Topic: Jack Thompson going down in flames

[Cobra951]

The story.

The Florida Bar this week requested that embattled attorney Jack Thompson be disbarred for ten years based on the 27 misconduct charges he was found guilty of last month.

How many enemies can one guy make and still make it through the day?

[scottws]

What a moron.  Remember when he blamed the Virginia Tech massacre on violent videogames, then it turned out the gunman wasn't even a gamer?

This was a long time coming.

[WindAndConfusion]

I'll miss you, Jack. Maybe no one else, but I will.

This was a guy who once included several pages of gay porn in a court filing. The porn was embedded in the text, so that in order to read the filing, you would have to stare at the porn. It was completely irrelevant to the case, and the filing contained no warning about the explicit content.

Of course, judges have no choice but to read these court filings. This particular judge happened to be a devout Southern Baptist.

Epic Fucking Troll.

[Quemaqua]

I'll *almost* miss him now.  I mean, he was a pain in the ass at first, but then everything just got so utterly comical JT news was usually just kind of amusing.

Funny timing too, given that he was Hillary's lap dog.

[MysterD]

This was bound to happen.

Now Jack got plenty of time to...well, go play some violent video games!

[ren]

Maybe he'll play Chronicles of Riddick and learn how to survive in prison.

[scottws]

Wow I just was surfing Wikipedia and came across something about Jack Thompson.  Remember when Jack Thompson claimed he would donate $10,000 to the ESA if someone made a videogame meeting certain criteria?

I didn't know this, but apparently some guys made such a game.  Jack Thompson refused to donate the money for some reason and so the Penny Arcade guys donated $10,000 in his name with the line "For Jack Thompson, because Jack Thompson won't."  Well apparently Jack Thompson just went apeshit.  I mean it's so ridiculous the lengths he went through that it is flat out comical:

On October 17, 2005, Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade donated the promised $10,000 to charity on Jack Thompson's behalf. Krahulik and Holkins donated the money, under Thompson's name, to the ESA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Entertainment Software Association. Thompson e-mailed both Penny Arcade and Joystiq, who ran a story about the donation, demanding that the articles be taken down "or else." The check was presented to the ESA Foundation at an ESAF fundraising dinner in San Francisco; in its memo line was written: "For Jack Thompson Because Jack Thompson Won't".

In retaliation, Jack Thompson faxed a letter to Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske, requesting assistance in halting the activities of Krahulik and Holkins. In his letter, he described how personnel within Penny Arcade were harassing him: the sale of an "I Hate Jack Thompson" shirt and frequent postings on their website where they allegedly admitted to harassment.

According to GameSpot, as of 9:55AM PDT October 18, 2005, the Seattle Police Department had not received Thompson's fax, which at that point had been sent to GameSpot, Penny Arcade, and other sites. Thompson emailed GameSpot, claiming that he had fixed the URL for Penny Arcade (which was incorrect in the original fax) and faxed the letter, commenting, "They have it now." Thompson also told GameSpot that he was not a "pixelated piñata in a game." He ended by saying that the "moral midgets" at Penny Arcade had chosen "the wrong target" and "I've been at this longer than he has." These vague threats have been deemed "nothing to worry about" by Penny Arcade. The Seattle Police Department confirmed to GameSpot on October 21 that they had received a complaint from Thompson.

On October 21, 2005, Thompson claimed to have sent a letter to John McKay, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, in an attempt to get the FBI involved. Thompson reiterated his claims of "extortion" and accuses Penny Arcade of using "their Internet site and various other means to encourage and solicit criminal harassment". Penny Arcade denies the charge of "extortion", noting that they paid the $10,000 to charity, and are asking nothing in return.

Thompson also contacted the office of Washington State Legislature Representative Mary Lou Dickerson, and her office confirms they asked John McKay to look into the matter. Thompson has not clarified how he is being "extorted," but accuses Penny Arcade's Mike Krahulik of soliciting Florida Bar complaints against him through Mike posting the Florida Bar's link on Penny Arcade's website. The link, however, is in a post asking fans to stop sending letters to the Bar because the Bar is fully aware of the current situation.

On October 27, 2005, the Seattle PD acknowledged receipt of Thompson's complaint, although after the initial reading of the letter they noted that the complaint appeared to be a civil, rather than criminal matter. They passed the letter on to the chief of their criminal investigations bureau for review.

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Video_Game_Proposal

Edit:  Ok, this just takes the cake:

Thompson gave Reno a letter at a campaign event requesting that she check a box to indicate whether she was homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. Thompson said that Reno then put her hand on his shoulder and responded, "I'm only interested in virile men. That’s why I'm not attracted to you." He filed a police report accusing her of battery for touching him.

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_%28attorney%29

BTW, the "Reno" mentioned is former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.  Say what you want about her, but her response was completely awesome.

[Quemaqua]

Haha, that last part was news to me.  The rest I was quite aware of, though.  I had a lot of new respect for the PA guys after they donated that money, and I played all the games that were going around at the time Thompson made the proposal (including I'm O.K., which I've discussed on several occasions and I think once in the podcast, a game made in part by Alec and Derek of Bit-Blot, the guys who made Aquaria).  It really is some funny and outrageous stuff.  Also, I highly, highly recommend playing I'm O.K..  Seriously.

[Xessive]

Haha that bit about Thmpson & Reno is hilarious!

[scottws]

Ok, I know this isn't exactly a news flash but Jack Thompson is completely psychotic.  This sentence followed a paragraph discussing disembarrment proceedings which stemmed from many complaints filed against him:

Thompson claims that the complaints violate state religious protections because his advocacy is motivated by his Christian faith.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_(attorney)

So he can file hundreds of baseless, frivolous lawsuits and complaints yet when a complaint or several complaints are filed against him he claims his rights were violated?  This guy is the biggest baby in the world.  I mean just reading down his Wikipedia page is like... I don't know it's just surreal.

Oh by the way, on July 10 the Florida Bar recommended permanent disembarrment over the previous recommendation of 10 years.

[Quemaqua]

Yeah, he's an idiot, and most definitely not anything even resembling a religious one.  He's just stupid and plainly out for his own personal gain.  I imagine anyone that ever took him seriously feels pretty stupid about it now.

[WindAndConfusion]

Yeah, he's an idiot, and most definitely not anything even resembling a religious one. 

I can't tell you how much I disagree with that statement, so instead I'll just say that JT always reminded me of this guy.

[Quemaqua]

That's a load of crap.  That guy has no interest in anything religious whatsoever, nor did any of the people who got him started.  He's out for personal gain and nothing more, using religion as an excuse (and poorly, as any religious person of any faith that's educated about his actions can't possibly agree with anything he's done).

[WindAndConfusion]

Furthermore, Jack Thompson is obviously not a TRUE Scotsman.

[Cobra951]

And the conclusion?  Since I no longer trust Joystiq, and I haven't found another source, I linked their image of the alleged disbarment doc rather than their story.

[idolminds]

Its real. Its on The Escapist, Game Politics, and other sites now.

I think this should be the day of the first video game holiday.

Haha...in classic Thompson style, he has to respond in the most fucked up and crazy way he can.

Immediate News Release – Sept. 25, 2008

Miami Attorney Jack Thompson Disbarred by Florida Supreme Court

Miami attorney Jack Thompson, nationally and internationally known by virtue of his effective and successful opposition over the last 20 years to the broadcast, marketing, and sale of adult-rated entertainment to children, has just been informed by the Florida Supreme Court that he has been disbarred from the practice of law today.

This disbarment is in retaliation, among other things, for Thompson’s Tyndale House book Out of Harm’s Way, published in 2005, which blew the whistle on the Florida Supreme Court’s earlier efforts in the 1990’s to literally pathologize his faith-based and successful activism against the American entertainment industry. The Florida Bar’s insurance carrier was forced to pay Thompson money damages for that earlier assault upon his First Amendment rights, which is the only known payment of damages by any state bar to any lawyer for improper disciplinary efforts. It appears that the State of Florida will be paying Thompson more damages this time around for its illegal, now repeated, use of “discipline” to punish a Christian lawyer for his activism in the public square.

The timing of this disbarment transparently reveals its motivation: This past Friday Thompson filed a federal civil rights action against The Bar, the Supreme Court, and all seven of its Justices. This rush to disbarment is in retribution for the filing of that federal suit. With enemies this foolish, Thompson needs only the loyal friends he has.

Thompson looks forward to successfully litigating his federal claims, now before US District Court Judge Marcia Cooke in the Southern District of Florida.

Thompson always wanted to own a Bar. Now, armed with multiple US Supreme Court rulings that no state bar can do what it has done to Thompson, he is set to own that Bar.

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT IN AND FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

CASE NO. 08-22603-CIV-JUDGE COOKE/MAGISTRATE BANDSTRA

JOHN B. THOMPSON,

Plaintiff,

v.

THE FLORIDA BAR; THE SUPREME COURT OF FLORIDA; RAOUL G. CANTERO, INDIVIDUALLY; THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALLY AND IN THEIR OFFICIAL CAPACITIES: CHIEF JUSTICE PEGGY A. QUINCE, JUSTICE CHARLES T. WELLS, JUSTICE HARRY LEE ANSTEAD, JUSTICE BARBARA J. PARIENTE, JUSTICE R. FRED LEWIS, JUSTICE KENNETH B. BELL, JUSTICE CHARLES T. CANADY; THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALLY: REFEREE DAVA J. TUNIS, BENEDICT KUEHNE, THE ESTATE OF STEVE CHAYKIN, BARNABY MIN, SHEILA TUMA, KEN BRYK, JAN WICHROWSKI, BARRY RICHARD; THE FOLLOWING FLORIDA BAR EMPLOYEES INDIVIDUALLY AND IN THEIR OFFICIAL CAPACITIES: JACK HARKNESS, JOHN BERRY, KEN MARVIN, PAUL HILL, MARY ELLEN BATEMAN; THE FOLLOWING FORMER FLORIDA BAR
OFFICERS INDIVIDUALLY: KELLY OVERSTREET JOHNSON, ALAN BOOKMAN, HENRY COXE, FRANK ANGONES; THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALLY AS WELL AS IN THEIR OFFICIAL CAPACITIES WITH AND FOR THE FLORIDA BAR: PRESIDENT JOHN G. WHITE, PRESIDENT-ELECT JESSE DINER, BAR GOVERNORS RAMON ABADIN, ALVIN ALSOBROOK, ALLISON BETHEL, ROBERT BRUSH, ARNELL BRYANT-WILLIS, BRIAN BURGOON, DOMINIC CAPARELLO, JAY COHEN, JEWEL COLE, GREGORY COLEMAN, IAN COMISKY, DANIEL DECUBELLIS, MAYANNE DOWNS, CHARLES EBBETS, STEPHEN ECHSNER, EVIN GONZALEZ, NANCY GREGOIRE, ROGER HAUGHEY, SCOTT HAWKINS, JACK HICKEY, DENNIS KAINEN, WILLIAM KALISH, LAIRD LILE, DENISE LYN, CLIFTON MCCLELLAND, SCOTT MCMILLEN, ERIC MEEKS, EUGENE PETTIS, DAVID PRATHER, ANDREW RINGERS, DAVID ROTHMAN, JULIET ROULHAC, CLIFFORD SANBORN, ANDREW SASSO, EDWIN SCALES, JOHN SCHICKEL, WILLIAM SCHIFINO, CLAY SCHNITKER, CARL SCHWAIT, LAWRENCE SELLERS, MURRAY SILVERSTEIN, LISA SMALL, JOHN STEWART, RICHARD TANNER, NORMAN VAUGHAN-BIRCH, FRANK WALKER, SAMUEL WELLS, and GWYNNE YOUNG.

Defendants.

PLAINTIFF’S EMERGENCY MOTION TO STAY FLORIDA SUPREME COURT’S PERMANENT DISBARMENT ORDER OF SEPTEMBER 25, 2008

COMES NOW PLAINTIFF, on his own behalf, and moves this federal court, pursuant to the applicable Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, for the following emergency relief on the following grounds, stating:
1. All seventy-seven defendants have been served with the complaint herein; thus, they are all fully on notice as to the nature of this suit, the relief sought, and the basis therefor.

2. Today, at approximately 11 am, on September 25, 2008, the Florida Supreme Court, has entered an order, a copy of which is attached hereto, permanently disbarring plaintiff Thompson, the respondent therein, effective in thirty days. Thus, the clock is now running on those thirty days. This is an emergency.

3. Under this order, Thompson is unable, for example, to meet, as he is scheduled to do next Friday, with Richard Gorman, who is an inmate in a state prison for the purpose of being retained by him as his lawyer. Mr. Gorman is sitting in his prison cell solely because of the unethical conduct of Assistant State Attorney Matthew Alex Smith and the obstruction of justice by the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar. The attached Report of No Probable Cause is a smoking gun document that proves that the entire Board of Governors of The Florida Bar is involved in a cover-up in order to keep this innocent man in jail, all for the purpose of protecting the corrupt Leon County State Attorney’s Office. It is the single most remarkable document Thompson has ever seen in his 31-year legal career. It indicts the entire Bar’s disciplinary process which in that instance is being perverted to keep an innocent man in jail. It is little wonder that these same Governors would then do to Thompson what they have demonstrably done over the past four years.

4. Thompson was to meet with Mr. Gorman for the purpose of securing his release from jail, and now Thompson cannot be retained by Mr. Gorman for that or for any other purpose. Thus, one of the consequences of this disbarment order is not only Thompson’s inconvenience, to say the least, but more importantly the thwarting of the retention of Thompson by an innocent man in jail who is the victim of the obstruction of justice of The Florida Bar and its Governors.

5. Plaintiff herein thus seeks an immediate stay, on an emergency basis, of the Florida Supreme Court’s disbarment order because he can show a substantial likelihood of success on the merits, irreparable harm unless the injunction issues, including public damage to his career and to the rights of others, such as those of Mr. Gorman, that this harm far outweighs any conceivable harm to defendants if the injunction issues, and that the injunction will not disserve but actually serve the public interest.

6. Further, there are demonstrable factual errors in the disbarment order itself, which provide the basis for the disbarment, which can be easily and quickly proven. Additionally, it is fascinating that Justice Cannady, who has undoubtedly reviewed absolutely nothing about this disciplinary case, has put his name to this disbarment order on the day that he was served with the federal civil rights action. What a coincidence.

WHEREFORE, plaintiff respectfully seeks an order, on an emergency basis, staying the Florida Supreme Court’s disbarment order until such time as an evidentiary hearing, either before Judge Cooke or Magistrate Bandstra, can be secured as to the granting of apreliminary injunction sought in the complaint.

I HEREBY CERTIFY that this pleading has been provided to all defendants and/or their counsel by various means, including fax and e-mail, this September 25, 2008.

JOHN B. THOMPSON, Plaintiff
Attorney, Florida Bar #231665

[scottws]

Did he write that himself?  OMG what a loon.  I like how he blames the disbarrment on something that happened a week ago, even though they have been moving to disbar him for months.

[MysterD]

Jack, go play some Rockstar-made Games now.
You'll have the time, pal.

Oh, and listen to some 2 Live Crew, too...

[WindAndConfusion]

It appears that the State of Florida will be paying Thompson more damages this time around for its illegal, now repeated, use of “discipline” to punish a Christian lawyer for his activism in the public square.

What a dick. Not only is he a complete douche, but he thinks he's doing God's will by being a douche. (Nevermind that one of the judges that sanctioned JT was also a Christian.)

Still, I love the crazy piece of shit.

[Quemaqua]

And note also that he almost never speaks of anything even remotely religious unless it's in direct defense of himself or if he's using some ideology that he doesn't even believe in to try to make an argument, which he always fails to do and usually violates in the midst of doing by taking some action blatantly inappropriate by the standards of whatever it is he purports to believe.

Indeed, I move this become a national holiday.  I too love the crazy idiot, for he's given us so much free entertainment the value can hardly be calculated.  Maybe that'll be his next thing: suing us all to try to get us to pay for how many times we've laughed at his expense.