Happy Jack Thompson Day!!

[Sabby]

Its been one year since the disbarment of famous Anti-Video Game Lawyer Jack Thompson.

While we've all laughed at his antics, its important we remember his 'Crusade' in its entirety. The man caused a lot of trouble for a lot of people in the form of cyber-harassment, emotional stalking and increasingly disgusting accusations towards anyone who doesn't share his views or anyone even loosely affiliated with his enemies, and I do mean loosely. Friends, family, even the guys that would design the companies fliers and pens. His apalling behaviour while hiding behind his bible, and his professional misconduct while hiding behind a Law license, should never be forgotton.

Even in saying this, he'll always be an important figure to gaming, and his constant blunders and rants have both entertained us and inspired much debate in gamings favor.

Happy Jack Thompson Day. If your wondering whats happening with the man, he's made it public, as always.

Immediate News Release – Sept. 19, 2009

Miamian Jack Thompson Set to Return to Practice of Law

On September 25, 2008, the Florida Supreme Court entered an order permanently disbarring Miamian Jack Thompson from the practice of law.  Thompson had been a continuous member in good standing of The Florida Bar for 31 years.

He was “disbarred” by virtue of Bar complaints instigated by the broadcasters of the Howard Stern Show, against whom Thompson had secured $4 million in FCC decency fines, and by Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., in retribution for Thompson’s appearance on CBS’ 60 Minutes to expose its sale of the cop-killing murder simulator Grand Theft Auto video games that had caused the deaths of scores of individuals, including three Alabama policemen whose families Thompson represented.

Thompson has just discovered that all of the court orders that resulted in his “disbarment” are void ab initio—legal nullities from the outset and thus of no force and effect.  The Florida Supreme Court, in violation of the laws of Florida assigned to Thompson’s case a referee from Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit, rather than from the state’s Second Judicial Circuit, where he would have received a fair trial.  Bar counsel hid this fatal defect not only from Thompson but from the Florida Supreme Court as well.

What this means is that Thompson literally was never disbarred.  See the mountain of case authority on the consequence of orders that are void ab initio, including Elliott v. Lessee of Piersol, 26 U.S. 328  (1828) and Vallely v. Northern Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 254 U.S. 348 (1920).  This has been the law in this country for more than 180 years.

Thompson intends to resume the practice of law as a member of The Florida Bar on October 1, 2009. He has invited, this day, Mary Ellen Bateman, who prosecutes the “unlicensed practice of law” for The Florida Bar, to get a court order to stop him.  Unless she acts, he’s back in business, and the children of this country will have returned to them the lawyerly labors of a man who a) secured the first FCC decency fines in the history of this country, b) the first verdict in world history that a sound recording was obscene, c) forced Time Warner to pull from stores worldwide Ice-T’s “Cop Killer,” d) and forced Take-Two, along with Senator Hillary Clinton to recall all copies worldwide of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which cost Take-Two tens of millions of dollars.

Florida Supreme Court Justices Polston and Canady recently wrote:  “Is it too much to ask that The Florida Bar obey its own Rules?”  Apparently it is too much to ask.  When government breaks the laws, there is no law.

[Doomsday]

I say we ban Lemmings for teen suicide.

[Oniya]

I say we ban Lemmings for teen suicide.

5...4...3...2...1...Ooh noo! *Boom*

[Doomsday]

I personally blame Bubsy for every single Bobcat attack in America.

[Kotah]

Grand theft auto: Vice City got recalled?

We still have ours. o.o

[Oniya]

No one goes around house to house enforcing recalls.  What happens is that the product is pulled from the shelves and no more are sold.  If you bought it before the recall, you have the option to take it back and get your money returned, throw it out, or keep it.

[Moon and Star]

It makes me sad to even see his name again... :-(

Just when I'd almost forgotten...

[Callie Del Noire]

He's like the recurring lower bowel problem that won't go away.

[OldSchoolGamer]

Amazing, the trouble that people too ignorant to change a television channel or just NOT buy a certain game can cause.

I don't like country music myself, but I don't go around suing people.  I just don't listen to those radio stations.  Seems to me if this asshat doesn't like video games, he should simply not play them.  I don't like NASCAR so I don't watch it.  BFD.

[Sabby]

Grand theft auto: Vice City got recalled?

We still have ours. o.o

Remember that a lot of these claims are very exaggerated, or outright made up. Like taking down Howard Stern. Never happened the way he said it.

[Moon and Star]

Remember that a lot of these claims are very exaggerated, or outright made up. Like taking down Howard Stern. Never happened the way he said it.

Well since the can of worms is open...

Maybe he's just wrong. Again. I believe it was GTA: San Andreas that had to be taken off store shelves... because of the whole Hot Coffee sex fiasco. Personally I'm a proud owner of the now, apparently, AO rated version. 8-) Thus, I've refused to download the patch just because I don't like censorship in any form. That and some of the really high resolution texture car mods don't work with the update. :-(

[Oniya]

I remember the existence of the 'Hot Coffee' thing - I just can't be bothered to keep track of the different versions of GTA  ;D

[Inkidu]

The Hot Coffee mod was in GTA: San Andreas. I know I still have my first edition game and I cannot sell it back to Game Stop. I should probably open up an Ebay auction for it.

In other news! One less lawyer in the world!

*Cues the Ode to Joy*
*Prepares to fire the cannons*
What the cannons are only in the 1812 Overture? Screw you I want to fire the cannons!
*Boom* I blame Civilization II for introducing me to the Ode to Joy! *Boom* And I regret nothing!

[Doomsday]

He was on Penn and Teller's Bullshit! in this latest season. American idiot in every sense of the word.

[Callie Del Noire]

He was on Penn and Teller's Bullshit! in this latest season. American idiot in every sense of the word.

You should read about some of his other escapades...

-His running feud (sorta) with the guys who do Penny Arcade
-His rampant use of suing folks to get his way (or try to), he once sued Janet Reno
(Wild antics folks..read his wikipedia entry...)

[Sabby]

Oh, yeah, he's a walking scene Calli, but sometimes its less then funny. Getting his ass handed to him on TV by Adam Sessler. Great! Getting in massive trouble for sneaking onto TV, illegally, and misrepresenting a bunch of people. Great! Having to be escorted in and out of his job by a 2 Marshals and hire a lawyer for his own cases? AWESOME!

Linking every man, woman, and their families, however small their relations may be, to world wide conspiracies for the harboring of children to pedophiles... not funny at all.

[Moon and Star]

He was on Penn and Teller's Bullshit! in this latest season. American idiot in every sense of the word.

I must admit I really want to see that episode... o.o

[Callie Del Noire]

I must admit I really want to see that episode... o.o

Ditto