Jack Thompson Reacts to ESA Head's "Rearview Mirror" Comment
Jack Thompson Reacts to ESA Head's "Rearview Mirror" Comment
July 14, 2008
On Saturday VentureBeat posted Dean Takahashi's excellent, eve-of-E3 interview with ESA CEO Michael Gallagher.
Among his remarks, Gallagher took a rare shot at embattled anti-game attorney Jack Thompson, telling Takahashi:
[Thompson] is in the rear view mirror... The bright future that lies in front of us does not include Jack Thompson...
Naturally, we couldn't resist asking the volatile Thompson for his reaction to Gallagher's remarks. In an e-mail to Gallagher, cc'd to GamePolitics, Thompson wrote:
Dear Mike:
I really enjoyed your "Jack Thompson is in the rearview mirror" comment. I think it is a reasonable thing to say, based upon what you think you know about what is going on between me and The Florida Bar, but in fact it is not accurate. You don't know what is going on behind the scenes.
What I would like you to know, however, is that I plan to file a lawsuit this week against the ESA. It's about time. If you think my current, soon to be past, Bar problems are an impediment to that suit, think again...
I look forward to the entire video game industry having the ESA and the ESRB in its rearview mirror. That should be accomplished soon.
GP: The lawsuit of which Thompson speaks is apparently some type of RICO allegation. We've asked for more details but are taking a wait-and-see attitude as to whether this one ever happens. Not every lawsuit Thompson threatens actually gets filed, and this one in particular has the whiff of a non-starter.
Thompson also sent Gallagher the picture included in this report, which is, we have to admit, an amusing touch.
Getting all of the Thompson news out of the way so we can focus on E3, the controversial barrister has - not unexpectedly - filed several motions with the Florida Supreme Court, objecting to last week's report by Judge Dava Tunis which recommended that he be disbarred for life.
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Posted 11/22/09 at 11:48pm
ZippyDSMlee: AE:they feeding you well? I am enjoying win7 and heading to bed...uhg I need to get up early and start back to cleaning/painting blahg >< need tog et stuff done befor thanksgiving....
ZippyDSMlee: AE:they feeding you well? I am enjoying win7 and heading to bed...uhg I need to get up early and start back to cleaning/painting blahg >< need tog et stuff done befor thanksgiving....
Posted 11/22/09 at 11:41pm
Andrew Eisen: Just got home from an eight hour recording session at Capitol Records. A lot of fun but damn exhausting.
Andrew Eisen: Just got home from an eight hour recording session at Capitol Records. A lot of fun but damn exhausting.
Posted 11/22/09 at 08:44pm
BearDogg-X: 10 N. O. Who Dat?
BearDogg-X: 10 N. O. Who Dat?
Posted 11/22/09 at 09:45am
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I think doc phill is still sout about the break up with his wife he dose not fill holes as much as make them bigger these day
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I think doc phill is still sout about the break up with his wife he dose not fill holes as much as make them bigger these day
Posted 11/22/09 at 12:06am
JDKJ: You should get Phil McCraken to help you spackle those banisters.
JDKJ: You should get Phil McCraken to help you spackle those banisters.
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:57pm
ZippyDSMlee: Oh in the pirate hunter article I need my song ieda heckled DS,JD,Beemon sic im !!!
ZippyDSMlee: Oh in the pirate hunter article I need my song ieda heckled DS,JD,Beemon sic im !!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:56pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:no I am tried from prepping the banisters for painting , worked on them from 12 to 4 and 6 to 8...after I got back from the store...got up early got ready...blah...been up all day..I need a nap...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:no I am tried from prepping the banisters for painting , worked on them from 12 to 4 and 6 to 8...after I got back from the store...got up early got ready...blah...been up all day..I need a nap...
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:42pm
JDKJ: No. You gonna stay up late tonight soldering?
JDKJ: No. You gonna stay up late tonight soldering?
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:41pm
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:Don't you mean Mctite?
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:Don't you mean Mctite?
Posted 11/21/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: @Zip: Neil, Bob, and Lik McTaint. The McTaint brothers. LOL!!!
JDKJ: @Zip: Neil, Bob, and Lik McTaint. The McTaint brothers. LOL!!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:44pm
Flamespeak: I still think military personell, killing other military personell, on a military complex should be handled by military courts.
Flamespeak: I still think military personell, killing other military personell, on a military complex should be handled by military courts.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:43pm
Flamespeak: I could see this a mixture of the two charges rather than just one or the other.
Flamespeak: I could see this a mixture of the two charges rather than just one or the other.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:43pm
Flamespeak: I think this was mainly a person who snapped, but evidence is showing he definitely had strong inlinations to islamic-extremism.
Flamespeak: I think this was mainly a person who snapped, but evidence is showing he definitely had strong inlinations to islamic-extremism.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:41pm
Flamespeak: People are trying to claim that Hasan's actions were not terrorism. I don't jump on the 'terror train' like others, however
Flamespeak: People are trying to claim that Hasan's actions were not terrorism. I don't jump on the 'terror train' like others, however
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:38pm
mentor07825: Britain certainly does deserve it! And the French! God damn it, it was a hand ball!!!
mentor07825: Britain certainly does deserve it! And the French! God damn it, it was a hand ball!!!
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: mentor07825:Well Brittan dose deserve it....
ZippyDSMlee: mentor07825:Well Brittan dose deserve it....
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:33pm
ZippyDSMlee: Alyric:I don;t hasliburton having to pay back billoins... don;t you love it when the rich roll over the goverment without a care?
ZippyDSMlee: Alyric:I don;t hasliburton having to pay back billoins... don;t you love it when the rich roll over the goverment without a care?
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:32pm
mentor07825: I say we nuke the whales, for the benefit of both mankind and the environment.
mentor07825: I say we nuke the whales, for the benefit of both mankind and the environment.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:28pm
Austin_Lewis: I say we try Al Gore too. I always said he was in on the racket.
Austin_Lewis: I say we try Al Gore too. I always said he was in on the racket.
Posted 11/21/09 at 09:16pm
Alyric: The leaked information proves these organizations knowingly defrauded governments (i.e., taxpayers) out of billions of dollars. Yet there will probably never be a trial.
Alyric: The leaked information proves these organizations knowingly defrauded governments (i.e., taxpayers) out of billions of dollars. Yet there will probably never be a trial.
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
So he's going to proceed pro se. Well Jack's technically correct, he can certainly file his own motions, except that the show cause judgement previously entered still applies. The Florida Courts can still require his filings be cosigned by a "member of the Bar in good standing."
As for his lawsuit...RICO? He's going with RICO, as in "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations."
So apparently the ESA and ESRB are mobbed up now huh? So I gotta ask, who's the Godfather then? Let me guess...Zelnick over at Take-Two right? Gotta be him, so Jack has he made you an offer you can't refuse yet?
That ruling only applies to the Florida Supreme Court. He's still allowed to spam the lower and federal courts.
I'd hardly consider someone who files gay porn to the court as being a 'professional'.
RICO doesn't require the organization targetted to be "mobbed up". (Note, not supporting Thompson here, just explaining the law.)
RICO can target any individual or organization that performs criminal acts as part of an ongoing criminal organization.
For instance, that's how the government brought down Michael Milken.
The question then becomes, "What criminal acts has the ESA committed?"
This is, I believe, where Thompson's suit will fail. (Note, there may also be a standing issue.) Support / lobbying for a legal activity isn't itself illegal. Actually, support / lobbying for an -illegal- activity isn't automatically illegal. As the assisted suicide and NORML crowds will tell you.
So, in my opinion, this is another non-starter / baseless threat by Thompson. Even if he files, it will be dismissed or withdrawn.
Oh yeah, I know RICO doesn't require the mob connections, its just that's what RICO is most famous for being used for. Plus it lets me create this hilarious image of the ESA as a mob enterprise.
Yeah, but that might cast Jack as Elliot Ness. Not something I want to consider.
I'm still not sure how he's going to get around the standing issue, however.
Actually, funny thing is Jack already made that connection. Its on approximately page 100 of the referee's report (I know because I only just got to that point, didn't get to start reading til yesterday.)
He has in fact reference RICO before as well with regards to Kellogg and Cardenas.
Ok, first... just because Wacko Jacko says there's RICO predicate acts doesn't mean he's right.
And that reference is to Cardonas (and by extension, Howard Stern), not the ESA.
So, the questions are still there:
What criminal acts has the ESA perpitrated?
There's a list of 35 crimes (27 Federal and 8 State), of which, at least two have to be committed inside of a 10 year window, committed for a similar purpose or for similar results.
Where Jacko will likely try to go is one of the state/federal charges: dealing in obscene matter.
The problem is, he's already lost two similar cases in the past. The first was the 2 Live Crew case, where it was ultimately found that the Broward County Sherriff couldn't ban sale of the album because of prior restraint of trade, and that it was not obscene (Luke Records Inc. v. Navarro, 960 F.2d 134 (11th Cir. 1992)). (Side note: 2 Live Crew had supported Janet Reno in an election in which her opposition was Thompson. Given's Jacko's habit of attacking those even tangentially involved in an issue, IMAO it's very possible that Crew's support of Reno is what prompted Jack to act.)
The second one, of course, was Bully. He didn't get that blocked either.
For there to be a RICO suit, there must be some predicate criminal offense committed by ESA... essentially, there must be some sort of ongoing criminal acts by a corrup organization....I cannot imagine what that would be (I am eagerly awaiting Thompson's explanation)....
Conspiracy, obscenity, and mail or wire fraud are all RICO predicates, if I remember correctly. I'd go for those if I were in a Jack mood. Conspiracy is just two people getting together to do something naughty (so it kicks if you have another predicate), obscenity would work under his "games as unprotected pornography" theory, and mail or wire fraud could probably come in through a shipment of (illegal, remember) games or a download.
"I think it is a reasonable thing to say, based upon what you think you know about what is going on between me and The Florida Bar, but in fact it is not accurate."
Do you really believe that, Jack, or is it just bluster? If you truly believe it, I suggest you find yourself a different shrink than the one you got last time.
He's beginnign to remidn me of this commercial for a law firm from GTA Vice City
"Sue anyone, for pretty much anything, and you'll probably win." Except it;'s the opposite of win for him. Just getting tired of him issuing a threat every time someone disagrees that his bowl movements smell like cinnamon rolls
JT can go F**k himself
He filed a bunch of motions to the Florida Supreme Court. That he was sanctioned from filing motions to in the first place.
Oh yes, that will do WONDERS for him...
Blah blah blah.... RICO charges? Way to go Jack, file something that even if it does get filed and go to court (which is already unlikely) it will have absolutely no chance of sticking. Funny thing about conspiracy theories- you need proof if anyone's going to take them seriously.
I think we ALL know how this is going to pan out; Supreme Court disbar Jack, Jack pretends it hasn't happened and continues to file documents with the court, the court orders Jack to stop, Jack doesn't stop and get thrown in jail for contempt.
I bet you £10 Jack will be in a jail cell before the year is out.
And then he'll preceed to start sending in filings written on toilet paper...
Well...
At least then they'd have some practical use?
Judge Tunis's Assistant: Your Honor, something came in for you.
Judge Tunis: *opens manila envelope* Oh, I wonder wha... SWEET MOTHER OF JEEBUS, this REEKS!!! Mary, get me a gas mask and some tweezers!
One can only hope...
So he wants the ESRB left behind? Isn't this the institution that his entire laws are based upon? Enforcement of the ratings? Well, leave that behind and he completely invalidates his stance.
Way to go, Jackie-boy.
According to him, they are part of the vast conspiracy to allow rated M games, and AO games to be sold to minors. Oh and because they rated a couple of violent games M, instead of AO...they are corrupt and are targets of his.
Those previously too young to pull one over on Gamestop clerks will now get all the GTA they want. I say we run with him on this one. ;)
"OBJECTS IN REARVIEW MIRROR APPEAR TO BE LOSING"
Haha, I love it. Why have I never seen that before?
That would be a good T-shirt for the contest... :(
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
Put JT's face in the mirror and change the text to "Objects in rearview mirror are now irrelevant"
Hunting the shadows of the troubled dreams.
Hey Jack, if it appears like you are losing there may be a reason for that: You are. Do you remember all of those other times when things looked bleak for you and you said it was actually a blessing for you, do you remember what happened? Yes thats right, it looked bleak because it was. Yet again you said that Take-Two taking litigation against you was something you were praying for and would allow you to destroy them. You didn't destroy them now did you? But they did spank your ass in a legal sense now did they? Now apply that to the current situation. You are not winning, you never have been winning. Like always, you will lose.
How little you know. Jack always has an ace up his sleeve, even when he doesn't.
Wait... I guess you do know.
I'm guessing "sleeve" is a code word for another part of his anatomy and "ace" is a code word for gerbil or head.
And I'd like to add: You couldn't even win against Penny-Arcade or Kotaku. What makes you think you have a chance in hell against the Florida Bar if a comic strip and a gaming blog spanked your ass?
Ouch...keep it above the belt gentlemen...
"OBJECTS IN REARVIEW MIRROR APPEAR TO BE LOSING"
Why does Jack mock himself so?
Jack "The Miami Information Minister" Thompson
-- http://pixelantes.blogspot.com/
"Those are not piles of failed lawsuits you see behind me! You are all on drugs!"
-- If your wiimote goes snicker-snack, check your wrist-strap...
"No, my pants are not burning! I'm still an attorney! Really! Now, could you help me down from this telecommunications cable?"
Thompson should look up Leo Stoller, someone else who has done Pro Se litigation. Mind you, Mr. Stoller has been in the area of trademark infringement... mostly of him trademarking a common word for something rediculous like sports equipment then sueing anyone who tries to use that same common word, claiming that he controls all rights to it. For example, he trademarked "Stealth" for sports equipment, then threaten suits against the film "Stealth", Northrop-Grumman (the 'Stealth' bomber, i.e. the B2 Spirit), and anyone else that may use any of his trademarked words, even if it's not for the same product type.
He also was filed as a vexatious litigant, and has had all his trademarks sold in bankruptcy court last year. His tactic is to make a bunch of dummy businesses and then trademark things in order to be able to file lawsuits on anyone who may use those particular keywords in order to make money off them in settlements.
No, it hasn't worked all that well, but he keeps trying.
He and Thompson would get along fine: both are liars, corrupt, bullies, have no moral quams about dishonest legal practices, and both have a permanent place in the "Epic Fail" awards.
Trying to use the RICO statute to go after the ESA? Any lawyer with a smidgen of sense would know better than that, considering that the ESA is completely legit, and has committed no wrongdoing.
I did notice something about how Jack does things. He reminds me of a shareholder's meeting man that goes in, acts like a lout, and doesn't leave until you pay him to. I think that is why he does what he does (to get a settlement). It just blew up on him in a monumental fashion. Fred Phelps and his cronies were guilty of the same thing.
Didn't you hear? The ESA employs two mysterious figures known only as "Bruno" and "Knuckles." Officially they are Zelnicks "personal security." But come on, we all know the REAL story and all those trips Zelnick takes to Sicily...OPEN YOUR EYES MAN!!!
Objects in Mirror Appear to be Losing
So John Bruce responds to comments to him being in the rearview mirror by sending a picture stting that objects in rearview mirrors are losing. Classic. He agrees with the comment without actually stating so.
I would love to see this lawsuit he has in store for the ESA. I wonder if it was anything like his last RICO suit involving Gawker and everyotehr video game related organization in the world. Can't beat the Penny Arcade comic after that one. (don't have time to search for the link)
E. Zachary Knight
www.editorialgames.com
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
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Thank you.
E. Zachary Knight
www.editorialgames.com
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
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Jack's just sad cuz he's losing his one man war against the games industry.
You should just give up now, Jack, there's no way for you to win. Your arguements have more holes in them than swiss cheese.
Get back in your time machine, and go back to 1993, when you were still relevant.
---You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.
If he had a time machine the EA deal woudl likely have passed already
Your signature completes that post nicely.
I love that GP just has to end every article mentioning Jack Thompson with the words "disbarred for life". I think that on the day that the ruling goes through, every article posted should be ammended with the words "JT disbarred for LIFE".
RICO, eh? I don't think he'll be able to even go forward on that one. It seems to me that Jack's just mad about the way things are going for him, and is trying to find a way to keep being heard about non-existant problems.
Between Game Politics and the JAABlog, Jack-o keeps me amused all day long...
Why are we baiting him?
Slow news day? Or maybe because it's fun now that he's been all but completely defanged.
Chris 'coldacid' Charabaruk <coldacid.net>
IGDA Indie SIG Coordinator, Programmer, Designer
Because it's fun.
We could use some laughs because of yet another dissapointing E3.
When the going gets tough, the tough post image macros.
Did Gallagher's reply e-mail include "Yeah right Jack"? Seriously, people need to start trash talking back.
I want to live in Jack's reality where the real world doesn't exist.
In spite of overwhelming evidence that he's a flop, Jack Thompson still claims to be a viable threat. Oh, and I'm suing Jack for slander. See you in court old lady.(joke)
-Entertainment isn't the reason the world sucks. It's the reason we know the world sucks. For information on games and psychology, look up: Jonathan Freedman(2002)Block & Crain(2007)Grand Theft Childhood, by Harvard researchers Larry Kutner&Cheryl Olson
So which will be first on his list of things that are "coming soon" this lawsuit or jackandgoliath.com that he promiced would be coming soon more than a year ago?
http://www.popularculturegaming.com
Duke Nukem Forever will get here before either of those.
Oh Jaaaaaack, remember to get another lawyer in with good standing with the bar to co-sign the lawsuit. Remember that? I think the Supreme Court has told you that....more than once. Just like the countless amount of fireplace kindling you have provided, if you don't have another GOOD STANDING Bar member sign it....the world gets a little warmer from the nice fire it proves for that office.
Go nuts and happy suing, Jack.
Why would a decision affecting only the Supreme Court of Florida affect his ability to file in federal courts (where RICO Act filings would happen)?
I'd say 'He's doing it wrong!' but... I dunno. It's just not fun anymore. I wish September would hurry up so that we could be over and done with this guy already...
Agreed, he's definately doing it wrong by saying that he wants to put the ESRB in the industy's past. For a guy that wants the ESRB's standards to be enforced more strictly than any other industry's standards, it would seem a bit silly that he would want to be done with them.
Obviously, Jack wants to destroy the ESRB so that he can set up his own version of it, with him at the head. That way, if (and more likely when) he gets disbarred, he has a job to turn to.
I dont think even if he destroyed the ESRB and set up his own version with him at the head that anyone would use it considering jack seems to have less leadership quality then a bag of freezedried dill & rat salmon chips.
Words are more hunerous then they appear
I want time to slow down so I can enjoy Jack failing more. I can't get enough of his antics, I lawl at them.
I AM A LOST SOUL, CONDEMNED TO HAUNT THE DREAMS OF JOHN BRUCE "JACK" THOMPSON UNTIL HIS CRUSADE AGAINST VIDEO GAMES ENDS. SOMEONE, PLEASE! END MY SUFFERING!
"I wish September would hurry up so that we could be over and done with this guy already..."
I'm not a law-type person so correct me if I'm wrong here. As I recall Judge Tunis had until September 4th to give her report and recomendation to the Bar. She has already turned that in, last week right? So wouldn't that mean JT could (potentially) be disbared sooner than September?
Now that I think about it, you might be right. I mean, IANAL so I dunno how it works but... that makes sense.
(I should put the site I work for in my sig so everyone knows where the party will be after the funeral for JT's failed law career...)
I know that the ESA may be a little down currently, but I doubt they feel even the slightest bit intimidated by that petty little threat.
-"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." -Sir Winston Churchill
RICO allegations now?
That's not exactly the kind of thing to throw around lightly, but considering Jack's accused people of being child molesters it's hardly surprising he's turned to this nonsense.
RICO laws were enacted because the evidence requirements are far lighter than other charges, such as murder and the like, and said laws made targeting crime families easier. There's also a lot of debate as to the constitutionality of said laws, though they have yet to be overturned on those grounds.
One can only wonder why Jack is so determined to bring down an entire industry and cost so many people he doesn't know their livliehoods. Of course the answer to this was in an interview that EGM magazine did some years ago, Jack said that he wanted to go down in history as the man who destroyed the gaming industry.
Such a Christian thing to do isn't it?
This wouldn't be the first time Jack's thrown around RICO allegations. In his mind every action taken against him is bought and paid for by evil corporations that corrupt the innocent, and otherwise have nothing better to do than mastermind his downfall.
Ironically, if it weren't for the fact that Jack's a one man show, he'd probably be a closer match for RICO laws than those that he accuses.
-Gray17
Actually with his connections to the PTC and other groups wouldn't those definitions fit?
Just something to consider.
Is that EGM interview part of a "what if?" article section? Because in it, EGM asked him what will happen if one lawsuit against Take Two puts the rest of the game industry into danger. Thompson responded, "not an issue of what if, but when."
He wasn't adamant of winning cases left and right...he only said that one big successful lawsuit by him would be enough damage to burst the floodgates open in the proverbial dam. A domino effect of lawsuits from other parties, if you will.
So he's attemtping to pull a Cartman. THen again that didn't work either.
It hardly ever does
In defense of the devil - he still maintains that he's not trying to bring it down, he's just trying to regulate it. One would assume in much the same way as say, the sale of alcohol is regulated.
OK, for the sake of argument - I'm willing to accept that. However, the whole thing kind of falls apart when you consider that most people trust Jack about as far as they can throw him. I can't speak for the rest of the world, but I'm not what I would call a heavily muscled guy. Put simply, if we give him an inch, he can't be trusted not to take a yard.
An attorney posted in one of the other Thompson posts a very convincing, empathetic post about Jack not deserving so much anger and what-not because his life's work was for naught, his name will be forever related to massive failure in the legal world, etc. Essentially, the attorney made a very good case for pitying Jack and not thinking as foul about him as one might.
Screw Jack; I hope he goes down in a flaming ball of failure so hot that it melts and collapses into a vortex of 'suck' so nasty that no one goes near it ever again. I have no pity for this fool. He deserves whatever penance is laid upon him by the FL Supreme Court, and I'd presume that whatever his punishment is, it will be too light. He is scum. He is a liar. He is a bully. He is a scoundrel. He is full of empty threats. He is the king of "you just wait." He is nothing more than the boy who cried wolf, as has been pointed out by many others here previously. I just cannot believe that this scum even commands the littlest bit of respect and attention. He contributes nothing to society and as such should be removed from it.
. . Wisdom begins in wonder. - Socrates . .
Yeah, that was me. My point wasn't that Jack deserves pity. My point was that his situation bears reflection. The man himself, well, point and laugh. I've been doing it for years.
I like to encourage Jack, like the song says "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow..."
Reminds me of that simpsons ep where bart was put on those meds and......
wow you know if I finish this post the universe may divide by zero so just take my word for it.
Jack, the ESA and ESRB laugh at your pathetic excuse for a lawsuit. You're finished as a lawyer and as a human.
He may use the Chewbacca defense and the Mel Gibson defense... Watch out for that.
D****e Bag, he just doesn't get it that he's a thing of the past, but he doesnt wanna face the truth becuz he still thinks his opinions are more important than everyone elses
FIXED!!!
[IMG]http://i35.tinypic.com/nbf0gy.jpg[/IMG]
Sorry, I had to do it!
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
It's about time.
The grammar is a little off. You need to change "they" to "it". Failure is singular.
It´s because is about "failure" concept...
Nah, you are right, I want to correct it but I think I erased the original psd file. :P
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
I would normally say something really mean about Thompson right now, but (unless he murders half the employees of Monolith) I'm very surprised to say I'm just all out of insults for this guy. He's already past the rear view mirror for me.
I hereby nominate "Objects in Mirror Appear to be Losing" as the title of Jack Thompson's biography.
Better than the title of his last one.
As it turns out, nothing ended up "Out of Harm's Way". Not the children, not society, and apparently, not even his career.
When all is said and done, though, I'm going to miss the hateful old coot. Ideaologically, he was the perfect enemy for the video game industry: an out-of-touch, impulsive, paranoid, fundamentalist slimeball of a lawyer. He was as to gamers as GTA is to video game critics, he was the worst possible example that had managed to steal all the press and make himself the icon to attract all the attention.
What'll happen when he's gone? Article after article about hippies complaining about military games, and alerts of censorship laws, I guess. Sure, the world will be a better place without him, but GP will never be the same again.
We won't be without him. He'll still do whatever he can to get press, good or bad.
that's right Jack, you've got everyone right where you want them. But now we have you right where we want you. In our rearview mirrors quickly fading into the distance.
Yeah, how is it that he always says he's going to sue someone and then nothing ever comes from it?
Crazy people say crazy things.
(I'm throwing out the 'certified sane' evidence as the defendant has been proven to know the doctor in this case, thus skewing the results.)
I think Jack Thompson has the terms 'lawsuit' and 'complaint' mixed up.
The man continues throwing himself at a brick wall, hoping that he will finally break through. But he shall always fail.
Jack's treading some very, very dangerous water here. He's already been found guilty on a number of counts during his Bar trial, and is facing disbarrment either way. Any judge would probably think twice before agreeing to hear the case.
You don't know what is going on behind the scenes.
You are right, he should have compared you more to looking in their "rearview mirror" at some --figuratively speaking-- road kill.
And I have to ask what kind of f***ed up car mirror he has, seeing as how the ESA and the ESRB are carpooling with almost the entire video game industry, with those non-members right behind & benefiting from them.
Skipping the usual SLAPPing; again I ask about the ratings BS, WHY ARE YOU NOT GOING AFTER THE RIAA & MPAA AND HOLDING THEM TO THE SAME STANDARDS? That point alone shows what a joke and lier you are...
You're absolutely right (about the roadkill thing, not the RIAA or the MPAA; I really don't know what those are anyways).
Jack is not in the rearview mirror; he's the roadkill roasting on the side of a long stretch of burning hot, American MidWest highway asphalt. The ESA and ESRB and everyone else is gonna glance at his rotting corpse (a.k.a. his career), either laugh or go "aww", "ew", or "yummy", and just drive right on by, without another sideways thought. He's not in the rearview mirror; he's too far into the blind spot for anyone to see or care.
Vaya con dios, Senor Thompson, if that's even possible.
"Based on the evidence presented at the Final Hearing, this Court is
Career over. After this legal finding of fact, he can't even pretend. Welcome to the rearview mirror.
making a factual finding that Mr. Thompson wrote and alleged in pleadings,statements that were utter fabrications for which there was no factual basis."
This is kinda off topic but still its about jack
i have a question i want to ask jack, if violent videogames cause school shootings, why havent we had a school shooting up here in canada, while our population is smaller, videogames are just as popular, so why havent we had a columbine or VT here.
Also, if GTA4 promotes cop killing and killing prostitutes, why havent any cops been killed in edmonton ( my home town ) since its came out. ( cops and prostitutes have died in edmonton, in fact we had a prostitute serial killer recently, but that all happened before GTA4 came out.)
Is it because americans are more prone to violence and are affected by vilolence in videogames mor, or is it because jack is full of shit.
Allso, in canada its difficult to get a gun, ( i actually dont know of any gun stores in my city, there probably is some, but there rare) so maybe, if you want to prevent these incidents, than gun control is the answer, not banning games.
I blame it on the fact that here in the states we have many of those "me" people raising kids all neglectfully.
-Entertainment isn't the reason the world sucks. It's the reason we know the world sucks. For information on games and psychology, look up: Jonathan Freedman(2002)Block & Crain(2007)Grand Theft Childhood, by Harvard researchers Larry Kutner&Cheryl Olson
well, we arnt exactly the best parents up here, but i guess you have a point, but jack claims that its the games not the parents
While I agree with the point you're trying to make, Tyler, I have to remind you that we've had several school shootings here in Canada. Seven of them in the past 33 years, to be exact (if Wikipedia is to be believed):
May 28, 1975 - Centennial Secondary School (Brampton, Ontario)
October 27, 1975 - Saint Pius X High School (Ottawa, Ontario)
December 6, 1989 - Ecole Polytechnique (Montreal, Quebec)
August 24, 1992 - Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec) [Where I'm currently studying...]
April 28, 1999 - W.R. Myers High School (Taber, Alberta)
September 13, 2006 - Dawson College (Montreal, Quebec ) [My alma mater...]
May 23, 2007 - C.W. Jeffreys Collegiate Institute (Toronto, Ontario)
Of these, only three were perpetrated by people 18 years of age or younger (the two in 1975 and the one in 1999). Still, three shootings by minors over a span of thirty-three years, two of which had occurred long before video games became popular. So much for statistical significance...
My mistake: it's Jefferys, not Jeffreys. And it was five shooters under the age of 18, not three -- the identities of the two Jefferys shooters have not been released since they were 17 at the time. Looks like my fact-checking needs some improvement, too.
Frankly, I like how Jack decided to include an image of a side view mirror with his rear view mirror retailiation comment.
Some may have already mentioned something like this, I haven't read all the comments, but has JT even stopped to consider it's this kind of behavior that got him into trouble with the Bar in the first place? He's running around validating every reason Tunis gave for permanent disbarment.
I love how he says that we don't know what's going on behind the scenes. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. On the foreground we gamers hate him and so does everyone who has anything to do with law, and everyone is telling him to give it up and shut the fuck up. Behind the scenes, lawyers and judges (everyone who has anything to do with law) hate him, is telling him to give it up and telling him to shut the fuck up.
Forgive my ignorance, maybe someone could explain this to me. I thought RICO cases were always federal criminal cases that required criminal felony predicates. How could Jack file one? Is there a civil RICO statute I don't know about?
In short, yes, and you even knew what it was called. Google "civil RICO." It's been used in all sorts of interesting situations, including extremist anti-abortion protestors (didn't work, RICO requires pecuniary motive).
I've said this before already, but how does jack find the time to find all these articles about himself!? This is the same guy that tells gamers to put down the controller and get a life. Where the hell does he get off to say that when he's one of the most internet addicted people in the world?
I'm sure all he does every day is hit refresh on blogs that MAY talk about him, and keep checking his inbox.
Seriously, you need to get a life!
On the bright side, the outcome of a RICO lawsuit should provide some reassurance that the ESA's new leadership isn't using the organization's ballooning dues to line their own pockets.
*facepalms*
No no Jack, it's WAY too late to learn how to tell jokes...
Anyone who has read Tunis' final report will know what Jack's getting at. As mentioned above, it starts on page 100. He attempted to file RICO charges against Tew-Cardenas for distributing pornography to minors.
This comes from his wholely mistaken belief that shock radio and games are pornography. Sure they sometimes have some lewd things in them, but no one has officially found them to be pornographic, especially since violence falls far outside this category. Jack and other extremists like to call them porn, but we can also call Jack a Nazi if we wanted. That doesn't make it true, just a meaningless label.
So he'll try to claim that the ESA and ESRB are facilitating the distribution of porn to kids, despite the face that there's no evidence of this except for Jack's claim that it is.
And, yes, this is one of the main reasons Jack is in so much trouble right now.
The only thing I have to say that Jack Thompson has ever done right is that picture. It's quite amusing, so therefore I shall now take it and use it against him. It can't be that hard, he's been on the losing end of many arguments and law suits.
... he kept his lawyers license with no actual knowledge of how to practice law, and now we have the revelation that he has kept a drivers license without knowing the difference between a rear mirror and a side-view mirror!...
God Bless America.
Your soul is a tasty refreshing treat to ones such as I
The report shows that Jack has a pattern of losing a case, then abusing the other side's attourneys, the ruling judge, and anyone else within earshot, by sending harassing e-mails to anyone that will listen, and making claims with a reckless disregard for the truth.
His current claims that he's got something really big right around the corner is consistent with the unethical methods he's used in the past, the methods which got him disbarred.
Game over, John. Your ride ends here.
The report shows that Jack has a pattern of losing a case, then abusing the other side's attourneys, the ruling judge, and anyone else within earshot, by sending harassing e-mails to anyone that will listen, and making claims with a reckless disregard for the truth.
You missed a step. Abusing the other side's attourney starts right after the case starts, then comes the losing and further abuse.
-Gray17
Jack has claimed to be winning EVERY TIME.
- He claimed to be "winning" when he tried to get Bully banned.
- He claimed to be "winning" the Louisianna anti-games law's constitutional challenge.
- He claimed to be "winning" before Manhunt 2 released.
- He claimed to be "winning" when Take Two sued him.
- He claimed to be "winning" when his disbarrment trial started...and GUARANTEED he would depose the President on the stand.
- He claimed to be "winning" when he filed RICO suits against Kotaku and PennyArcade.
- He claimed to be "winning" when the GTA4 pre-release controversy started.
- He claimed to be "winning" when he tried to get Norm Kent arrested/diciplined.
I take it his supposed "behind the scenes" victory is the same as how the Florida Bar supposedly needed criminal defense lawyers a few weeks ago. He also loves to inform about NONEXISTIENT lawsuits in his little email masturbations. Remember how many times he informed Dennis of libel/slander suits he was supposed to file EVERY WEEK?
We will be looking at his little email/press release spooges and laughing after his disbarrment is final. I predict he will get arrested at least once before the end of 2009.
haha I only immediately knew what RICO meant because I learned it watching Dark Knight this weekend.
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I'm all for freedom of ttnet vitamin speech and allowing rent a car game makers to put whatever they want in games, but there's one thing about this app that has me scratching my head. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from araç kiralama the previous article araba kiralama on this I gathered that players can use Google maps in-game to find the other (real-life?) dealers in their area. If this is the case, has travesti anyone considered what's stopping someone from using this app to actually move drugs between hands for reals?
But majority araba kiralama of their outrage araç kiralama stems from what it could DO TO children, not the content itself. Talk to one of these people and you'll find they don't think any books kiralık araba should be banned from children. Mention American Psycho and they talk about kiralık araç the redeeming value of using imagination to construct a story. Reading, no matter what the content, is largely viewed as a consequenceless activity for people of any age. The reason why I mention American Psycho is because of the content itself. Gaming never has and likely never will have any scenes where someone has sex with a severed head. Not gonna happen. Yet despite this, they'll fight tooth and nail to protect their children from two boys kissing in Bully but whatever they read is harmless... yeah.
The entire arguement is kiralık oto based upon a social normality inflicted by luddites who can't figure out the controls for Halo so it's frightening and terrifying and obviously the cause of youth violence on the rise even though, in reality, it's in decline (which is actually a HUGE suprise given minibüs kiralama the economies status). In a perfect world, we would have parents that actually parent. The idea of sales restrictions on media on oto kiralama any form to accomidate parental unwillingness to get involved with their child's life is the real problem to me. Here I am, 32 years old, and being held up at a self-scan rent a car needing to show ID before I can buy a $10 M rated game all because Soccer Momthra can't be bothered to look at the crap Billy Genericallystupidson does in his free time. It's too hard for her, so I have to suffer?