Disbarment Not Likely to Silence Thompson
Disbarment Not Likely to Silence Thompson
September 26, 2008
If you were thinking that yesterday's lifetime disbarment would end Jack Thompson's crusade against violent video games, you may want to think again.
Don't get me wrong. The stripping of Thompson's law license will certainly have an impact on his activism. For example, will Fox News want a disbarred attorney as their resident game-bashing expert? Not likely, not even for Fox.
While his TV appearances may be scaled back, Thompson will still be a player, as I told VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi yesterday:
I don’t expect that we have seen the last of Thompson, not by a long shot... After all, most of his culture crusade takes place outside the courtroom. And he’s still able to file lawsuits, just as any private citizen can. Moreover, he understands the mechanics of how to file suits. The difference is that the word “disbarred” will invariably be attached to his name from this point forward.
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Posted 11/07/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: BREAKING: In photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
JDKJ: BREAKING: In photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:30am
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
No, of course it wouldn't. He's jack thompson, attorney. He'll carry on his crusade until his dying day.
Thank goodness his effectiveness has been greatly reduced.
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Life's no fun if you take it seriously.
Fox would prolly want him on just because people are waiting to heat the next crazy thing he says. It is all about ratings baby, just like for EA it is all about sales.
True, seeing as he's doing it all because of his religion, which isn't connected to his profession, he will still continue to try to demonize and attack video games. Hopefully the stigma of the disbarrment will limit how seriously people take him. It just has to be made known exactly why he was disbarred. How many reputable tv stations will have a man found to have made false statements as a witness? (This does not include FOX)
He will wear this as some sort of badge of honor for being a martyr for his cause.
“When men are most sure and arrogant they are commonly most mistaken, giving views to passion without that proper deliberation which alone can secure them from the grossest absurdities” ~ David Hume
Yeah but then we can remind people exactly why he was disbarred.
Remember remember the 25th of September. Twas the day Jack Thompson was disbarred (although he is still a lawyer till October).
Fox still can use him. If fox uses New York tourists as the representatives of 9/11, of course they would still use Jack Thompson, the man who has the career of attacking video games on site. The difference is, attacking video games is his only career.
Of course it won't silence Thompson. If the man knew when to shut up, he wouldn't have been disbarred in the first place.
All this really means is the last vestiges of restraint applied to him by his profession are gone.
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And can we please disable this goddamn right click script?
That hasn't stopped him before. If he had shown any professional restraint before, he wouldn't be disbarred now.
The thing is, having been disbarred, Jack won't be able to file lawsuits for others. He can sue people himself, but he can't go around talking people into frivolous lawsuits. Well, he can try but I'd imagine that it'd fall apart once he had the family talk to an actual lawyer.
-Gray17
Oh, I'm under no illusions that he will will ever be silenced completely so long as he's alive. But his stature and prominence in the so-called "Culture Wars" has been severely diminished. When you look back on his career over the last 20 years or so, he was at the forefront leading the charge against whatever the cultural boogeyman was at the time. 2 Live Crew and Rap Music? Jack Thompson. Howard Stern? Jack Thompson. The gay community? Jack Thompson. Oh yeah, and video games? Well, Dave Grossman was it initally, but Jack Thompson kind of picked up the banner from him when Grossman had gone to ground.
As long as he's had that license, he could claim to be some sort of authority. So whenever he came on television or tried to file a lawsuit, it always made news because he was a lawyer. Now he doesn't have that anymore. Yes, he can file lawsuits of course. But anyone can file a lawsuit, really. Jack's just another Joe Schmo, now. I've said this before; that once he's disbarred, he'll be just another crazy, angry old man yelling at those young whippersnappers to get off his lawn. He can't really do anything. And if the authorities weren't very much inclined to follow up on his filings before, they'll be even less inclined to do so now. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the SCOFLA later declared him to be a vexatious litigant. It would't be that huge of a leap, really. It would just be the turd icing on Jack Thompson's shit cake.
Also, Dennis, you forget that once he's disbarred, he will open to any and all retaliatory lawsuits from anyone and everyone he has ever defamed, libeled, slandered, threatened and otherwise harrassed. That includes you, me, Hal, Nightwing2000, EZK (the entire ECA practically!), Take 2, etc. On Oct. 30, the shields will officially be down. I would say then to let the attacks commence! The retaliatory lawsuits alone would be enough to sue him into oblivion.
Jack can whine and cry and stomp his feet and throw a temper tantrum all he likes. The thing is, he's neutralized and he knows it. Someone who was at his disciplinary hearing who posted here pretty much said that the thing Jack Thompson feared the most would be to become irrelevant; that once he lost his license, the spotlight that he reveled in would be taken away. Now that's come to pass. He's been neutered, declawed and defanged all in one stroke. If he does continue to rail on about violent video games as well as all the other things in popular entertainment that he finds reprehensible, he'll be doing it from a streetcorner with a megaphone in his hand and a cardboard sign around his neck, which is where he should be. So sure, he'll continue to be seen, and he'll continue to "loudly beat his drum in the public square," as he once said. But just like any crazy street person, no one will pay any attention to him.
Good blimey. To think that on October 25th the remainder of his legacy will come crashing down onto him when people start suing him in return... I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
I think a handful of lawsuits would be in order; those would definitely silence him where the disbarment doesn't. But what I fully expect to see instead is him sued into oblivion just as you say. D= Which is... well, see, I'm a nice guy and can't bring myself to hate this horrible man. Yet despite that, I know what must be done, and my sympathy is resevered more for the pathetic little man who cries out from the abyss, not the one that falls in.
These legal wars are just so grisly. Good luck, those of you who take this action, and may your victories be absolute. But I think I'll stay snuggled up with my copy of Mega Man 9 instead and pray that his wife and son get away safely, assuming they've simply been hostages throughout all of this.
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"They were retarded hairless pink bunnies, all of them. Except Shigeru Myamoto and... well, the good ones were just too /rare/ to be worth bothering about." - Mason Hornblower on the extinction of the human race
Where are the rational voices in these debates? Thompson is clearly insane.
Brad
ExGamer.net
http://www.exgamer.net
Is he required to make note of his disbarrment in a future court filings?
-- If your wiimote goes snicker-snack, check your wrist-strap...
Well, he certainly can't use any designation that identifies him as a member of the State Bar Association. That's the main thing. Obviously, he still has his law degree, so those letters will go after his name, but not the Bar designation.
The greatest disgrace here in my opinion is threefold:
1. Bringing dishonour to the faith in God that he claims to hold. This man is so full of hatred. I am embarrassed and disgusted by much of what comes out of his mouth.
2. Making important social issues around gaming seem like a joke. It will take a long time before people will want to talk seriously and rationally about exposure to video game violence and other problems such as compulsive game play. Thompson has effectively shut the door to dialogue through his antics.
3. Disgracing the legal profession.
Brad
Exgamer.net
http://www.exgamer.net
I'd argue that the door to legitmate discussion isn't closed at all.
It's true that there will always be those who won't be open to discussion, but many of the people like that would never be open to it anyway. However there are lots of people who are willing to talk about the matter respectfully and we shouldn't be getting into the habit of burning our bridges before we even get there.
Will Thompson simplly go quietly into the night? Not likely, but we have to take control of the issue. We have to be proactive in this. If there's a discussion to be had we have to be the ones to initate it. If for no other reason than to show that we're serious about having it.
Did anyone notice on that emergency filing he made that one of the defendants is Jack Harkness?
Either someone in the Florida courts has that name, or Jack is trying to sue a bi-sexual character from Doctor Who.
I'm voting that it's the later and JT really has lost it.
"The Good, the Bad, and the Videogame"
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I noticed that too! However, after reading the filing a little more closely, I believe that this Jack Harkness is an actual person who just happens to share his namesake with the fictional character. A shame, really, as it would only show further proof of his gay fixation. ;)
Also, I don't think Jack's actually cool or with-it enough to be Doctor Who fan.
But hey, if he names Jack Harkness as a defendant, I can say that I represent the law firm of Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, Baker, Davison, Baker, McCoy, McGann (Junior partner), Eccleston and Tennant. Look us up at Toomanylawyers.com. ;)
In no way affilated with Dewey,Cheetum, and Howe.
Hunting the shadows of the troubled dreams.
If you think disbarrment will make Thompson any less attractive as a talking head, you should look at Fox New's staff. They have people with worse ethical histories than Thompson permanently on the payroll, and both Fox and CNN regularly use disgraced politicians and psychologists that have lost their licenses as guests. How's a disbarred lawyer any different when you can just change his title?
Of course it won't and I'm glad it won't either since it will open him up to slander, libel, and harassment lawsuits and possible criminal charges. Seeing this asshole do some jail time for his antics would tickle me pink.
I still get my 1u1z from Jack even though he's disbarred? SWEET FUCKING ASS!!!
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I AM DOOMED TO HAUNT JACK THOMPSON'S DREAMS UNTIL HIS CRUSADE AGAINST VIDEO GAMES ENDS.
Moreover, he understands the mechanics of how to file suits.
No he doesn't. He's shown time and time again that he has no idea how to make filings. He only knows how to wave them around and threaten with them, not how to actually follow through.
Jack has been gaming's number 1 enemy, yeah, but it's important to remember that he's an enemy for all the wrong reasons. There's a sucker born every minute and Jack only knows how to round them up. But when the truth is out, as it is now, he is powerless. Darkness cannot stand in the face of light, for darkness is merely the absence of light.
This is another reason he should probably be sued on October 25th. *winces*
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"They were retarded hairless pink bunnies, all of them. Except Shigeru Myamoto and... well, the good ones were just too /rare/ to be worth bothering about." - Mason Hornblower on the extinction of the human race
We this stop him? Of cource not.
However, as far as I'm concened, this will slow him down, and now that the one thing that gve his words any weight has been knocked out from under him, I'm sure there's a lot less reason for anyone to pay him any attention.
Let him shout all he wants, soon enough they'll be no one listening.
It wasn't so much his voice that was taken away as his legal credibility.
- http://socialistgamerreview.com ~ Because the Proletariat Plays Games Too.