<![CDATA[Kotaku: Jack Thompson]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: Jack Thompson]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/jack thompson http://kotaku.com/tag/jack thompson <![CDATA[ Jack Thompson? Funny Guy ]]>

Something that we've known for a while, and something that you might not have: Jack Thompson is a funny dude. Don't believe us? Watch this seemingly scripted episode of the Jace Hall Show. And please don't think of this as Jack Thompson launching his comedy career, but continuing it.

Oh, there's also Vida Guerra exercising, too. If you're into that.

Jack Thompson Plays it For Laughs on Jace Hall Show [GamePolitics]

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Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:00:00 MDT Brian Ashcraft http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5028986&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Inside The 169-Page Thompson Report: Judge Recommends $43k Fine Also ]]> Judge Dava Tunis' full report to the Florida Supreme Court in Jack Thompson's Florida Bar Trial, in which she recommends permanent disbarment for the attorney, also recommends he pay disciplinary costs of $43,675.35.

Judge Tunis, Referee in the case, noted in her 169-page report that she considered some 5,900 pages of evidence, "hundreds, maybe more" documents submitted over the past eighteen months of litigation.

Among these, according to Tunis:

Therein were page-sized photos of men, portraying full frontal nudity, including photos depicting men engaging in oral sex. This fax was accompanied by at least twenty websites, whose names suggested they were websites containing pornographic material.

The report also details Thompson's many legal maneuverings in the case, including a request for a continuation citing unfair treatment of his case in light of his wife's poor health. Attached to the report in support of several claims of misconduct against Thompson were letters he wrote to numerous attorneys, governors, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, actor Joe Pesci and even President Bush.

Finally the report included Thompson's history of anti-game litigation, notably a case titled Steve Strickland et. al. v. Sony Corporation of America, et. al, in which Thompson led a suit alleging Sony, Take-Two and Rockstar were responsible for the "Grand Theft Auto" killings of two police officers and a radio dispatcher by Devin Moore. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed due to Thompson's failure to file several key documents correctly. In Moore's criminal trial, his 'GTA defense' was rejected.

The judge in that case, Judge Moore, filed a complaint against Thompson that asked he use third parties to distribute communication of any kind regarding the case rather than submit it himself. When asked why he filed the complaint, the judge said:

Because he was continuously sending documents to my office; three, four, five times a day, easy. Every day, it seemed like, a lot; plus when he would send his media alerts out that he composed and sent out, when he sends them to these media people, then they call my office. We got calls from all over the world about this, and it was extremely disruptive.

Thompson ignored the complaint and, according to the full report, "conducted himself in complete contravention to the court’s order."

During Thompson's June sanctions hearing, Judge Tunis found Thompson guilty of 27 out of 31 incidents of such misconduct, and the Florida Bar asked Judge Tunis to recommend disbarment for him. Her report, released today, recommends a permanent disbarment for Thompson, though the final ruling is up to the Florida Supreme Court.

The Judge recommended the disbarment based on Thompson's "abuse of the legal process, violations of other duties owed as a professional, and prior discipline orders." Additionally, the report found that Thompson's case had such mitigating factors as:

9.22(a) prior disciplinary offenses;
9.22(b) dishonest or selfish motive;
9.22(c) a pattern of 162 misconduct involving repeated or similar misconduct;
9.22(d) multiple offenses;
9.22(e) bad faith obstruction of the disciplinary proceeding by intentionally failing to comply with rules or orders of the disciplinary agency;
9.22(f) submission of false evidence, false statements, or other deceptive practices during the disciplinary process;
9.22(g) refusal to acknowledge wrongful nature of conduct; and,
9.22(i) substantial experience in the practice of law.

Read the full 169-page PDF here.

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Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:45:35 MDT Leigh Alexander http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5023506&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Thompson: Judge Recommends Permanent Disbarment ]]>

Judge Dava Tunis recommended a permanent disbarment for Jack Thompson with no opportunity to apply for reinstatement, according to a mass email sent out by Thompson this afternoon.

Your Referee down here, Dava Tunis, the one who does not have a federally-mandated loyalty oath even to be on the bench, just today issued her final Referee’s Report in the above matter, and she rejected The Bar’s recommendation of a ten-year disbarment for me and instead is asking you to disbar me permanently with no opportunity ever to apply for reinstatement.

Thompson goes on to point out other bar disbarment cases which resulted in fewer years, including one involving a Miami lawyer who Thompson said was suspended for two and a half years for having sex with an underage prostitute.

The report, which had a September 5 deadline, recommends Thompson be permanently disbarred, according to Thompson.

We broke the news that Judge Tunis had been asked by the Florida Bar to recommend an "enhanced disbarment," which would have prohibited him from practicing law for ten years, but she recommended a permanent revocation of Thompson's right to practice law.

He yesterday released a statement calling the Judge a "raving wild woman."
Thompson went on to express a desire to resolve the issue, then segued into a story about punks threatening the Biltmore Hotel's golf patrons in order to demonstrate how policies he has recommended help enforce public safety.

We have a call into Florida District Court handling the case for verification of the recommendation but have not yet heard back.

Update: We've got a copy of the full report and Thompson was right, though he failed to mention they also want to fine him $43,000.

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Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:30:00 MDT Leigh Alexander http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5023418&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Thompson Calls Judge "Raving Wild Woman", "Unhinged" ]]> It's been a little more than a month since we broke the news that Judge Dava Tunis was recommending that Jack Thompson receive enhanced disbarment, and finally today he's gotten around to his normal round of name calling.

In a letter to the Judicial Qualifications Commission, Thompson questions Judge Tunis' mental stability and asks that she undergo a mental health exam. He also calls her a raving wild woman and suggests that she might be mentally impaired.

In a separate motion filed to strike Tunis' findings, Thompson calls into question the hearing and, once more, Judge Tunis saying she is "out of her judisprudential mind" and referring to her as Dava in Wonderland.

Judicial Qualifications Commission
1110 Thomasville Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32303

Re: Addendum to Formal JQC Complaint against “Judge” Dava Tunis

Dear JQC:

Please look at the enclosed Motion to Strike regarding Dava Tunis’ “Findings” as to my guilt and innocence. First of all, she is prohibited from even issuing such a document without its containing specific findings of fact.

She leaked it to the media to do me harm prior to the issuance of her Final Referee’s Report, and she didn’t have “specific findings of fact” as required by Bar Rules, because she didn’t have those “facts” in place.

Then, please note she finds me both guilty and not guilty of a violation of the same Bar Rule 4-8.2(a) as to the same judge and the same set of facts. She is just making this stuff up as she goes, and she is too sloppy to keep track of what she is making up.

But, hey, it’s only my 31-year law career that is at stake here, and her Republican buddy Jeb Bush who put her on the bench has his buddies’ Bar complaints in front of her, so you can’t really expect her to rise above her entanglements and act like a real judge.

Finally, maybe there is another explanation here: Maybe Dava Tunis is mentally impaired. The raving wild woman I saw in the last minutes of our trial in December 2007 in which she stood up behind her bench and was shouting and waving her arms was someone who had become unhinged. Is she still unhinged?

The Bar keeps insisting that I must serially have my head examined, even though every such exam has resulted in a clean bill of health. Here’s a suggestion, in light of her odd behavior and her now executing a document that rebuts itself on its face: Have this Dava Tunis undergo a battery of psychiatric and psychological tests. I underwent them and came through with flying colors. Will she? Find out. Regards, Jack Thompson

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA

THE FLORIDA BAR,

Complainant,

v. Case Numbers SC 07 - 80 and 07- 354

JOHN B. THOMPSON,

Respondent.

RESPONDENT’S MOTION TO STRIKE TUNIS’ “FINDINGS”

COMES NOW respondent Thompson, moving the referee to strike her “Findings” of guilt and innocence in their entirety at to Thompson herein. Not only is such a document not allowed, without specific findings of fact, as required by Florida Bar Rules, as already pointed out, but now there is evidence on the face of the “Findings” document itself a) why the referee must submit findings of fact to support such “Findings,” b) that Tunis is hopelessly befuddled, or c) couldn’t care less if she makes a fool of herself in her headlong pursuit of Thompson as if she were a prosecutor. Note:

Tunis, in her May 15 “Findings,” finds Thompson “GUILTY” in Count II of disparaging Alabama Judge Moore as to his integrity and qualifications, in violation of Bar Rule 4-8.2(a). Forget the fact that Thompson never did that but rather pointed out, as he is required by Alabama and Florida Bar Rules, to inform authorities that Clatus Junkin said he could fix the case. Merely look now at the fact that Tunis has found Thompson guilty of disparaging Judge Moore.

Then look at Count III’s findings: Tunis finds Thompson “NOT GUILTY” of disparaging Judge Moore under the same Rule 4-8.2(a). Earth to Tunis: Read your own “Findings” before you sign them next time, if there is a next time.

This Referee, this oathless Tunis, is so out of her judisprudential mind that she can’t even keep her fabrications straight. Lincoln said it well: “No man has a good enough memory to be a consistently good liar.” Thompson disparaged Judge Moore and he didn’t disparage Judge Moore. Welcome to Dava in Wonderland.

I HEREBY CERTIFY that I have provided this to The Florida Bar, 1200 Edgewater Drive, Orlando, Florida, July 8, 2008.

John B. Thompson, Attorney, Florida Bar #231665

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Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:40:00 MDT Brian Crecente http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5022949&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Jackie Boy Gets A Visit From A Couple Of US Marshals ]]> Friend of Kotaku Jack Thompson was kicking back at his Florida home today when there was a knock at the door. "Whoever could it be?", he probably asked himself as he set his morning coffee down on the table. Opening the door, he was greeted by...a pair of US Marshals. Who had been sent to Jackie Boy's home by Judge Federico Moreno. Why? Oh, probably because Thompson sent a letter to Moreno last week, which ended with: "We find yesterday that enemy combatants at Guantanamo are to get more due process from federal judges than what I am to have. I guess my "mistake" was not killing 3000 people to make my point...".

Guess the killing 3000 people thing didn'go down very well with the Judge. While Thompson stresses the Marshals were "nice gentlemen" sent only to warn him about sending those kind of letters, he's less kind to Moreno, who he accuses of trying to intimidate him by sending the pair. As such, he's going to complain to the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, accusing the Justice Department of harassing him. Oh dear.

BREAKING: U.S. Marshals Pay Jack Thompson "a Visit" [GamePolitics]

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Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:30:00 MDT Luke Plunkett http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5017033&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Read Jack Thompson's Storming Out Of Court Transcript ]]> Earlier this month, we reported that Jack Thompson walked out of his disciplinary hearing after saying the judge did not have the authority to hear his case. The Florida Bar is recommending that Thompson be disbarred for a minimum of ten years for professional misconduct. So! For those who was a blow-by-blow retelling of the fireworks, game site GamePolitics has the full court transcript. There's this nuttiness:

JT: May I move the podium?
JUDGE: No. Just everybody leave it in one spot. That's the way we usually do it in the courtroom.
JT: Can we change that one spot? No?
JUDGE: I'd prefer that you leave it right there.
JT: Nice. Can I pivot it?
JUDGE: Is that what you'd like, sir?
JT: I'm asking you.
JUDGE: Okay. That's fine.

Jack Thompson: GTA hater, podium pivoter.

Read JT Transcript [GamePolitics]

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Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:00:00 MDT Brian Ashcraft http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5015304&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Jack Thompson Walks Out On Hearing, Bar Recommends Enhanced Disbarment ]]> The Florida Bar asked for an "enhanced disbarment" in the disciplinary hearing of Jack Thompson, held earlier this afternoon. The recommendation means Thompson would be disbarred and prohibited from applying to practice law again for ten years, according to 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida spokesperson Eunice Sigler.

Thompson's disciplinary hearing apparently ended in the attorney walking out of the courtroom after saying the judge did not have the authority to hear his case, a reader who sat in on the hearing told us.

The case proceeded without Thompson's presence and the Florida Bar issued its recommendation for the enhanced disbarment. Judge Dava Tunis' specific recommendations for sanctions will be included in her official report, to be due to the Florida Supreme Court by September 2nd.

Before walking out of the courtroom, Thompson filed what he called "Thompson's Formal Objection to June 4 Sanctions Hearing." In the rambling, 4,500-word objection, Thompson questioned Tunis' ability to preside at his hearing, calling her incompetent and arrogant and threatening to have her removed from office "in the days and weeks ahead." He also went on to call the people run The Florida Bar fascists and denied that he was involved some sort of "petty culture war."

Thompson wrapped up his 14-page objection by quoting from the bible, and saying that he and Senators Clinton and Obama understand the dangers posed by the Grand Theft Auto games.

"I am “guilty” of being right and ahead of the curve when it came to Howard Stern and as to Grand Theft Auto. Because I took on Bar complainant, Al Cardenas, the Howard Stern Show is off terrestrial radio and his influence diminished.

Because I took on this cop-killing, woman-bashing video game, the Presidential race is now addressing the issue and this particular video game.

Try to get me disbarred. Go ahead, do your worst, Referee Tunis. I will continue to do my best. "

We've contacted Thompson for a reaction to the recommended disbarment recommendations and will update you if and when he responds. In the meantime, hit the jump for the full letter.

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA

THE FLORIDA BAR,

Complainant,

v. Case Numbers SC 07 - 80 and 07- 354

JOHN B. THOMPSON,

Respondent.

THOMPSON’S FORMAL OBJECTION TO JUNE 4 SANCTIONS “HEARING”

This document is hereby submitted to the referee at the commencement of this non-hearing sanctions “hearing” and read into the record as well, and thus I depart from the traditional identification of myself, a party herein, in the third person and instead speak in my own voice in the first person directly to the referee.

I object, strenuously, as I have in the past on the record, to the very notion that this proceeding can even occur, on various grounds any single one of which is fatal to its legitimacy, including but not limited to the following grounds:
You, the referee, are not even a judge. The law in Florida on that is clear, and it is found in Florida’s Loyalty Oath Statute 876.05, et sequitur, held constitutional and binding by the United States Supreme Court in Connell v. Higginbotham.

We know now from a recently concluded State Attorney’s investigation and Report that your first state loyalty oath was forged. We also know that your next two oaths, which you signed, did not conform to that statute in that the language deviated from what is required and they were not even notarized. A number of formal opinions by Florida’s Attorney General state that such flaws are fatal regardless of intent.

The statute itself states that if any state official, including a judge, fails to comply strictly with the loyalty oath statute, then that judge is without legal authority to serve and must immediately be removed from office. I will accomplish your removal from office in the days and weeks ahead, as the litigation that will achieve that has already been filed by me in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. The Supreme Court of Florida, which you, the referee think is your ally in what you are doing here has ruled that your loyalty oath screw-up is fatal.

As Richard Nixon found, the cover-up is worse than the initial law breaking. When I found out about your forged loyalty oath and then about your two subsequent inadequate loyalty oaths, I moved for your recusal. You then immediately commenced a cover-up, refusing by a false, formal order to acknowledge the loyalty oath problem, pretending it did not exist. Proving the cover-up, you even more foolishly executed on February 4, 2008, finally, a loyalty oath, which I attach hereto, that complies with the state statute, but you did so too late to keep you in office, as the oath must be timely executed, and yours is years too late.

The law is clear; your post facto oath is invalid. This panicked oath is an irrefutable admission that you never had a valid oath in the first place. How could you do something so dumb? Easy; desperate people do desperate things. You will be removed from office, and all of what you have done in this Bar matter will be voided as a result.

Secondly, we know now that six of the seven Florida Supreme Court Justices never executed valid state loyalty oaths. I have proven that, as has Florida and Washington, D.C. lawyer Montgomery Blair Sibley, whose own Bar referee, Judge Prescott, had his oath forged by the same person, Sayed A. Shah, who forged yours. What a coincidence.

The Florida Supreme Court entered its order seeking to deny me my right to represent myself before it on this disciplinary matter when I alerted the Court to its loyalty oath problem. They, too, in a panic, executed too-late, post facto, wholly ineffectual loyalty oaths after the whistle was blown on them. This just proves that sitting on the highest court in the state neither make you clever. The consequence of all of this post facto oath taking is that all that the Florida Supreme Court has done in this case is invalid and will be voided, and if you think I will not accomplish that end then a) you do not understand the lawsuit already filed, and b) you don’t know Jack.

Thirdly, we are here today because you issued a written document you called “Recommendations” by which you announced to the world with this document you leaked to the press, that I am guilty on 27 of 31 counts brought by The Bar. In issuing and leaking this document called “Recommendations,” you have clearly violated Florida Bar Rule 3-7.6 (m) which states in pertinent part:

The referee’s report shall include:

(A) a finding of fact as to each item of misconduct of which the respondent is charged, which findings of fact shall enjoy the same presumption of correctness as the judgment of the trier of fact in a civil proceeding;

(B) recommendations as to whether the respondent should be found guilty of misconduct justifying disciplinary measures;

(C) recommendations as to the disciplinary measures to be applied;

English is the greatest of all languages. It allows its users to be very precise. Any rational person conversant in English understands, upon reading Rule 3-7.6, that the document containing findings of guilt must also contain “findings of fact” as to what I am guilty of. Your “Recommendations” have absolutely no findings of fact, and yet we are here today on that invalid document. There is absolutely no provision in our Bar Rules for a document called “Recommendations” devoid of such findings of fact. You and The Bar have made it up. You and The Bar have made a lot of things up in the last four years, and this is just your latest.

From the day this Bar effort began four years ago and in which you, the referee have become ensnared, although you have certainly warmed to the recruitment, I have been asking for a document that informs me what I have done to violate the Rules. Four years later, I still have no such document and no notice and thus no due process by virtue of that failure. You couldn’t even come up with it in your “Recommendations.” This is a game of “hide and seek,” Referee Tunis, which you cannot win.

I have said it before, and I will say it again to you, and of course you will not listen, but the record must be made clear: You can’t charge a lawyer and you can’t charge a rapist with anything unless you tell him in the charging document with specificity—with facts alleged—what he has done.

We went into the trial here in November 2007 with no specific charges. The Bar said, “Here are the Rules you have violated, here are the documents, you figure it out.” At the trial, there was absolutely no evidence—no facts—put forth that I violated any of these Bar Rules. My favorite “testimony,” if you want to call it that, which highlights the problem of not telling an accused what he has done wrong, was from Alabama Judge James Moore, who admitted under oath, that I did not withhold any of my colorful disciplinary history from him, as Blank Rome alleged, but that in fact I gave him more facts than I was required to give. My sin was that I did not tell him how “serious” were my Bar sins.

I didn’t even have to tell him I was merely reprimanded by The Bar in 1992 for trying to protect my family from death threats, but because I did not characterize my sins as more serious than The Florida Bar itself did, when I provided him all the facts, he said I had not “see the whole picture.” Believe me, I see the whole picture. I am to be punished for telling the truth because I pose a threat to this white judge who put this black teen on death row in Alabama. That’s the “whole picture.” I am also to be punished, you have concluded, for going on 60 Minutes and warning the American people, like Paul Revere, that, inspired by video games, “the murders are coming.” And they have come.

I am to be punished for trying to save lives, over the objection of Blank Rome, which gives more money to the Bush family than any other law firm in the world. This is the Bush family that put you on this bench and whom you have protected by refusing to give me a subpoena that puts Jeb Bush under oath about his personal, financial relationship with the two law firms that are behind all of these Bar complaints, Tew Cardenas and Blank Rome. You are Jeb Bush’s protector and shield from Jack Thompson, and you have discharged your sordid task in that regard effectively.

Fourthly, most of what I am charged with I did not do on behalf of any client but in pursuit of efforts to secure enforcement of laws for the common good. The Florida Supreme Court ruled, again in English so that any rational person can understand, in Florida Bar v. Brake, that a lawyer cannot violate Rule 4-8.4(d) unless he is “engaged in the practice of law on behalf of a client.” I had no client, Referee Tunis, in almost all of this, and thus you have had no jurisdiction over any of that. You have ignored this clear Florida Supreme Court ruling, and you will be undone by this cavalier disregard for the law in this regard as well.

Fifthly, you have received numerous motions to recuse, all of which have been facially and legally sufficient. The law in Florida in state court is clear as to recusal. Once you receive a motion to recuse which on its face conforms to the requirements of Florida Statute 38.10 and Rule 2.330, Florida Rules of Judicial Administration, you must withdraw from a case. You are not allowed to assess the validity of the facts in the motion. The filing of a motion that conforms to the statute mandates recusal, period.

There is no wiggle room on this. You have wiggled, repeatedly, like a nightcrawler on a hook. You have thumbed your nose at this Florida recusal law as well, and this alone will undo you and which renders whatever you do today and after null and void.

Sixthly, we come to an issue about which The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors and I are in total agreement. The Governors have come up with a new Rule that before Judges can serve as referees in Bar matters they must be trained as to how to discharge these specialized duties of a referee. In the other Bar case you had Arthur Teele was the respondent, and he solved your problem by killing himself in the lobby of the Miami Herald. I’m not giving you that out.

The Bar Governors have decided: No training, you can’t be a referee. Leaving aside your bias against me, which you have never missed an opportunity to express, proof of your incompetence and total lack of training as a referee has been legion. You did whatever The Bar told you to do, even to the point of refusing to give me hearings, refusing to issue subpoenas, and refusing to afford me any semblance of due process. Smiling and saying “Have a nice day,” after you have just informed me that I can’t get a continuance for my wife’s cancer surgery and chemotherapy is not due process, Referee Tunis. It is incompetence wedded to arrogance, poorly masked by a happy face.

Going into this complex “disciplinary” matter with no training on what a referee should do and how you should act undoes all of what you have done and will yet do to me, as the new Bar Rule—let’s call it the Tunis Rule—will alone be a basis for reversal.

There is more that I could say and frankly want to say at this Star Chamber, kangaroo court “hearing,” but the record has probably been sufficiently made to date to make it easy enough to undo this mess, but I note here, as I conclude my objection to these proceedings:

You have been so cruel and at the same time so foolish as to call my pleadings herein “propaganda.” That word means something, given how propaganda was used in the last century by the Third Reich in Nazi Germany to justify the placement of people of faith in “relocation centers” where they were starved and gassed as the “final solution” to the problem they posed. A human spirit that could do that is more than capable of doing to me what you have done. Clarence Thomas, at his Senate confirmation hearings, spoke of those proceedings as “a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the U.S. Senate rather than hung from a tree."

The US Senate, Referee Tunis, has nothing on you and your high-tech lynching of the uppity Christian who stands before you.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas warned in Lathrop v. Donohue that integrated state bars, like Florida’s, if they were left unchecked as to their ideologies, would turn into, his phrase “goose-stepping brigades” for nonconforming lawyers who did not fit the majority’s mold. There is a reason my e-mail address is amendmentone@comcast.net. It is because of the fascists who run The Florida Bar identified as such by a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

You also smeared me with the epithet that I am involved in some petty “culture war” into which I have tried, you allege, to recruit you. Some of us, Referee Tunis, simply know and dare act upon the fact that children should be protected from corporate predation, whether it be the violent pornography in Grand Theft Auto IV, sold to my 15-year-old son in a sting he did at Best Buy in Dadeland, in which women proclaim “I’ll suck your cock real nice” then do so, only to be killed by the hero in the game. We actually do something about the sale of simulators to underage teens on how to kill policemen in ways you would not even imagine, which is precisely what Devin Moore did in a police station in Fayette, Alabama. We come against radio broadcast descriptions, in our hometown on WQAM-AM, by Howard Stern as kids are going to school at 8 am by female amputees on how to lubricate their stumps and place them into the anuses of men to achieve orgasm.

Those of us who have done something about this do not want you in what you derisively call a “culture war” anymore than we would want Frank Fuster to run a day care center. I represented Ileana Fuster in her divorce from Frank Fuster, and she knows more about what I have been trying to do and why I have been trying to do it over the past twenty years than you even care to know and yet which you mock. It’s your and The Bar’s culture war on me and upon people of faith that indicts you, not me.

The Preamble to your and my Bar Rules, Referee Tunis, prohibits the bringing of Bar complaints by opposing parties and counsel as a means of collateral attack. Such SLAPP Bar complaints are illegal and they are void. When I provided you a letter from The Bar’s own prosecutor in Ft. Lauderdale saying just that, you refused to have a hearing on the matter. You refuse to have a hearing on any matter that threatens to derail this locomotive in whose engine you oh-so-primly sit, as it careens toward the bridge that is already washed out.

Just this past week you entered an order asserting that The Bar has never demanded a mental health assessment of me. I have the letters from The Bar that prove you a liar. It was in response to those repeated demands that I went to one of The Bar’s own favored forensic psychologists, Oren Wunderman, Executive Director of the Family Resource Center of South Florida, who spent hours examining me, administering tests, and he found me a) wonderfully sane, and b) a person whose Christian faith has enhanced his activities as a lawyer. The Bar has a real problem in that Dr. Wunderman simply echoes what The Bar itself had to formally admit in 1991 when its insurer paid me damages for forcing me to undergo forced psych evaluations, on the order of the oathless Florida Supreme Court.

The Bar then formally found my actions stemmed from my religious faith, and it has never gotten over being bested at its own game. This latest installment of this anti-Christian persecution is simply payback by The Bar, and you have allowed yourself to become part of it.

You have chosen to ignore Dr. Wunderman’s findings and The Bar’s own previous findings as to why Jack Thompson does what he does, because you must: To do otherwise would have given me a hearing to which I am entitled under Florida Statute 761, called the Florida Religious Freedom Restoration Act, held constitutional by the United States Supreme Court, which provides me a total defense in these Bar proceedings and which also, when they are over, gives me a cause of action against you personally and against the State of Florida. This act provides that if my actions stem from a religious impulse, then The Bar cannot discipline me for acting upon my religious impulse. Good luck to a Bar whose own formal findings establish why I do what I do.

When I wrote a letter to Al Cardenas, calling him to be ashamed of what he and his law firm have done to harm children by fronting for the Howard Stern Show, I was acting upon the Scriptural template of John the Baptist confronting Herod about marrying his brother’s wife and the example of Jesus confronting the Pharisees, who called them “hypocrites, whited sepulchers, and vipers.” Jesus was not a silent doormat and neither am I.

This Florida Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which you arrogantly chose to pretend does not exist and on which you would not give me a hearing as to my defense thereunder, has been found to protect as a religious practice the consumption of peyote because there is a religious sect that makes doing so a sacrament. You cannot be serious, Referee Tunis, if you think that a jury will not look at what you have done to me for what I have done, in the name of Jesus Christ, and not be appalled at your discrimination against this uppity Christian “propagandist” whom you smear as a mere “culture warrior.”

Finally, and then I am done with this formal objection to these proceedings, over a year ago I taught an evening class at Miami-Dade Community College on the campus a few minutes from here. When I was introduced by the professor as the man who got Howard Stern off terrestrial radio, which Stern himself admits, and despite the Bar complaints of Tew Cardenas and other porn lawyers made at the time, all of the African American women in that classroom gave me an ovation. They get it. They understand the racism and the misogyny by Stern targeting them. You, a white woman of privilege living on Key Biscayne, obviously don’t “get it.”

Those black female students are the people who will be on my jury in the trial in which you and The Bar will be a defendant. I do what I do for them, and not for you, not for the ultra-liberal extremists on the Board of Governors like Steve Chaykin, my actual designated reviewer who publicly states that lawyers like Jack Thompson who oppose gay adoption are “enemies of The Bar and outside the core values of The Bar.” My other designated reviewer was Ben Kuehne, to the left of Stalin ideologically who is an operative for the ACLU, which national organization has targeted me for years. Kuehne is now under federal indictment for money-laundering and you, you obstructionist sitting illegally on that bench, would not issue a subpoena to allow me to depose him. In that single act of ministerial arrogance you violated any conceivable notion of due process under our Constitution. In doing so, you embarrass the bench more than any words I could write about Judge Ron Friedman.

The Steve Chaykins and the Ben Kuehnes who have hijacked this Bar, and who have hijacked you, the referee, are the ones who have fashioned Justice Douglas’ “goose-stepping brigades” that will undo both you and The Bar. I have put up with your serial breaches of Florida laws, of the Canons of Judicial Conduct, of the Constitution, and of common decency for a year and a half now. When this is done, and when you recommend my disbarment, and when the Supreme Court does disbar me, as I am presently bound and gagged and unable to represent myself before them in this matter, even though I now have a client whom I represent before them in that very same court, the tables will be turned. It will then be my time at bat, and a jury of normal people in this County will undo all that you have done.

Even now, this day, I thank God that I am who I am, in the situation in which I now find myself, rather than the one in which you brazenly put yourself. From the Gospel of John 15: 18-25 I end with the words of Jesus of Nazareth, which you, Referee Tunis, have proven true:

18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'”

Having only scratched the surface with what is wrong about these lawless proceedings and why they are illegitimate under the laws and Constitution that you were supposed to take an oath to uphold, I have no choice, as a matter of law, but to depart from these proceedings now and not participate in them other than to object to them, which I have now done.

To do otherwise, to participate in any fashion in these invalid, unauthorized, unconstitutional, vicious proceedings, waives my objection to them and in fact validates them. I will not do that because I am too good a lawyer to do that, having practiced law, Referee Tunis, in continuous good standing for 31 years, despite the efforts of the anti-Christian Florida Bar that recruited you to do exactly what you have done like a good little soldier in your own little culture war on a man who protects the children you should be protecting.

Jesus said, “If any of you should cause one of these little ones to stumble, then it would be better for you that a millstone be tied around your neck and that you be cast into the uttermost depths of the sea.”

By perseverance and by God’s grace, I have fashioned a legal millstone that I will place around your neck and the neck of The Bar. Don’t blame me, Referee Tunis, when you feel the water rising.

I have been invited to be one of four honorees this year in Utah at what is called America’s Freedom Festival. I will ride with the other four honorees in a parade attended in the past by 250,000 folks lining the streets of Provo. The petty hypocrisy by which you, a referee, seek to harm me cannot undo the blessing that awaits me, by God’s mercy and grace, in middle America a month from this day. I attach the news release from the Freedom Festival so that you can see that I am being blessed because I have stood against The Bar, not in spite of that stand. I have put myself in harm’s way, at the hands of harmful people like you, Referee Tunis, and in doing so I have “fought the good fight” to protect little ones who mean more to me than anything you think you can do to me.

You are the one who is out of touch, Ms. Tunis. Senators Clinton and Obama have both warned the American people, specifically, of the danger posed by the Grand Theft Auto games. The Blank Rome lawyers who protect this game want me disbarred because I dared to sound the alarm about Grand Theft Auto on CBS’ 60 Minutes before Senators Clinton and Obama followed my lead. Now, in part because of my efforts, a recent poll shows that 65% of the American people want a federal law to prohibit the sale of games like GTA to kids. I am “guilty” of being right and ahead of the curve when it came to Howard Stern and as to Grand Theft Auto. Because I took on Bar complainant, Al Cardenas, the Howard Stern Show is off terrestrial radio and his influence diminished. Because I took on this cop-killing, woman-bashing video game, the Presidential race is now addressing the issue and this particular video game.

Try to get me disbarred. Go ahead, do your worst, Referee Tunis. I will continue to do my best.

I HEREBY CERTIFY that this has likely been hand-delivered this June 4, 2008, to Bar staff counsel Sheila Tuma in the courtroom.

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Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:24:00 MDT Leigh Alexander http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5013148&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Thompson Sanctions Hearing Set For Today ]]>
At 2:00 PM EST today, Florida attorney Jack Thompson is set to appear before The Florida Supreme Court, where Judge Dava Tunis will consider possible disciplinary sanctions against him. The Florida Bar is seeking to disbar Thompson, removing his ability to practice law in the state of Florida.

As we reported on May 20th, Judge Tunis recommended to the Florida Supreme Court that Thompson be found guilty on 27 of 31 charges of professional misconduct. Of the 27 recommendations of guilt, twenty-one are from a suit related to Grand Theft Auto and four are from an attempt by Thompson to have Rockstar's Bully declared a public nuisance.

Judge Tunis will consider penalties for Thompson, among them his possible disbarment. The Florida Supreme Court will rule on Judge Tunis' recommendations of guilt and of disciplinary actions later this year. Though the Court told us it doesn't issue estimations on when rulings will be handed down, Judge Tunis' full report is due in September.

At the closing of the Bar trial, Thompson had argued he's being unfairly persecuted for his religion, and he issued several statements to the press claiming that Judge Tunis is not legally a judge because she "failed to execute valid state loyalty oaths," and stating action taken against him is a "legal nullity."

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Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:40:00 MDT Leigh Alexander http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5013043&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ The Video Game Defense That Wasn't ]]>

Shortly after coming aboard here one of the first things I did was set up a filter to capture and set aside Jack Thompson's bullshit from all the tips cc'd to me. After the preamble to his professional obituary two weeks ago, I went back looking through the "Crazy Fucker" queue to see if I could find some kicking-and-screaming ravings that, even if they didn't deserve to run under the Kotaku nameplate, would at least be fun to read. Instead, I found something unexpected.

It was a news release from mid-May, and in it, Jack was up to his usual schtick of making hay off others’ misery — in this case claiming a murder defendant in North Carolina was motivated by Grand Theft Auto of course. But the story Thompson was citing was published in Fayetteville, by a paper I interned for 15 years ago. And it was written by my housemate that year, a friend and a guy who introduced me to some excellent video games himself.

So I emailed the writer, Paul Woolverton of The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, to dig deeper into this story.

Here’s the backstory: James Christopher Stitt, 22, shot to death a soldier and his girlfriend in 2005. There was apparently little trouble proving his culpability. The defense put its efforts into sparing Stitt from the death penalty, focusing on Stitt’s emotionally disturbed past, such as the fact his father kicked him out at age 16, putting him in the kind of drifter’s life that led him to move in with this unfortunate couple.

During the sentencing phase, the psychiatrist the defense team hired testified Stitt claimed he was in a state where he was not in control of his actions at the time. Stitt claimed to have played Grand Theft Auto for four hours prior to the murder. Before his arrest, Stitt told a different version to his girlfriend that did not mention video games at all. Stitt said the murders stemmed from an argument he’d had that turned violent, and was watching television right before the killings. I’m sure we’ll find out later it was an infomercial for a Manhunt 2-themed timeshare.

This was enough for Thompson, of course, who littered our inbox with a release claiming a video-game defense won the day. It almost reads like an exoneration. “Part of Stitt’s defense was his obsessive play of the Grand Theft Auto video games, and it worked,” Thompson crowed. “It was put before the jury in a very clever fashion, and it worked.”

Is that really what did it?

“[The psychiatrist] never said there was a connection between the game playing and the shootings. No one asked her if there was a connection, and no one suggested or implied it," Paul wrote me. "In the course of the trial, her statement of the midnight to 4 a.m. hours was the only evidence of Stitt ever playing any video game in his entire life. Had he played video games before? Probably. But if video games were being offered as a defense or mitigator, I think we would have heard a lot more.”

That means whatever Stitt told his professional examiner — again, hired by his own defense — about video games, she did not find enough basis that they were a credibile mitigator for his actions. In their closing arguments to the jury, Stitt’s lawyers never mentioned video games. The psychiatrist herself never said she believed the games put Stitt into a state where he was not in control of his actions. She testified that she even questioned whether Stitt was telling the truth in that version of the killings.

As for the jurors, many left the court in tears. The lawyers spoke to them, but not the journalists. The lawyers didn't ask what the reasons were for sparing Stitt the death penalty.

So here’s the scorecard:

Stitt: Convicted double murderer. Invoked video games and a feeling he was not in control of his actions to save his ass from the death penalty. Honestly, I think he said Grand Theft Auto because it was the first thing that popped into his mind, in a setting where he knew he was trying for a psychiatric defense. Had he actually played, he would have specified the version. I'm serious. Anyway, he’s going to do life and die behind the walls of Raleigh’s Central Prison.

Thompson: Moral opportunist who portrays the fact a jury put a murderer away for life but did not sentence him to death as equivalent to an exoneration and miscarriage of justice. That’s classy. Death or nothing for the anti-(virtual) violence crusader. Completely ignores what has and has not been established by evidence and testimony — in other words, basic law. No wonder he can’t file a motion without adult supervision.

One blames video games to save his ass; the other to further a nutball agenda. They deserve each other.

As for Paul, he no longer games as much since his girlfriend moved in. He and I played X-Wing and Red Baron on his PC when I lived in his house in 1993. After that summer he played Thief 1, Thief 2, Tanarus and Duke Nukem 3D. He's never owned a game console and doesn't care to; he's waiting to get a decent Windows PC to get back into gaming seriously.

Paul also noted, dryly, that a recent survey rated Fayetteville the third-worst place in the U.S. to raise a child. So you could blame that, or you could blame Grand Theft Auto. Or you could blame the fact that we are a fucked-up ultraviolent society with easy access to deadly weapons, and while violent video games are a part of that stew, we’ve had senseless killings well before their arrival.

Stitt's Lawyers Shoot Down Video Game Defense [Fayetteville N.C. Observer]

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Sat, 31 May 2008 10:00:00 MDT Owen Good http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5011989&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Thompson Sanctions Hearing Set For June 4 ]]>

The Florida Supreme Court will hold a hearing June 4 to consider possible disciplinary action against Miami attorney Jack Thompson, including sanctions. The Florida Bar is seeking to disbar Thompson, removing his ability to practice law in the state of Florida.

As we reported on May 20th, Judge Dava Tunis, who presided over Miami attorney Jack Thompson's Bar trial, recently recommended to the Florida Supreme Court that he be found guilty on 27 of 31 charges of professional misconduct. Of the 27 recommendations of guilt, twenty-one are from a suit related to Grand Theft Auto and four are from an attempt by Thompson to have Rockstar's Bully declared a public nuisance.

The next step is for the Florida Supreme Court to rule on Judge Tunis' recommendations, though the Court told us it doesn't issue estimations on when rulings will be handed down.

At the closing of the Bar trial, Thompson had argued he's being unfairly persecuted for his religion:

GamePolitics obtained court transcripts of Thompson's closing argument to the court, in which he said, "I'm simply making the argument, Judge, that my motivations - which I have tried to make clear, maybe to the point of nausea - are religious and that my efforts against the distribution of adult material, pornographic material, violent material, adult rated material to children is violative of the law as well as violative of Scripture."

Thompson also said that disbarring him would not stop these "efforts":

"If I am disbarred, which is the wish of these [Florida Bar] people... I will continue to do what I'm doing on these issues whether they disbar me or not because this is what I was called to do, this is what I was enabled to do more effectively as a lawyer."

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Thu, 22 May 2008 13:20:00 MDT Leigh Alexander http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5010474&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ GTA IV: Jack Thompson Edition ]]> I'm posting this video, from recently formed game comedy group Glitch the System, mostly because it helped me come to the realization that I can use the word Thompsons to define naught bits, as in: I just kicked some guy in the Thompsons. Make a note, I plan to use that a lot.

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Thu, 22 May 2008 08:00:00 MDT Brian Crecente http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=392668&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Judge Says Jack Thompson Guilty Of Misconduct During GTA, Bully Trials ]]> According to a report from GamePolitics, the judge who presided over Miami lawyer Jack Thompson's Bar trial has recommended to the Florida Supreme Court that he be found guilty on 27 of 31 charges of professional misconduct. Of the 27 recommendations of guilt, twenty-one are from a suit related to Grand Theft Auto and four are from an attempt by Thompson to have Rockstar's Bully declared a public nuisance.

The Bar trial judge, Dava Tunis, found the violent video game activist guilty of misconduct such as "Engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation." The state Supreme Court will have to make a ruling based on those recommendations, with a disciplinary hearing planned for the first week of June.

Jack Thompson Guilty on 27 of 31 Misconduct Charges, Says Bar Trial Judge... FL Supreme Court Must Now Rule [GamePolitics]

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Tue, 20 May 2008 18:20:03 MDT Michael McWhertor http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5010087&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Sessler, Thompson Square Off On NPR Over Grand Theft Auto IV ]]> gta_npr.jpgX-Play co-host Adam Sessler joined Neal Conan on the NPR radio show Talk of the Nation earlier today to talk about the recent release of Grand Theft Auto IV. While the majority of the segment seemed to focus on relating GTA IV player experiences and informing the NPR audience on the realities, less so the media fantasies, of all things Grand Theft Auto, it took a dive about seven minutes in. That's when John "Jack" Thompson phoned in to drop his special brand of disinformation.

He regurgitated the standard anti-Take-Two spiel—albeit a bit more alliteratively, saying the company is "mentally molesting minors for money"—and threatening that he was working with unspecified law enforcement agencies to bring criminal charges against the publisher and Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick. That would be for claims of "graphic sex", not for the purported vandalizing of his Miami-area home.

Conan asks if Jack has actually played the game. The answer won't surprise you. The segment is worth a listen, as is NPR's previous coverage of GTA IV. And do stick around for Jack's sign off!

Grand Theft Auto Steals The Spotlight [NPR]

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Thu, 01 May 2008 16:20:00 MDT Michael McWhertor http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=386340&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Rockstar Makes A Grand Theft Auto IV Fan Of Jack Thompson ]]> Looks like someone was hitting the local GameStop midnight launch in his best cabana wear, as that puffiness and scruffiness is clearly indicative that the self-promoting attorney was pulling an all-nighter. Jack sent the above pic into tips, I presume, to fanboy out with us. We don't know your Gamertag, Jack, but would love to Bomb Da Base with you. PM me!

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Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:40:02 MDT Michael McWhertor http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=385459&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ More Crimes to Blame on GTA IV ]]> newCrimes.jpgIf GTA IV is going to be truly groundbreaking, then it will have to break ground in another realm: Real-life crimes to blame on it. Happily, GamesRadar is on the leading edge of this, spotting eight new crimes that imbecilic mainstream media will be thrilled to pin on "gamers," Rockstar, and this particular title.

Bad deeds 2.0 include:

• Driving while talking on a cell phone
• Simple assault
• Hotboxing a car

Funny take that doubles as a feature on some of the new stuff you'll be able to do, in and out of mission, in GTA IV.

8 new crimes that'll be blamed on GTA IV [GamesRadar]

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Sat, 12 Apr 2008 19:00:00 MDT ogood http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=379113&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ JT's Bar Trial Transcribed In Loving Detail ]]> jt.jpg As you probably know, Ol' Jacky Boy underwent a Bar Trial in Florida late last year. While the verdict's still pending, anyone curious as to how the whole thing went down - or is just wondering how many times JT mentioned the word c**tflaps during proceedings - should head straight over to GamePolitics, who have painstakingly transcribed almost the entire case for your reading pleasure.
Jack Thompson's Bar Trial [GamePolitics]

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Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:00:00 MDT Luke Plunkett http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=373712&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Thompson Sanctioned by Florida Supreme Court ]]> thompsongagged.jpgOne more round today in the continuing downward spiral of controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson. Today the Florida Supreme Court sanctioned Mr. Thompson after he failed to prove that they shouldn't through his recent "show cause" order. So what does all this law jargon mean exactly? Well the long and short of it is that Thompson will no longer be able to file cases directly to the courts but instead will have to hire another lawyer to do so on his behalf. While this move won't completely muzzle the outspoken Thompson, it will certainly make it difficult for him to bring more of his frivolous lawsuits to the court's attention. Bear in mind that this is a separate issue from his disbarment trial which is currently in the works.

If you are a fan of reading long legal documents, Game Politics has the full court order available for your perusal on their website.

BREAKING - Florida Supreme Court Sanctions Jack Thompson {GamePolitics]

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Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:40:00 MDT fdemarco http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=370312&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Jack comments on Manhunt 2 going on sale ... ]]> Jack comments on Manhunt 2 going on sale in the UK

 

http://www.destructoid.com/jack-thompson-tells-me-to-rape-a-child-advocating-molestation-is-not-cool-75534.phtm

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Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:24:36 MDT KM91 http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5004002&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ EA Tells Jack Thompson to Get Bent ]]> crazyjack.JPG You might recall that last week Jack Thompson offered to come to Electronic Arts assistance in their attempt to try and buy-out Take-Two. (Funny enough, when I first emailed Jack about this he said he didn't care.)

Today Electronic Arts told Jack thanks, but no thanks:

Mr. Thompson,

We have received your letter to EA's shareholder site. In response to your offer to assist in the proposed acquisition of Take-Two, we would strongly prefer that you not get involved in this matter. EA is a strong supporter of creative freedom for game developers. We feel that your past statements - including false claims about content in our games - make any collaboration with you impossible.

Sincerely,
Mariam Sughayer
Sr. Manager Corporate Communications
Electronic Arts, Inc.

Wow, that's about the nicest fuck off I've ever heard. Now get back to the kid's table Jack, the adults have to talk about important things.

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Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:40:01 MST Brian Crecente http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=364195&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Jack Thompson Comes to EA's Rescue ]]> Looks like I pegged this Thompson guy all wrong. Apparently he's willing to put his well-honed legal skills to good use in EA's efforts to acquire T2. Thompson's rambling missive states:

I am delighted to work with Electronic Arts to evict the Zelnick Trojan Horse from within Take-Two's corporate walls. In doing so, I can get the new Take-Two into the clear as to the trouble I and others can send its way.

Ooh - good catch, I need to check my PC for that Zelnick Trojan ASAP. Thank God for a Good Samaritan like Jack. In light of this attitude shift I vote we let him sit at the big kids' table next Thanksgiving.

What a Guy... Jack Thompson is Ready to Help EA with T2 Takeover Bid [Game Politics]

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Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:00:00 MST Drew Crecente http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=362798&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ FPS Dying Makes People Feel Better ]]> thomsonface2.jpg While "attorney" Jack Thompson keeps going on and on about games a "murder simulators," Finnish researchers beg to differ. In an article published in the journal Emotion, the researchers state that players actually feel a sense of relief when their characters are killed, giving them a "relief from engagement." Quite the opposite! What's more, the research states that players didn't become desensitized to in-game killing over multiple play sessions and had lower negative feelings about violence. Hrm, we think the feeling of "relief from engagment" is a two way street: Players probably feel some relief after they mow through a buncha bad guys. So, not sure how accurate this is, but what we are sure about is these Finnish folks are actually researchers and that Jack Thompson is actually bonkers. Take this data for what it's worth!
FPS Players Feel Better [Game Critics via Boing Boing Thanks, Chef!]

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Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:00:43 MST Brian Ashcraft http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=360733&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Florida Supreme Court To JT - Show Cause Or STFU ]]> thomsonface.jpgSometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in. On Tuesday the Florida Supreme Court hit good old Jackie T with a show cause order, basically requiring that he explain why he has been abusing the legal system. Here's the text, passed on to Game Politics by JT himself:
02/19/2008 ORDER-SHOW CAUSE TO: JOHN BRUCE THOMPSON It appears to the Court that you have abused the legal system by submitting numerous frivolous and inappropriate filings in this Court.

Therefore, it is ordered that you shall show cause on or before March 5, 2008, why this Court should not find that you have abused the legal system process and impose upon you a sanction for abusing the legal system, including, but not limited to directing the Clerk of this Court to reject for filing any future pleadings, petitions, motions, letters, documents, or other filings submitted to this Court by you unless signed by a member of The Florida Bar other than yourself.

What does this mean? Unless he can prove that he has not abused the legal system (good luck with that), the Clerk of the Court won't accept anything from him without having it signed by a more responsible member of The Florida Bar. This is the legal equivalent of having your parent sign off on your homework.

Bear in mind that Thompson's fate as a member of the bar already hangs in the balance pending Judge Dava Tunis' judgment on the bar trial from back in November. This cannot possibly help his case.

Despite this latest development, Thompson remains insanely optimistic, but I don't want to spoil Game Politic's fun. Hit the link below for Jack's response.

Florida Supreme Court Comes Down Hard on Jack Thompson [Game Politics - Thanks Stephen]

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Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:20:58 MST Mike Fahey http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=359371&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Jack Thompson Agrees to Debate Fake Samuel L. Jackson, Then Chickens Out ]]> Remember when Jack Thompson read a News Groper post about him written by the fake Samuel L. Jackson, thought it was the real Samuel L. Jackson, challenged that fake Samuel L. Jackson to a debate, flattered the fake Samuel L. Jackson, sent us a "press release" that Samuel L. Jackson had blogged about him and then finally realized that that Samuel L. Jackson was actually the fake Samuel L. Jackson? We sure do! Here's the fake Samuel L. Jackson's reply to Thompson's debate dare:

Dare? Hell yeah, you dare Sam Jack and you damn well better expect a response. NewsGroper took him up on that shit. We spent all day emailing him, responding to his emails, working out a system to get this debate on the road. And at the last minute-I bullshit you like I'd bullshit Christ Almighty-the motherfucker bailed like Bowser at the end of level three of Super Mario.

He emailed us this: you know, some people have died because of jerkballs like jackson and his spike tv vga award mentality, so I'll take a pass. grow up

First of all, what the fuck? Why dare me to debate, spend all day organizing that debate, then insult me and pull out like the Purple fucking Pie-Man coming up against Strawberry Shortcake?

And then you call me a jerkball? What the fuck is a got-damn jerkball? Is that like a tribble with Parkinsons?


The fake Samuel L. Jackson pinged us last night, bringing word that News Groper had actually spent the entire day trying to set up that debate. You know, the one that Jack Thompson proposed to obviously the totally fake Samuel L. Jackson. To save face, Thompson at one point during the day yesterday actually agreed to "play along" and debate the fake Samuel L. Jackson. A format was established, and then Thompson suddenly declined, saying that the real Samuel L. Jackson was just as responsible for gun deaths as video games. Once again, Jack Thompson's logic astounds! What we do know: Fake Samuel L. Jackson would've so kicked his motherfucking ass in a debate.
Fake Samuel L. Jackson's Blog [News Groper] ]]>
Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:00:34 MST Brian Ashcraft http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=358476&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ LaRouche Blames Microsoft For NIU Tragedy ]]> larouche.jpg"International Fascism: Microsoft Will Kill More Youth than Hitler." That is the title of a news posting over at the LaRouche Political Action Committee website, home of the supporters of American political nutcase Lyndon LaRouche. Taking their lead from the New York Post's sensationalist article "COLLEGE KILLER CRAZY FOR VIOLENT VID GAME", the LaRouche Camp is apparently blaming "Microsoft's Counterstrike killer video-game" for the shooting. Never mind that Microsoft doesn't make Counter-Strike - that's probably all part of the conspiracy as well.
The intended effect, to foster an environment of mass suicide terrorism in the U.S.A., is a by-product of the 'Revolution in Military Affairs' policy, organized by Felix Rohatyn and George P. Shultz; the same individuals, who not only helped to install the fascist Pinochet into the Chilean government, but are the prime backers of a fascist Bloomberg Presidency.
We really need to get LaRouche and Thompson into a room together. Then we can lock it and forget where we put the key. Perhaps sweet love will bloom.

International Fascism: Microsoft Will Kill More Youth than Hitler [LaRouche Website via Game Politics]

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Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:40:47 MST Mike Fahey http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=358052&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Jack Thompson Challenges Fake Samuel L. Jackson to Debate ]]> Samuel L. Jackson isn't only a fine actor, but a gamer. He's one of us. What does he think of NIU tragedy? No clue. But what does FAKE Sam Jackson think about it? He's a pissed off motherfucker. Over on News Groper, which clearly states "These Blogs Are Not Real," the phony Samuel L. Jackson blogs:


And I was also fucking amazed when I read about Christian conservative attorney Jack Thompson blaming all this shooting shit on video games again, like there ain't no other possible got-damn reason on God's green earth for a motherfucker to go batshit and blow away another person. Jack Thompson's letter to the Northern Illinois University president is a laugh-riot. I'm assuming Jack Thompson isn't related to Eric "Don't Call Me Lance Bass" Thompson, but both these Thompsons sure got a family resemblance of idiotic statements.

Now imagine Sam Jackson saying it. And picture Jack Thompson getting upset by this. And then imagine Jack Thompson getting mad at the real Sam Jackson for something the fake Sam Jackson blogged. Hit the jump for Thompson's comment on the News Groper post:
Mr. Jackson, I enjoyed your post about NIU and about me. Unfortunately, you could fit what you know about school shootings and their causes in a sleeve of Titleist golf balls. I'm a six handicap, and would love to play you a match anywhere anytime.

More importantly, Mr. Jackson, I saw you and the Jack Thompson spoof at the Spike TV Video Game Awards Show. Very funny, really.

Here's a proposal: Why don't you debate me on this issue of whether violent video games cause real world violence. I'll do it anywhere, anytime. You name it.

I dare you.

Jack Thompson, 305-666-4366, amendmentone@comcast.net

PS: Saw you in Black Snake Moan this weekend. I thought you deserved an Oscar for your performance. Brilliant.


And in his fury, Thompson even posted his phone number on the internet so he and Sam could talk Black Snake Moan! Keep this in mind: Jack Thompson sent us this story, along with his debate proposal. The subject line of that email? "Jack Thompson is winning and you are not." He must've felt pretty important that even Samuel L. Jackson was hatin' on him! Well, until he realized it was a TOTALLY FAKE Samuel L. Jackson. Thompson posted this second comment:

Although your "badass" post was not real, mine is.

Jack Thompson


All this would be pretty funny if it wasn't so damn sad.

Student Hunting Season [News Groper]

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Mon, 18 Feb 2008 22:00:53 MST Brian Ashcraft http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=357848&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ NYPost: College Killer Crazy for Violent Vid Games ]]> victimsofshoot.JPG

The New York Post, not exactly a bastion for accurate and fair reporting, decided that "sick shooter" Steven Kazmierczak's interest in Counter-Strike three to four years ago made a better headline than the fact that he was off his medication when he decided to go on a rampage in an Illinois classroom.

The man who gunned down five people and wounded 16 in an Illinois classroom rampage was a loner who preferred studying to partying and was obsessed with an ultra-violent video game, dormitory mates said yesterday.

Stephen Kazmierczak, 27, played the wildly popular game Counter-Strike while studying sociology at Northern Illinois University in 2003 and 2004.

"He played a lot of video games, especially Counter-Strike, really loud," said dorm mate Ben Woloszyn, 24.

What they failed to mention was what dorm mates likely told them next, or at least told the Northwest Herald, that just about everyone in the dorm played the game.

But both men said that if Kazmierczak seemed disconnected from the other students, it could have been because he was an older student living alongside underclassmen.

"I guess he was polite," Rice said. "He was just really quiet. I wouldn't have guessed he would do anything."

Kazmierczak often would play the video game Counter Strike, a first-person shooting game, the roommates said, but they were quick to add that the game was nothing unusual for dormitory halls.

It's also worth noting that over the nearly 1,700 articles published about the shooting the only two that mention the game are the Northwest Herald and the New York Post. That didn't stop Thompson for shooting out an email this morning crowing about getting it right. It's nice to know that he cares about what's important in this shooting, that a college student played video games at one point in his life, not that six people are dead and a country traumatized.

Our condolences go out to the families of those killed and to Kazmierczak's family.

COLLEGE KILLER CRAZY FOR VIOLENT VID GAME
[New York Post]

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Sat, 16 Feb 2008 07:48:21 MST Brian Crecente http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=357301&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ JT On The NIU Shooting - The Video ]]> Here is the clip of Jack Thompson on Fox News this morning, explaining how the Northern Illinois University shooting was the result of violent video games. My favorite bit is right at the beginning.
"Jack, welcome on this tragic day." "Yeah, I wish I weren't here." "You know? Us too."
We wish you weren't there either Jackie boy, but there you are anyway, immediately hijacking the interview for your own purposes. The interviewer starts by asking what the shooter's age (27) tells us about him, seeing as he is more of an adult than the usual late teens that perform these sorts of crime. Jack's answer? "If you get started playing - for example - violent video games you can uh...you are more likely to copycat the behaviors in the games."

It's like he doesn't even hear the question the guy is asking. The question merely served to pull the string on JT's back to ready the anti-gaming rhetoric. It's classic Thompson every step of the way. "You can rehearse these type of massacres on simulators which are called video games and you can...therefor made more proficient in doing this." He explains that "Counter-Strike Half-Life" was that Cho, the perpetrator of the Virginia Tech Massacre trained on in High School, suggesting that the behavoir of the NIU shooter had the same sort of training. He also cites the shooter's attire...all black...was also similiar to what the hero in Counter-Strike wears. He certainly couldn't have gotten the idea to wear all black from anywhere else, could he? What kind of bad guy wears all black, other than a good 50% of them throughout the history of fiction?

Then Jack loses his train of thought for a moment, the gnomes inside his head desperately trying to recover any for of cohesive thought tossing a plug for one of his books out and...did he just suggest that he predicted exactly how the shooting occurred? Why yes - yes he did.

To his credit, the Fox News anchor seems to realize how full of shit JT is and ended the interview with a dismissive, "Well clearly you connect this to games, and we'll find out more about the suspect Steven Kazmierczak.." only to have Jack speak over him with a smug, "Well we'll see...we'll see."

So far what we know of Kazmierczak counteracts the profile of previous school shooters. He was a well-adjusted, well liked student who received honors in classes and was in the chess club while growing up. He owned a gun permit, purchased his handguns legally, and only really began to show any signs of trouble a few weeks before the shootings when he stopped taking medication for an undisclosed condition.

Will Jack wind up with mud on his face once more? Is there any more room for mud? Why the hell do major news agencies still contact him when this sort of thing happens? The world is full of crazy people. Some shoot up schools. Others blame that on violent games without proof.

Thanks to Andy for pointing us towards the clip.

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Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:33 MST Mike Fahey http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=357294&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ ECA Boss Responds To JT, NIU Shooting ]]> NIU.jpg Hal Halpin, head of the Entertainment Consumers Association, has issued a statement following the tragic events at Northern Illinois University, events which our dear old friend was so quick to seize upon and blame on videogames. The statement reads:
We'd like to extend our condolences to the families, friends and classmates of those who were affected in the school shooting at Northern Illinois University. Separately, we are disgusted, but no longer shocked, to find that anti-game activists are again rushing to conclusions about what drove Stephen Kazmierczak, the clearly disturbed 27 year old who police say was responsible for this tragedy, to commit such an act.

Blaming video games for the behavior of the mentally-challenged is vile on many levels. And, as Generations X and Y mature, it is extremely likely that just about all of us have played at least one video game at some point in our lives. Drawing a parallel between games and violence without any substantive proof is sensationalism for its own sake. This is a sad event, made worse by the irresponsible actions of attention-seekers and the media that has given them a platform for their reckless venom.

So sad that a statement like this has to even be issued, and that such calm, reasonable statements are ignored by types like Fox News in favour of the ravings of a spotlight-hungry, ambulance chasing loon.

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Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:00:00 MST Luke Plunkett http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=357262&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Jack Thompson Blames NIU Shooting On Video Games ]]> It's Virginia Tech all over again! Florida attorney Jack Thompson has appeared on Fox News this morning as a "School Shooting Expert", blaming 27-year-old sociology grad Steven Kazmierczak's rampage yesterday at Northern Illinois University on - you guessed it - video games like Counter-Strike. Kazmierczak, identified only this morning, walked onto a lecture hall stage dressed in black and opened fire on a crowded science class, killing six students before taking his own life. As always, no evidence has been found linking Kazmierczak to video games, Counter-Strike or otherwise, but Thompson never let a lack of evidence keep him from shooting off his mouth. I imagine his ears perk up like a dog hearing its master's voice the moment a terrible tragedy like this occurs. We're currently looking into Kazmierczak to see if there is any sort of video game connection. We'll keep you posted.

UPDATE: Here is the video of Jack's appearance, in which he comlpetely ignores the interviewer's question and goes on an anti-gaming tirade.

Photo Courtesy of Jack Thompson

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Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:20:08 MST Mike Fahey http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=356999&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ UPDATE Take-Two Sues Jack ]]> JT-cropped.jpg

It looks like the shoe is on the other foot, or maybe it just dropped, I always confuse my metaphors. Game Politics is reporting that Take-Two is suing Jack Thompson claiming, among other things, that his previous actions have essentially set Jack up as a "private attorney general on behalf of the State of Florida."

The suit is seeking to preemptively stop Thompson's likely complaint against Take-Two's upcoming Grand Theft Auto. It also seeks to recover their attorney fees and other costs incurred in the pending legal action. That's right, they're suing Jack and they want him to pay for it. Nice.

I'm still shocked Jack hasn't been sued for defamation or harassment. I hear his family, aka wife, has super deep pockets.

BREAKING: Take Two Sues Jack Thompson over Manhunt 2, GTA4 [Game Politics]

Update: While the story is true, it is tragically dated. This actually happened back in March.

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Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:00:53 MST Brian Crecente http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=345514&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Win A Copy Of Grand Theft Auto III, Signed By Jack Thompson ]]> We've seen people go to extreme lengths for both charity and eBay auctions, but this particular item, a copy of Grand Theft Auto III allegedly signed by fan fave Jack Thompson at VGXPO, combines the two in an attractive package. According to the listing, the PlayStation 2 version of the game can be yours (we think) for the low, low price of $4,000, the proceeds of which will be redirected in full to the Child's Play charity. There's even a picture of the signee and auction lister—who we're told is not TV's famous Wil Wheaton—to aid in the proof of authenticity.

What is suspect, however, is whether you actually get the signed copy of the game for your four large, seemingly the entire point of dropping this much cash on a used PS2 game. The eBay listing comes with the unclear note "Please note: I do not actually want to sell this. I am just listing it for show and to hopefully win a contest. However, if you want to spend $4000 on this then I will donate 100% of the proceeds to Child's Play Charity." The seller does have a 99.9% positive rating, so I wager you'll be satisfied. If you do decide to give up the cash, let us know when (and if) you get it.

Grand Theft Auto III Signed By Jack Thompson (PS2) [eBay - thanks, Rick!]

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Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:00:00 MST Michael McWhertor http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=339314&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Thompson: Stocking Full of Crazy ]]> Department_of_Defense_seal.jpg It's been a roller coaster ride of a year for embattled Miami attorney Jack Thompson. Being the most maligned person in the gaming industry (besides whoever made the ET game) can't be an easy job. Even now he is fighting to keep his license after a series of behaviors that have left the worlds of gaming and law wondering "What the hell is this guy's problem?" So it should come as no surprise to anyone that ol' JT has decided to stir up some more trouble as a last ditch effort to be the guy with the most outrageous lawsuits of 2007.

This time, Thompson doesn't just have the gaming industry in his sights, but the US military as well. He claims that he has caught the two seemingly disparate branches getting cozy out of the public eye. To be specific, he says that the US Department of Defense and the gaming industry have created an unholy alliance that is teaching "an entire generation of kids that war is glamorous, cool, desirable, and consequence-free."

It's no secret that the government uses video games as simulators for it's soldiers. The Army's presence at PAX was proof of that not to mention the various reports we've already heard about this subject over the years. So, what is Thompson's point? He seems to be telling us something we already know. According to a story on Wired, a little digging shows that the real "argument" behind this latest outburst is that Thompson believes that the military is using the same games to train its soldiers as the ones that are being sold to "the children." This seems a bit odd since it is well documented in statements from several sources that retail purchased games don't provide the kind of training the government requires so they pay companies to create special games that are tailored to their specific needs.

Interestingly (but not surprisingly), the evidence Thompson is using to support his "same game" claims are the same ones I mentioned above which seem to be in direct competition with the arguments he's trying to make. I'm sure mere hours after this article is published, a missive will be deployed from the house of Thompson telling me how I've got everything wrong so I'll let you read for yourself the website that Thompson referred Wired reporter Chris Kholer to when he inquired about the subject. From what I can tell, Kholer's view on the report seems to be right on and Thompson is yet again creating a mountain out of the proverbial molehill. Am I (or are you) surprised? Not really. Just one more log added to an already raging fire that will ultimately end up burning its starter.

Jack Thompson: Games Industry Colluding With Department Of Defense

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Sat, 29 Dec 2007 11:00:00 MST fdemarco http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=338895&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Lawyer's Fate Pushed Back To 2008 ]]> lawfate.jpgDamn these game delays! It's always the one you're most interested in, isn't it? They never would have delayed Ninjabread Man, yet here we are with another big title pushed back to Spring 2008. While development on the JT Bar Trial is expected to wrap today, final verdict producer Judge Dava Tunis has indicated that testing and review of the extensive court record will most likely keep the results out of gamers' hands until Q1 2008. With games like Spore slated for the same release window, one has to wonder if the title will garner any notice at all when it finally hits. The verdict continues to garner harsh opposition from Florida lawyer Jackie T, who has filed multiple motions to have the game canceled altogether, though so far his track record of never hindering a game's release is intact. I guess we'll just have to find something else to play over the Christmas holiday. *sniffs*

Jack Thompson Bar Trial Wraps Up Today; Ruling Delayed into 2008
[Game Politics]

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Thu, 06 Dec 2007 09:00:05 MST Mike Fahey http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=330722&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Lawyer Fearmongers Top Ten Violent Games ]]> kymworthy.jpg Detroit prosecutor Kym Worthy has once again released her list of Top Ten violent video games to warn holiday shopping parents. Says Worthy, "Please do not buy these video games and bring them into your home. It desensitizes (children) to violent acts." She then tries to pin Detroit's skyrocketing crime rate on that always easy gaming scapegoat, adding, "It's no wonder we're seeing the crimes we're seeing lately." Yeah, we're sure bad schools and lack of jobs has absolutely nothing to do with it! Hit the jump for the lis on which game site GamePolitics was nice enough to include release dates.

1. Grand Theft Auto (last released on consoles 2004; PSP, 2006) 2. Manhunt (2004, we assume they mean 2007's Manhunt 2) 3. Scarface (2006) 4. 50 Cent Bulletproof (2005) 5. 300 (Feb, 2007) 6. The Godfather (PS3 - March, 2007; other versions, 2006) 7. Killer-7 (2005) 8. Resident Evil 4 (Wii, PC 2007; other versions 2005) 9. God of War (2005; we assume they mean 2007's GoW2) 10. Hitman Blood Money (2006)
Wow, look at all those old games! If Worthy is going to reach back, she should add Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse — those games have been messing up kids for years. Certainly little kids shouldn't play adult games. They should play games for kids. That's just common sense, so no need for fear mongering! You know, her list reads like Jack Thompson's greatest hits collection! What is it with lawyers and violent games? Ten Violent Games [Detroit News via GamePolitics] ]]>
Tue, 04 Dec 2007 07:00:52 MST Brian Ashcraft http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=329570&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Game Head Takes On Thompson Tonight ]]> gameheadheader.jpgTonight on Spike TV's Game Head, the man forever to be known as former Kotaku guest editor Geoff Keighley will be taking on everyone's favorite and possibly former Florida lawyer in a bit of debate from this year's VGXpo in Philadelphia. The show promises a look at the real JT...his cause, his opposition, and "what his son's friends in high school say about him". Intriguing! With the fate of JT's professional career hanging in the balance at the moment his time in the spotlight might be waning, so you really should get as much Jack in your system as you can, just in case. That could be taken multiple ways, and most likely should be. You have to be up at 1am Eastern to catch the show anyway, so you might as well party.

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Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:40:27 MST Mike Fahey http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=328523&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ JT On Trial For Crimes Against Inanity ]]>