What Video Game Must The Florida Bar Have Played To Want To Disbar Jack Thompson?
from the what-goes-around-comes-around dept
Well, it's been a little while since blame-the-video-game lawyer Jack Thompson has been in the news, but a gaming news site has turned up some interesting news: Thompson's facing a disciplinary hearing from the Florida Bar, and could lose his license to practice law (via Destructoid). Three of the five complaints against him stem from his involvement in case in Alabama, where he was the lawyer for the families of two police officers and a dispatcher who were killed by an 18-year-old. Thompson, of course, blamed the Grand Theft Auto video game, and tried to further his pet cause by representing the families in a suit against several companies in the game industry. However, the judge in that case tossed Thompson from it and suspended his visiting license to practice law in Alabama. Thompson responded by accusing the judge of accepting bribes, and being part of a vast game-industry-driven conspiracy against him. Now, Thompson says he's got nothing to fear because the hearing in front of the Florida Supreme Court won't happen, since he's sued the Bar. While he won't share any details of the lawsuit, there's a good chance it mimics an earlier suit against them, which a judge rejected by noting it had nothing but "wild accusations of a vast conspiracy against him that the Bar is unfairly proceeding against him." While Thompson certainly has every right to voice his opinion on video-game violence (and make an ass of himself in the process), it seems pretty obvious that he's been allowed far too much leeway in the courts and with law enforcement, so some sort of rebuke or censure would certainly seem to be in order.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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seriously, can't you see Jack's doing a great service to this nation? he's trying to remove the filth that has crept into our society. 20 years ago, america was the greatest place on earth. now we have gang violence, crime and whatnot is at all time highs!!! this must be stopped.
begin with the evils.
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The problem isn't just jack, it's the sue happy lawyers wiling to represent any raving lunatic.
The fact is, Jack should have been thrown out of court years ago. What no one ever comments on is the money it costs the public to incessantly listen to his ravings (and the ravings of other sue happy morons). He's wasting the court's time and taxpayer's money. I would love to see a judge take a stupid case like this and fine Jack (or any lawyer like him) $50,000 personally for wasting court resources. A precedent would be set and lawyers all over the world would think twice about taking a case about a hot cup of coffee you spilled on yourself while driving.
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So, the precedent has been set. Attorneys are careful in the clients they represent because of these kind of issues. Pursuing a claim known to be frivilous is a violation of our ethics code and can lead to disbarment.
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small amount of truth
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hollywood is a well entranched industry with plenty of precedents and high priced lawyers.
the video game undustry is worth tens of billions annually and is lacking in a landmark precedent... meaning that there are big bucks out there that are just begging for a frivolous lawsuit to come claim them.
jack thompson is an ambulance chaser, plain and simple.
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Finally...
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haha
I really do.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_%28attorney%29
He's just too crazy to take seriously.
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Yeah, but
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LOL
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oh COME ON now
If i knew where he lived, i'd run him down in my U.S. Army tank stolen from the local base and beat him senseless with my melee weapon of choice until his dead body faded away. I'd then go eat some pizza to restore my health to full, come back with a flame-thrower, scorching any witnesses to my crime. By this time, everyone from the local police to the CIA to the military would be on my ass so i'd have to jack a car and have it repainted. That would take care of everything.
Yeah, that's what i would do.
Games don't change me, Jack.
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what a loser
In the Wikipedia article about him, he publicly stated that the Qur'an tells Muslims to kill all infidels. The Qur'an does not specifically state this but if it did, then Thompson should be one of the first infidels to be killed via gravity gun or plasma rifle.
Please note this is a personal opinion and is not completely reflective of my attitude toward Muslims or moronic lawyers who should be prosecuting more important things like oil companies or companies that dump waste or other environmental issues.
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Read this article if you think Jack is bad
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Not only does the Qur'an not say that, but Thompson is also wrong because the Bible DOES proscribe death for non-believers. Check out Deuteronomy 13:6-15 for example, which CLEARLY says to murder those who believe differently.
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I hate this...
I have thought of a way to stop these lawsuits of blame. Use their own evidence against them in Court. They say it was the games, pay attention to the time the kid was on the game, and if the content was age appropriate. If not throw the lawsuit out, and charge the parents. etc. Case closed.
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Ahh my favorite idiot strikes again
I do have to agree with an earlier poster though. If it wasn't him trying this, it would end up being someone competent.
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What about adults rights?
Just like when we were kids watching Goonies and Adventures in Babysitting, now we watch Kill Bill and Crank. And just like we played Mario Bros. and Frogger, now we play Grand Theft Auto and FEAR.
Movies and video games are the two closests associated industries. Both tell stories, use audio and visuals, and can contain anything from violence, to sex, to course language. The only difference is one is interactive and one is not.
Take Rocky the movie for example, or watching UFC. I watch those, and I get pumped up, and can feel that. I want to box, I want to fight.
But, when I play a game like FEAR or GTA or Mortal Kombat, I don't want to fight afterwards, because I had that interactive experience already, I satisfied my primal desires to mimic what I saw.
Only those with mental disabilities will want to mimic an interactive story, a game, because they have that mental disability and cannot disassociate fantasy with reality. But then they have the same chance of mimicing a movie or tv show.
Truth is that movies like Private Ryan, or games that show the consequences of combat and war, are less likely to make someone want to go through that for real. Unrealistic movies and games, without consequences for violence, are more likely to decensor someone.
But regardless, this content is FOR ADULTS, NOT CHILDREN. Get that through your heads. Children are not allowed to buy this content. So maybe parents should start being parents. Start watching what your kids are doing, start using parental controls, and stop infringing on my adult rights!
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video games caused every major evil
Don't believe me? thinking "hey, but computers have only been around for the past few years!!"...well it's all part of the EVIL CONSPIRACY!!! evil i tells ya...EEEVVVIIILLLLLL......
Yes take two and their other devil-worshipping baby eating friends simply made a game called "grand theft...forget what just happened"....which when people played it instantly (automagically) made them forget that video games even existed, let alone told them to go out and kill stuff!!!!
I say jack thompson should be elevated to the status of god-king (something he's been after for a while) and let him have CCTV in all of our homes (and in our pants to be sure we don't touch ourselves in a sinful way like they show in "grand theft abuse-yourself and go to hell kids, its cool" (GTAYAGTHK).....
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hmmm
Once about two weeks ago i was playing this violent game called "Microsoft Word" where you have to viciously stamp huge black letters in syntax-correct order onto an innocent white background!!! Then I felt compelled to go out and brand people with various letters of the alphabet on their pasty white faces!
And the less said about my experiences with the Cells from Excel the better!
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