against him.

That makes me wonder--on behalf of what Plaintiff is Jack bringing suit? With his stupid little nuisance suits, he relied on a Florida statute saying that he could bring suit in the name of the state--I wonder if Florida's UPA has similar language? Perhaps I'll have to look that up at work today.

Mark Standridge, attorney (and still will be in 2008)

Theres crazy, theres insane, then, theres Jack thompson.

It's easy to see now why he was named number 2 on Screwattacks top ten Douchebags of gaming.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/20064.html

This is about the dumbest thing jack could do. Bad enough to be under investigation, but to add to the mater he now has to go and start activly attacking more companies just to give them excuses to file more complaints.

You know what the definition of crazy is right jack? Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

You keep trying the same thing, lawsuits, over and over, and get the exact same result. Whats the result?

YOU LOSE!!!

@JB

Penny Arcade already denied him one of his chances at self martyrdom.

"Like I said, another baseless lawsuit from the poster child for tort reform and the need for 'loser pays'."

You might get your wish on that "loser pays" bit--I don't know the law in Florida, but I know that other states' Unfair Practices Acts have a reverse-attorneys' fees provision where, if the Court finds that the lawsuit was completely baseless/groundless, the Court can order the Plaintiff to pay the Defendants' reasonable attorneys' fees and costs.

Jack Thompson, if you ever read this (and, judging from a previous comment, you might), please stop these damn lawsuits. You're making yourself look more like an ass than ever and you're gonna have so many people ready to pwn your ass that you're gonna know how Custer felt at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Just be a big boy and step down, 'cause you're just looking like a whiny little kid who isn't getting his way. Seriously.

Okay, so he probably won't listen, but damn that felt good to get out.

So Jack is suing the ESRB because it "...does not even play the games it rates to conclusion..."

So according to Jack, you shouldn't be allowed to give a rating for a game unless you play it to the end, but it's just fine to try and get a game banned for being an "ultra-violent" "murder simulator" when you've never played it at all... ever.

His hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me.

@Yuki

I've never played Duck Hunt, so I don't understand, but.. HOW THE HELL DID JACKIE NOT MAKE 1ST FUCKING PLACE!!!!!11one.

@JB

I suppose such evidence couldn't be used against him if the time ever came?

@Austin Lewis & BlackIce, Leftie

And wit how deep it has to be by now, well, he sure can't got to Hell any louder.

Say hi to Doomguy for us Jack!!!

Oh Jack. You poor, misguided fool.
He is living proof that money, and not brains, buy you qualifications.

To make a video game comparison, its like playing the Burnout series. You know that spectacular crash is coming, and when it does... in slow-motion... its spectacular.

He's like the Britney Spears of law. You can see that its all gonna end in tears, but you can't make them change before its too late.

@Al Wesker, If he doesn't reply, you might have found the only method of scaring him off. Good on ya.

He's not filing them to win.

His stated goal was (paraphrased) to have "stores sued so often they'll stop carrying the games altogether". All he aims for is to harass people. This is how he declares himself succesful despite never actually achieving any real victory at all in over ten years.

He's just using them to smear people. Fill a lawsuit, then spam press releases about it. It doesn't matter if it's baseless, if it fails miserably. Remember his failed lawsuit against the Florida Bar. It was reported even in mainstream media, quoting him as saying "If it wasn't going to be succesful, I wouldn't have filled it". But then did they report when it was dismissed? Where was the press release for that?

He doesn't aim higher than annoying people.

THANK YOU FOR SAVING US JACK!!!

I'm so glad we have lawyers to dictate what we can and can't do and give us moral clarity. As everyone knows, lawyers fix everything!! Like Healthcare!!

lawyers shouldn't be exempt from punishment for filing excessive frivilous lawsuits on their own behalf.

I'm just waiting for the lolJack pictures to start showing up.

"I can has lawsoot?"

"I has smarts...wut I du wif it?"

"I'm in ur corthous, spredin da liez"

We need lolJack. Now.

"As we reported, the claim against Best Buy suit looks as if it will be going nowhere. "

Then why is this news?

-P

*waits for Jacko to complain that Dennis put this article up when he whined like a man one-eighth his age when he didn't*

Can't we file JT as a public nusance??

Come on, Florida State Bar. Disbar his ass. Then maybe, just maybe, we won't be forced to read about this douche's antics. Isn't his sheer number of frivolous law suits ammo for his disbarment? I hope so.

What's the point in adding the ESRB to the suit? Does he wanna insure his loss? Even if the ESRB does fail in its job of rating games (and it doesn't), no one has any interest or right to sue them over it. No matter what Jack says, bad rating doesn't kill people.

@ Yuki

That "Top 10 Douchebags of Video Games" was hilarious. All of them made sense. How sad that in a list about video games, Michael Jackson still makes the list.

@ BlackIce

Think of it this way. Jack made a list that was all about fictional characters. The other 9 were annoying/stupid/evil video game characters. And Jack still made the list. What a douchebag.

Jack!

How the heck can you use your Christian faith at all in this whole matter? Where the bleeding hell does it say anything about videogames in the bible?

I needed a good laugh today, thanks Jack!

@retrogamer88

Okay, how long do you have?

This entire fiasco has nothing to do with "protecting children." It has everything to do with Jack's desire to have a world reknowned legacy. The entire thing smacks of pride, lust and greed; not to mention the wrathful way he talks to and about us as a whole. Four out of seven, that's not terriblly Christian like behaviour now is it?

@ Q9D

Adding the ESRB is a non-trivial change in the status of the suit, despite the fact that it still has exactly zero chance of going anywhere.

Also, quoted from Law of the Game responses:

"Maybe we should create a new "law", like "Godwin's Law".

The use of "Protect the children" or "For the children" in an argument automatically results in the failure of that argument."

That was by Nightwng2k. And it is awesome. I fully support this idea.

I would love to see Jack come to Canada and try that stuff.

@mr.b

way more than thompson is too.

He's going to lose because he's a hypocrit. He submitted authentic gay porn to a judge!

I'm gladly going to milk this until the cow looks like it's anorexic.

@blackice.

Sadly, we could not declare him a public nuisance, mainly because it'd never happen. It would be dropped in favor of him being raped by the BAR.

Just ride it out, and then see what you can do about it.

Yeah, it would be great to get him declared a public nuisance, but recall the verdict of his gay porn fiasco. The first reason given for not prosecuting him was because the judge did not want to interfere with an ongoing investigation and prosecution by the Bar, then the second reason was his promise to behave. Austin's right on the mark when he says "Just ride it out, and then see what you can do about it." We just need to be patient and let him get disbarred first, then take what's left of him to court for his actions that are punishable by a court.

@PWD

more to the point, didn't Thompson claim that children couldn't get into the court files that hosted his gay porn because they didn't have credit cards?

"Maybe we should create a new “law”, like “Godwin’s Law”.

The use of “Protect the children” or “For the children” in an argument automatically results in the failure of that argument.”

Some suggestions :D
Lil' Johnny's law, Lieberman's Law, Thompson's Law.

@Kharne

He's aiming for the center of the earth to make a new geothermal source of energy out of his grave. It's tricky now because he has to hit just the right depth, and since people started moving against him faster than he anticipated he has to pick up his pace now since he started out slow.

@Austin Lewis

Oh bollocks..

@jds

Could we dress up in KGB Uniforms? I don't like letting old jokes die.

@ AgnostoTheo

I vote for 'Thompson's Law" It rolls off the tongue easier than the rest.

But this suit will not go anywhere. There is no case here. His two "stings" have no legal standing (which makes me wonder why he has not included Target in the lawsuit as he performed a sting there). Being able to purchase two games with out age verification is not enough to sue. Also he is has publicly stated that he was with his son at the time of purchase.

Asdditionally, no one has proven that the ESRB has performed any deceptive actions in rating games. It has been speculated by members of the opposing party, but never proven.

@ Tenshigami

I thought the ESRB was trying to hide from Thompson by changing their name to the ERBR. ;)

@BlackIce

I'm all for the KGB Uniforms, but I want pics of it afterwards since I can't make it to see for myself.

Failing that, go dressed as The Black Panthers.

Funny how Jack once misquoted NIMF material as his "evidence", then turn on them now long after they denounced his mad ravings.

Typical Jack, delusional to the bitter end.

@Ix

Nah, those are all American.. *gasp* Spetsnaz!! Go as Spetsnaz!

Bankrupcy will shut him up. It's the only way he's ever had a voice. Bankrupcy will take that voice away.

I keep telling you, go as KGB Agents/Spetsnaz Operatives.

@Ix

No offense, but i'd rather go naked than dressed as a Navy Seal. (I'm not offering to go naked.)

US Army Rangers? Or the Texas Rangers? :P

Naw, i'd still go as Spetsnaz. It'll piss the cops off, to be sure.

Since they make such entertaining reading, does anyone have a handy link to the pdf of this "case."

Don't know any Laws from the left side of the table..

A few Stalin quotes, that's all.

So a good one would be something like: For the knowledge of the collective population, all lawyers who talk about upholding family values are idiotic sods out for attention and money.

For some 'odd' reason, these fillings that Jack has been making remind me of the death throws of Nazi Germany. Let me explain, in 1943 the Me-262 jet fighter was being designed and built as a high speed interceptor to repel American daylight bombers that were devastating Germany and their war production. Now, if it had gone into full production as it was, the outcome of the war may have changed; however, old Adolph decided that he wanted it converted to carry bombs and be used as a high speed fighter bomber, pushing the production date back into '44; a point where German production was nearly crippled, fuel was scarce, and American fighters dominated the skies.

June 6th, 1943: D-day. As American, British, Canadian, Free French and Polish soldiers were touching down across Normandy the elite SS Panzer Corps were not mustered out to repel the invasion. The superiority of there armor to the allies was unquestionable and both sides knew it. However, the local commanders could not move without direct orders from Adolph, and he was convinced that the main body of the invasion would come from Calais even after the allies secured a solid beach head and were bringing heavy equipment to shore. That decision alone may have been the deciding factor in the invasion.

Final analogy for you; In the final days of the war, when Berlin was surrounded by the Russians, all chance for victory was lost, and surrender would have been the best choice, Hitler was planning offensives with forces he did not have, on fronts that had been lost nearly a year earlier. He was so wrapped up in the thought that he could not lose that his staff dared not tell him that the Soviet Army was barely 10 blocks away and gaining ground daily. The war was lost, but he was still fighting it like it was 1942. Several days later he shot himself before he could be captured.

Now, the relevance of all this. Much of Jack's actions have follwed the same deluded train of thought and tactical blunders as mentioned above, such as; fighting battles that do not exist, unwillingness to compromise, steadfast determination that he is right, and outright refusal to admit defeat.

And point of note; Hitler was thought to be quite sane at his height of power as well. Read as much into that as you like.

@GryphonOsiris

Actually, Hitler was sleeping late on D-Day. Had he woken up, he could well have thrown the Americans back into the sea on Omaha Beach.

But the underlying point you're trying to make is that Jack is going to end up shooting himself... Right?

Little bit of both, BlackIce. He had taken a sleeping pill and was 'not to be disturbed', then had a fit after he woke up and no one wanted to tell him about the invasion. But yeah, we both are right.

As for that, I never 'said' that, interpret it as you like.

@GryphonOsiris

Will do..

@GryphonOsiris

I really like that final one. It's so obvious to everyone but JT that he's already lost, but the people he'd listen to don't want to tell him, and he's not going to listen to us since we're the allied forces knocking on his door while he's still making plans based on his situation years ago.

@GryphonOsiris

You know, this reminds me of a Penny Arcade Comic.. You've seen the one where Gabe wants to hate Tycho to death right?

@Ix

No, we're the Soviet Union :D

@BlackIce

Soviet Union was considered Allied during WW2 therefore part of the Allied Forces. Maybe school got it wrong or the Russians never though of it that way, but that's what I learned many years ago, so that's the basis of my statement. If it's wrong I'll gladly change, just need to know that it's wrong.

Correction on previous post, D-day was on June 6th, 1944, not 1943... I feel so f-ing stupid right now.

@GryphonOsiris

Yeah, I just noticed that. Shame on YOU!

@Ix

Yes, they did. Books that were considered morally corrupt were burned, the writers imprisioned (if possible), music such as jazz and swing was Verboten since many of the composers and players were Jewish or Black, even some classical music was banned because it didn't fit with their ideals. Sound familar?

Hey, i'm on Blind Guardian right now. Mirror Mirror, to be exact.

@Werrick

That's actually pretty funny. You may have cookie.

Brownies are mine.

Well done Tallimar.

Why won't he just die???

No one seems to have commented much on David Walsh being involved here. Until we see the actual filing (hopefully without gay porn) it is purely conjecture- but it sounds like JT wants to implicate Mr Walsh as part of the "conspiracy" to distribute porn to children.

I hope I'm wrong on this...but you never know with "sweetie".

I'm just wondering....

What are the odds that Jack's going to be a lawyer long enough to actually go thru with this case? Assuming it doesn't just get thrown out.

@Anywho

Slim and None, and Slim just stepped out for a smoke.

@Arkly

Here's to hoping he decides to 'lead by example'.

@gryphonosiris
dont get your hopes up, im guessing that after his disbarment he'll just start his own lyndon larough-esque group.

Do you guys remember that big story about those immigrants and their cleaners store being sued because some judge had his pants lost? When I first heard of that, I was tempted to bet my friend who was sitting next to me that it was Jack Thompson doing the suing... then realized it said "judge".

Anyway, I know I am rambling, but yeah, Jack Thompson needs a new career. Hey Jack, I may be moving to a new city and opening up a comic shop. I'll pay you minimum wage to clean the bathrooms.

I've jst found an excellent theme-tune for this.

Blind Guardian - Battlefield

@jds

Yeah, you're bored too.

@hilaryduffgta

Is it not easier to say Fuck Off And Die?

BlackIce... You, good sir, are a mind reader.

But they really are working me over like they're Mike Tyson and I'm Peter McNeely.

Or, even better... like they're the Florida Bar, and I'm Jack Thompson.

But it is so easy since he is the lowest common denominator.

@jds

I love my job, you hate yours. The world is making sense once more.

@hilaryduffgta

Although.. That picture you have of Hilary Duff on certain websites does suggest otherwise..

@blackice


What other websites...I lost my myspace.....have u been spying on me in my bedroom....


Yay I have a stalker!

@hilaryduffgta

I don't want to know what you do on your own. I know about that animation because I happened to stumble upon one of your posts. I think it was on Kotaku.. Or Joystiq.

@ BlackIce, Leftie
I would hire him to bring in customer's. I'm sure people would fly in to throw things at my bathroom cleaner, maybe they'd buy a comic or two while they were there. Ooh! I could sell things to throw at him!

She's doing good as far as I can tell. Thanks for asking. Not much longer and she should be breaking out!

@ GryphonOsiris
Isn't it sad? I just can't believe our judicial system is so broken that it allows dickheads ruin people's lives.

Hey look on the brightside. For those that have read and/or follow Dante's Inferno. JBT has guaranteed himself a place in the lowest (9th) ring of hell.

Since we cannot stop him from having his last fling and little we have said to date has had any effect on him anyways... I suggest we sit back, watch, drink and laugh (when he is worthy of laughter). Not ignore him mind you, but let him burn himself while we watch from a distanct and toss barbs at him now and again.

Besides it Would not do for a Gamer type to sink to his level. And who knows if his illness is contageous (thinking Mad Cow)

@Icehawk

You know, animals with Mad Cow Disease are shot in Britain..

@Icehawk

It's precisely the reason he has never set foot in Britain.

@jds

Funny you should mention a Prince song in a post about Jack Thompson. Did you know that back in the early nineties Jack tried to get Prince's song "Sexy MF" banned, even though he admitted to never even having heard the song? Found that little tidbit in an old magazine and thought it was pretty funny.

Much like his attempts at banning video games, he failed at that too.

@ BlackIce, Leftie
"I don’t know how you do it, but you made that second paragraph sound so bloody awkward." Which one? This one?--> "She’s doing good as far as I can tell. Thanks for asking. Not much longer and she should be breaking out!" How so? Just curious.

Who suggested that Law on "whoever speaks first on Thompson"? I seem to like it.

They did?

@ BlackIce, Leftie

Ha! Sorry, I'm used to teasing my wife about her attempts at keeping my daughter trapped in her prison-like womb. Sorta like when my wife was complaining that it felt like the baby was scratching her insides, I told her that the baby was carving, "I was here" on her uterus wall, which my wife replied to with, "so my uterus is a public bathroom stall? Next she'll be carving 'call 555-5555 for a good time'!"

Do you have any kids?

ahh what the hell is wrong with him.

we should have a GP party for when JT gets disbarred.

@BlackIce:

Yeah, Thompson's Law, I like it too. :P

This defies all logic

The suit is about sales of mature rated games to kids. Why does the esrb need to get involved? It does not, nor does it have the authoirty to demand that retailers not sell M games to children. A statement from the ESRB would be so much more practical than throwing the ESRB into the mix.

Now let's look at what he says esrb is owned by games industy, doesn't play games, underrates games. None of this is revelant to this case at hand.

@Anonymous and Jack's not...

Unfortunately, the media still thinks he is worth sticking on TV and such. And, unfortunately, people will tend to believe what they see on TV, especially when the person is just so damned *impassioned* about a subject, as Jack prostrates himself as. Most people, sadly, will take what is said on TV for granted without bothering to even think about facts. And as long as Jack keeps getting air time on TV stations, without a fair assessment being done, people are going to agree with him, even if an ounce of logic or a smidgen of deductive reasoning will make anyone with two brain cells to rub together realize he's a quack.

Jack just won't give up it seems, no matter how many times he fails :p .

Reader meet-up is wishful thinking, I know, but it'd still be cool.

@ chadachada - Problem is, as I've mentioned and I'm sure others have long before I did... when the fool goes on TV, he reaches a huge audience. Said audience will very likely NOT go do any research and see if he is legit, or if his claims are legit. So, what they see is what they call, "fact."

The fool is allowed to perpetuate lies as a result of viewers' lack of follow-up or interest past a commercial break.

Just a reminder for all who own ds's... Phoenix Wright 3 is out and catching boldface liars in the act on the witness stand is amazing!

Does one of them look like a bold face liar from Florida?

Jack "Freedom Raping" Thompson invents yet another legal device that might allow him to shove his bullshit perception of morality down your throat in an attempt to rape you of your rights.

...all the while, costing tax payers THOUSANDS of dollars and diverting the attention of our courts away from true issues of justice.

okay lets see... so Jack is suing Best Buy for supposedly selling M rated video games to minors.. something thats not actualy illegal..and now hes including the ERSB in the lawsuit for umm.. what? Rating games to be M in the first place?

You see, what Dennis does, as a matter of course, is caricature something he doesn't like and then ridicule the caricature.

What he doesn't tell you is that the suit is based on Florida's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices act which in fact does make illegal selling a product in a deceptive fashion--LIKE SELLING MATURE GAMES TO KIDS.

If Dennis wanted you folks to know what the suit was really about, he would have linked to it. It's rather short, kind of like Dennis' attention span.

I'm doubting the last one. To quote a line from Serenity, "He's a believer."

He believes in him crusade so much that something as simple as disbarment will not stop him. In fact I'm certain that after it happens he will start petitioning the Federal Supreme Court to investigate the Florida Bar and Supreme Court for conspiracy and anything else he can think of.

Sadly, it will not end with disbarment, only make his whinny ass voice more annoying.

What next? Sue the internet for libel? I wanna see that happen.

@ GO

Admittedly I was try to make a joke. Rather doubted it myself. Did give it 1/10th of a percent. In hindsight that is probably to much. As for the rest you are probably correct. He will become more of an a-hole for being "wronged" and we the gamers will continue to be the fault and the whipping boy.

Well Kotaku is a website. I was thinking he would go after the whole internet. Sue anyone that has a server then maybe a computer. After all we could be sending gay porn to each other. Or making them available to children with their parents credit cards.

but anyways would he sue Al gore? Apple? Microsoft? Firefox? yahoo? google?

@cullarn:

... and so, Jack never said 'Hooah!' ever again. :P (I dunno about you but *I* certainly wouldn't wanna piss off someone in uniform, gamer or not.)
]

I consider ESRB much better than the current movie rating system...
See ya..

@JT

Whatever you say Wacko Jacko :p .

"What he doesn’t tell you is that the suit is based on Florida’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices act which in fact does make illegal selling a product in a deceptive fashion–LIKE SELLING MATURE GAMES TO KIDS."


There is no law against selling mature rated games to kids.

Of course this whole law thing has eluded you, which would probably account for winning no cases against the video game industry thusfar. Dennis might not be a lawyer, but there is a good chance you won't be one much longer.

So I shall grab some popcorn and some pop, and sit back for yet another round of Jack getting his legal ass handed to him.

And for your sake Jack I do hope you have more evidence of these so called deceptive trade practices than your pointless stings. You do know if you try to use your two minuscule little "stings" to try and make a judgment call on the whole of Best Buy's sales practices that you are going to be laughed at. Not laughed at harder mind you as the gay porn debacle pretty much put you as the laughing stock of the Floridian law community, but rather will just keep the laughter going.

@Jack

Pretty soon, it won't matter whether or not Dennis gets a law degree. By the end of the year, all of us here at gamepolitics are betting yours will only be good for toilet paper.

@PeterWDawson

You might want to reminded Thompson that he's married.

If saying darling and sweetie is what Jack considers an insult he could learn a thing or two from online message boards. Of course pet names....*cough*...well....*trails off*

Wow, this man's stupidity continues to amaze me. They're located in the same city, so they must be guilty!

What kind of idiotic logic is this?

Dennis Mccauley, Video Game bloggist for gamepolitics.com, from the university of Hard Knocks and Journalism for dummies incorporate, i hearby confer on your a law degree.

Suck it JT, it means nothing and is still worth more then your worthless one!

You don't have legal ground to stand on, Mr. Thompson.

I hope Best Buy, the ESRB, Mr. Walsh, and if you continue to harass him, Mr. McCauley get the opportunity to counter-sue you into the ground.

As I stated before, if you lived in my home state and were pulling this nonsensical, pointless, illegal garbage over and over, using up my taxpayer dollars, I would launch a class-action suit.

As it is, you start to use my dollars when it gets into the federal court system...

Re Law of the Game(posted here because I don't want to bother registering).

It has always been my belief that Thompson is #1, #4, and somewhat #3.

He fought the other media industries, only to lose. Jack probably realizes there is no way he can go after such industries, especially seeing as they are well established, powerful, and not quite the controversy they use to be.

So what better way to start a new carrier and make a name for yourself then going up against the newest technology feared to be "corrupting our children"? And while these days you can't touch the movie and music industries, one would have a great opportunity to impose their moral beliefs and standards onto this new "defenseless" industry through laws & litigation....

So I think that explains #3 and his unhealthy bias against games, and things like why he has fixation on specific studies.

"Secondly, the last time I sued Best Buy over this, they settled the suit and reduced to writing their promise to stop selling M games to anyone under 17. They breached that written agreement. The suit is going nowhere? My, my."


Kind of like promising not to file gay porn on electronic docket systems without warning?

You still haven't answered why you use the credit card login as a defense in that case yet think it's not acceptable to prove age when buying a game.

@ Jack Thompson

If you cared about children so much, you would go after far more serious issues than video games. There has barely been any crimes that was pointed to video games. The crimes that was pointed to video games was thrown out immediately because there was no hard evidence that proved that video games caused violence.

You just want to violate my right as an American citizen over nonsense because you are a trouble maker.

I thought that you said on television that you was not for banning and censoring video games, and yet you was on television a few days ago saying that Manhunt 2 should be banned. You said that Manhunt 2 should be banned because kids could play it. Kids could get their hands on far worse things including other kinds of entertainment and yet you think that Manhunt 2 should be banned. You make no sense as to what you say.

Cant you just make up your mind that you are for or against the rights of Americans?

@jack thompson, attorney

Oh shut up Thompson. One little sample, and one from a hack lawyer DOES NOT set an example as to how the ENTIRE store chain operates. By that logic we can now demonize every single lawyer in the country thanks to YOU. Also, the ESRB is not bound by law like you see to believe in your twisted little head

Also, as asked, why the hell are you going after video games instead of poverty, poor education, child abuse, neglect and other real issues that cause violence?

By your past actions, with these stings and the Cody Posey case, you seem to endorse child abuse.

@ Kurisu7885

Knowing how far off Jack Thompson is on the video game issue I would not be surprised.

I can only twitch so much before my head explodes from all this crap.

~Sol~

Correction, please:

I am not a "game-hatin' attorney."

As I repeatedly tell audiences, video games are reflective of a neutral technology. All technology is neutral. You can electrify or incinerate a city with nuclear fission. It depends what you do with technology.

Virtual reality is one of the most powerful teaching modalities ever devised. It can teach for good or for ill. Not sure why GP can't grasp that.

I support the fact that kids should not be allowed to buy/play M rated games, I'm tired of hearing 8 year olds yapping while I'm trying to play halo... Its not right. Sure I can just mute them but I shouldn't have to. Maybe Jack is just upset that he can't play Gears of War w/ out be annoyed by some neglected ginger kid. Anyone under 17 with a whiney high pitch voice should be stopped form playing online games...

But on a serious not, I hate this guy too... I would very much like to see a South Park episode on this matter. I sent them an email a while back begging them to make one, but no luck. Everyone email them and beg, beg like hell!!

ok, anyone read what he just posted? "it promised to henceforth check anyone who appeared to be 21 and under in order to stop sales to kids under 17 of Mature games. Best Buy also promised the nation that it would do this.

Best Buy is obviously not doing this, at least not here in Florida. I have repeatedly proven that." he says he has proven it? so he's going by the stings he did with his son?

I'm a Brit, and we have no Best Buy's.

http://www.rkmc.com/Elliot_Kaplan.htm
(Best Buy Director)

http://www.rkmc.com/Foundation_for_Education_Public_Health_and_Social_Ju...
(Kaplan's Foundation)

http://www.rkmc.com/files/Foundation_Grants.pdf
(Foundation's Grantees)

Also, next time perhaps talk to the managers at your local game store if they aren't following company policy. It will get things done a lot quicker.

I wonder what happens to his lawsuit when his license is revoked... any REAL lawyers care to comment on what he'll have to do?

Dear Jack Thompson

Gabe Kaplan's foundation receiving funds from the NIMF does NOT equal the "NIMF paying Best buy" or mean any kind of conspiracy of any sort.


the NIMF FUNDS KAPLAN'S FOUNDATION, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND YOU NIMROD.

JT alleges that he is, in fact, not a game-hating attorney. Perhaps he is, perhaps he isn't, but that is the reputation that he has here, and I thought the media even regarded him largely as an 'anti-video game activist.' If our view of you doesn't agree with your view of yourself, perhaps it's not just that all of the rest of the world is mistaken.
A key reason for some failures is that someone refuses to accept any responsibility for their small failures. They insist that they are perfect and the fault lies with someone else. And thus small failures are allowed to become big failures unchecked. Point being: JT, you may not think of yourself as a game hater, that your viewpoint is fair and moderate, but your actions are anything but fair and moderate in the eyes of many others.

Jack Thompson said;

Correction, please:

I am not a “game-hatin’ attorney.”


Your vitriolic and nasty commentary say otherwise. You have nothing but derision for "gamers" and you make no distinction or mention that there might be more than one kind.

Secondly, you immediately cast blame on games the moment any act of violence is commited, whether games are involved or not (VA Tech).

"God hast given thee a face and thou hast taken another."
-Shakespeare.

Sorry to embarrass you, but the Kaplan Foundation funds NIMF. NIMF is a grantee of the Foundation not a grantor. Are you on drugs?

Secondly, I am an activist against the sale of violent, mature-rated games to anyone under 17. You didn't know that? I think you need a brain scan.

He's not a "game hatin attorney."

He's a freedom raping attorney.

He exploits the law and tax payer's money in such a way that allows him to promote his own moral agenda [Judeo-Christian fundamentalism] at the expense of our individual liberty and moral autonomy. Thompson despises the idea of a society that values multible sytems of ethical norms; a society willing to confront violent and sexual themes in the form of fictional entertainment. He will strike at any segment of society that contradicts his own genocidal, perverse, and contradictory form of morality. He's not attacking games as much as he is attempting to rape every autonomous adult of their personal freedom and moral autonomy.

Afterthought: Don't paint Christains with the same brush. I'm a Christian, I couldn't be more opposed to Jackarse's morals.

Pandralisk, you hit it on the head.

Now, here's an odd statement: I think that Mr. Thompson might have SOME valid points. Violent video games might be a FACTOR in violent acts and behavior, and perhaps, ratings and release should be looked at to make sure it's not getting into the hands of minors.

However, it's only ONE factor among many, and there's no proof that violent video games cause violence. Mr. Thompson is pushing his own agenda, and anyone with half a brain can see that.

One of his biggest problems is that "no proof" area. He's trying to get around it by either finding the proof himself... sorry, Jacko, but those stings you're doing -- did you have a legal warrant for them? You're a lawyer, not a policeman or a detective..., quoting an opinion or study finding incorrectly over and over until others quote it, then call it fact, or ignoring finding fact entirely and just claiming a "conspiracy", figuring that will draw attention away from his total lack of proof.

Meanwhile... other things that trigger violent action are still out there. Violence on television, in movies, books, and music. Real violence in the daily lives of many city kids. Drugs. Gangs. I could go on, but it's not worth my time right now.

Sorry, Mr. Thompson, but as I've said multiple times before, this case has no legal footing to stand on. Please stop wasting taxpayer dollars.

Years later he's still stinging over this one letter. GOD. How many open letters and CCs to the media have you sent, you Goddamn hypocrite?

Look jack apparently you are not in court today stating lies again take up wood work or needle point and shut up!!!!!!!!!!!

I know but for him to state over and over that he is protecting the children. It is bull, If he is protecting the children he would not be using his own kid exposing him to his so call dangerous games. He is a reject from humanity that is both psychotic and harmful to kids today.

OK, I'm going to try my hand at the old, dissecting jacks post and explaining it for those that may or may not read into what he's saying, so here goes:

Dear Dr. Walsh:

"This week I sued the ESRB and Best Buy for their alleged violation of Florida’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act. As you know, Best Buy entered into a formal agreement with me to settle a prior lawsuit in which it promised to henceforth check anyone who appeared to be 21 and under in order to stop sales to kids under 17 of Mature games. Best Buy also promised the nation that it would do this."

for this part i will have to give Jack the benifit of the doubt, simply due to the fact that i don't know enough about this said previous lawsuit to claim whether or not any of this ever happened

"Best Buy is obviously not doing this, at least not here in Florida. I have repeatedly proven that."

well to quote Mr Thompson, "Your sample size of one, while interesting is largely insignificant" i mean seriously you can't honestly hold the entire company at fault if a handful of employees break their rules can you?

"As you also know, you publicly attacked me awhile back for allegedly asserting that I was saying that NIMF endorsed my efforts. I never did any such thing. I was endorsing NIMF, because back then I thought you were doing a good job in what you do. I am sure there are some good things you do now. In fact, I know it. That is why I asked 60 Minutes to put you on the air again in March 2005, and they did."

While what NIMF said could be construed as an attack, they never once claimed that you said they endorsed you, they said that they would like you to stop name dropping them, as it gives people the impression that the 2 of you are associated, and they would not like to be associated with you due to the methods that you use when you decide to go on the attack.

"However, your attack upon me was uncalled for and not fact-based. If you really wanted me to stop saying NIMF endorsed me, then you should have contacted me directly. I would have told you that I was not doing that, and I would have been happy, publicly, to make it clear that I was not doing that. Instead, you went to GamePolitics with a letter asserting I had done something I had not done. It reads as if it were written by Attorney Elliot Kaplan."

they decided to make it a public statement to clear the air and inform people that you had nothing to do with them, they know you were not endorsing them, however you were name dropping them, and they didn't like it, you were doing the exact thing that they claimed you were doing, and now your simply spinning it to shine them in a bad light

"Which brings us to my request. As you know, you have in the past publicly asserted an alleged “100%” compliance by Best Buy with its alleged policy not to sell Mature games to anyone under 17. Dennis McCauley asked you about that at the time, but Dennis does not always dig where he does not want to dig."

NIMF used a sample size of 100 secret shoppers for their sting upon various retail outlets, of the 100 shoppers that went into Best Buy, they were all carded, does this mean that everybody that goes into Best Buy will get carded? No, however it means that Best Buy is in fact, doing a fairly good job of upholding their policy despite your significantly smaller stings

"I find again, as I found at the time, public documents that disclose funding of NIMF by Mr. Kaplan’s Foundation. Mr. Kaplan, of course, is legal counsel to Best Buy and serves it as its Secretary and Director."

While it is true that NIMF does get funding from the Kaplan Foundation, you seem to be making a fairly large leap in saying that because one member of Best Buys board of directors donates to NIMF that Best Buy somehow gets special treatment

"NIMF, of course, has an obligation to be transparent about where it gets its funding so that the public, which hears your public pronouncements about these things, can judge for itself your reliability and your possible biases. Maybe you have no such biases. But when you are holding forth about how wonderful Best Buy is and then we find you get money from Mr. Kaplan’s Foundation, it at least gives one pause."

yes, NIMF does in fact have that obligation as a non-profit organization they must disclose all the people that donate to them, from looking at their website though i can tell you that NIMF did not receive a Donation from them in the year of 2005, the same year in which they issued the above mentioned "Video Game Report Card"

So, I want to know where I can get a listing of all of your donors for the past five years, Dr. Walsh. Is that list in the public domain? If not, please forward that list to me at the above address if you would be so kind. Thanks.

Actually, while I'll admit that I'm no lawyer, i believe those records must be in the public domain, however, they don't necessarily need to be online, and the NIMF website seems to be somewhat out of date, only containing the 2005 annual report regardless of the fact i fail to honestly see what this really has to do with anything unless you are trying to use the NIMF report to say that Best Buy essentially bought the good report from NIMF, at which point then i would have to agree that Best Buy is actively conducting deceptive business practices and should be fined, however, that is again a very large leap based on very strained evidence