John Bruce " Jack " Thompson (born July 25, 1951) is an American activist and a fired lawyer based in Coral Gables, Florida. Thompson is known for his role as an anti-video-game activist, especially against violence and sex in video games. During his time as a lawyer, Thompson focused his legal efforts on what he regarded as obscenity in modern culture. These include rap music, broadcasts by Howard Stern athletes surprise, contents of computer and video games and their alleged effects on children.
He is also known for his unusual influence to The Florida Bar, including challenging the Constitutionality of The Florida Bar himself in 1993. Then the Florida Supreme Court described its influence as "repetitive, reckless and insulting the integrity of the court". On March 20, 2008, the Florida Supreme Court imposed sanctions on Thompson, requiring that any future filing in court be signed by members of The Florida Bar other than himself. In July 2008, Thompson was permanently dismissed by the Florida Supreme Court for his inappropriate behavior, including making false statements to court and disparaging and humiliating litigants.
Video Jack Thompson (activist)
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Thompson grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, attending Cuyahoga Falls H.S. and lectures at Denison University. He received media attention when he held his own political talk show on campus radio stations. He then studied at Vanderbilt University Law School, where he met his wife, Patricia. In 1976, they moved to Florida, where Thompson, worked as a lawyer and then a fundraiser for Christian service, began attending Prescenderian Church of Key Biscayne and becoming a born-again Christian. Thompson claims to have "a colorful history of discipline" as a lawyer.
Maps Jack Thompson (activist)
The Neil Rogers Show
In 1988, Thompson became involved in hostility with WIOD Radio host Neil Rogers, after Thompson was instrumental in persuading the FCC to fine WIOD $ 10,000 to broadcast parody songs like "Boys Want Sex in the Morning" at the Rogers' show. Thompson also sued the station for violating a December 1987 agreement to end air harassment against him. Over the next eight months, Thompson recorded all of Rogers' broadcasts and documented 40,000 mentions of his name. Thompson claimed that one of the terms of his approval with the station was that the station would pay him $ 5,000 each time his name was mentioned, for $ 200 million in the lawsuit.
Janet Reno
Thompson first met Janet Reno in November 1975, when he applied for a job as an assistant state attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida, but was not hired. In 1988, he ran for public prosecutor at the time, Dade District Attorney Janet Reno, after he refused his request to sue Neil Rogers. Thompson gave Reno a letter at a campaign event asking him to tick the box to show whether he was homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. Thompson said that Reno then put his hand on his shoulder and replied, "I am only interested in male male.That's why I'm not interested in you." He filed a police report accusing him of batteries for touching him. In response, Reno asked Florida Governor Bob Martinez to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate. The special prosecutor rejected the allegations, concluding that it was a "political tactic". Reno was eventually reelected with 69% of the vote. Thompson repeated allegations that Reno was a lesbian when he was nominated as US Attorney General, who led one of his supporters, lieutenant governor Buddy MacKay, to dismiss him as "kook".
In 1990, after losing his election, Thompson started a campaign against the efforts of the Switchboard of Miami, a social service group in which Reno was a board member. Thompson alleged that the group put "homosexual educational tapes" in public schools. The switchboard responded by asking the Florida Supreme Court to order him to submit to a psychiatric examination. Thompson did it and graduated. Thompson has since declared that he is "the only officially certified franchise attorney in the entire state of Florida".
Rap music
Thompson became famous on the national level in controversy 2 Live Crew album As Nasty As They Want to Be . (Luke Skyywalker Records, the company of 2 Live Crew's Luther Campbell, has previously released a record that supports Reno in his race against Thompson.) On January 1, 1990, he wrote to Martinez and Reno asked them to investigate whether the album violated the obscenity of Florida law. Although state prosecutors refused to continue the investigation, Thompson encouraged local officials in different parts of the country to block album sales, along with N.W.A Straight Outta Compton . In sending documents to an opponent, Thompson often attach a photocopy of his driver's license, with a photo of Batman affixed on his possession. Thompson said: "I have sent pictures of my opponents about Batman to remind them that I play the role of Batman Just as Bruce Wayne helped the police in the movie, I had to help the sheriff from Broward County." He also wore Batman watches. Thompson compares Campbell with the Joker. Thompson also said, "I also understand anyone that the First Amendment is the cornerstone of a free society - but there is a responsibility to those who can be harmed by words and thoughts, one of which is a message from Campbell that women can be sexually abused. "
Thompson also took issue with 2 other Live Crew songs, "Prohibited in the US." He sent a letter to Jon Landau, manager of Bruce Springsteen, whose song "Born in the US." must be sampled by the group. Thompson suggested that Landau "protect" Born in the US. 'from a clear theft by a cluster of clowns that are toxic waste traffic for children,' or Thompson would "tell the nation of Mr.'s covert approval." Springsteen "of the song, which, according to Campbell," expressed outrage about the failure of the First Amendment to protect 2 Live Crew from prosecution. "Thompson also said," The 'social commentary' on this album is similar to a sociopath who uses AK-47 onto the page crowded schools, with machine-gun blasts being distracted by Herman's view of Pee-wee politics ".
Member 2 Live Crew responded to this effort by suing the Broward County sheriff in a federal district court. Sheriff previously told local retailers that selling an album could lead to a prosecution for an obscenity violation. Although they were given orders because law enforcement action was an unconstitutional denial of freedom of speech, the court ruled that the album was actually indecent. However, the appellate court overturned the obscenity decision, as simply playing the tape was not enough evidence of constitutional requirements that had no artistic value.
As the debate continued, Thompson wrote, "An industry that says an irrevocable line will be pulled and divided." He said of his campaign, "I will not stop until I get a record company head or record chain in jail, only then they will stop trading in obscenity." Bob Guccione, Jr., founder of Spin magazine, responded by calling Thompson "a sort of end-time Don Quixote, both at odds with his day like that mythical character," and argued that the campaign achieved "two things.. : make everyone annoyed and add their own celebrity ". Thompson responded by noting, "Law enforcement and I put back 2 Live Crew's career into the toilet where it started."
Thompson wrote another letter in 1991, this time to Minnesota's attorney general, Skip Humphrey, complaining about the album N.W.A Niggaz4Life . Humphrey warned local-based Musicland that the sale of the album might violate state law against the distribution of sexually explicit material that is harmful to minors. Humphrey also referred the matter to Minneapolis city lawyers, who concluded that some songs might fit the legal definition if issued as singles, but the album's overall sales can not be prosecuted. Thompson also started a similar campaign in Boston. Then, Thompson will criticize Republicans for inviting N.W.A member and party donor Eric "Eazy-E" Wright to exclusive functions.
In 1992, Thompson was employed by the Freedom Alliance, a group of self-described patriots by Oliver North, described as "right-wing" by The Washington Post. At the moment, Thompson is looking for Time Warner, later criticized for promoting the Ice-T song "Cop Killer", charged for federal and state crimes such as sedition, incitement to riots, and "government overthrow advocacy" by distributing material that, according to Thompson, supporting the murder of police officers. Time Warner finally released Ice-T and its bands from their contract, and voluntarily halted the album distribution where "Cop Killer" was shown.
Thompson's impulse to label obscene musical performances is not entirely limited to rap. In addition to taking 2 Live Crew, Thompson campaigned against the sale of lewd music videos for Madonna's "Justify My Love". Then in 1996, he took MTV broadcasts for "female objectification" by writing to the station's parent company, Viacom, demanding a termination for what he called "corporate pollution". He also left after MTV advertisers and urged the United States Army to withdraw recruitment ads, citing Army recruitment of women and issues with sexual harassment scandals.
Video game
Thompson has criticized a number of video games and campaigned against their producers and distributors. The basic argument is that violent video games have been repeatedly used by teenagers as "killer simulators" to train violent plans. He has pointed to the alleged connection between the games and a number of school massacres. According to Thompson, "In every school shoot, we find that the kids who pull the trigger are the video gamers." In addition, he claims that scientific research shows teens cultivating a game environment differently than adults, leading to increased violent behavior and imitation. According to Thompson, "If some desperate adults want to spend their time playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, one has to wonder why he does not get a life, but when it comes to kids, it has a proven impact on their behavior and the development of their brain's frontal lobes. "Thompson has described the proliferation of games by Sony, a Japanese company, as" Pearl Harbor 2 ". According to Thompson, "Many parents think that the store will not sell M-rated games to someone under 17. We know that's not true, and, in fact, children about 50 percent of that time, all studies show, to get into any store and get any game, regardless of rank, there's no question. "
Thompson has rejected the argument that such video games are protected by freedom of expression, saying, "Hunter simulators are not constitutionally protected words They are not even speeches, they are dangerous physical devices that teach a child how to kill efficiently and love it, "as well as just calling the video game" mental masturbation ". In addition, he hooks part of the impetus for violent games to the military, saying that it's looking "a way to decide in the minds of the physical action warriors pulling the trigger of the terrible reality that life can end". Thompson further claimed that some of these games are based on military training and simulation technology, as developed at the Institute for Creative Technologies, which, he said, was created by the Department of Defense to help overcome the army's obstacles to killing. He also claims that the DualShock PlayStation 2 controller "gives you a nice buzz back into your hands with each kill." It is an operant conditioning, a direct behavior modification from the B. F. Skinner lab. "
Although his business dealing with video games generally focused on teenagers, Thompson was involved in a case involving adults on one occasion in 2004. This was a case of murder that was aggravated against Charles McCoy, Jr., a 29-year-old accused in a series of previous year's highway shootings around Columbus, Ohio. When McCoy was arrested, game console and copy of The Getaway was in his motel room. Although it does not represent McCoy and over McCoy's attorney's objections, Thompson succeeded in getting the court to open the search warrant seal for McCoy's residence. This shows, among other things, the discovery of additional games Emergency , Max Payne , and Dead to Rights . However, he was not allowed to present evidence to McCoy, whose auxiliary team relies on mad defenses based on paranoid schizophrenia. According to Thompson's estimation, McCoy is "the functional equivalent of a 15-year-old boy," and "the only thing crazy about this case is crazy".
Early trials
Thompson filed a lawsuit on behalf of the parents of three children who died in the Heath High School shooting in 1997. The investigation showed that the perpetrator, Michael Carneal was 14 years old, had regularly played various computer games (including Doom i Quake , Castle Wolfenstein , Redneck Rampage , Creature Nightmare , MechWarrior , and Resident Evil ) and access some porn sites. Carneal also owns The Basketball Diaries, which includes a high school student who dreams about shooting his teacher and some of his classmates. The lawsuit asks for $ 33 million in damages, alleging that gamemakers, filmmakers and Internet site operators are negligent in distributing this material to a minors because it would make him insensitive and make him more vulnerable to violence. Additional claims include product responsibility for making "defective" products (alleged defects are features of violence and lack of warnings) and violations of RICO, the Law of Affected Organizations and Corruption, to distribute this material to minors. Thompson said, "We intend to hurt Hollywood We intend to hurt the video game industry We intend to harm sex porn sites."
The suit was filed in federal district court and dismissed for failing to present a legally recognized claim. The Court concluded that Carneal's actions were unpredictable to the defendants and that, in any case, his actions superseded the actions of the defendants, so that the latter could not be the direct cause of the loss. In addition, the judge ruled that "thoughts, ideas, and images" in the defendant's material were not "products" that could be considered defective. The verdict was upheld in appeal.
Grand Theft Auto
Legal action
Ohio
In February 2003, Thompson requested permission to file an amicus curiae report (or "friend of the court") in the case of Ohio Dustin Lynch, 16, charged with murder exacerbated in the death of JoLynn Mishne; Lynch "obsessed" with Grand Theft Auto III . When Judge John Lohn decides that Lynch will be tried as an adult, Thompson conveys a message from Mishne's father to a judge, stating that "lawyers should advise the jury about violent video games that train this child [and] show him how to kill our daughter, JoLynn If they do not, I'll do it. "
In motions sent to prosecutors, court-appointed lawyers, and reporters, Thompson was asked to be recognized as a boy's lawyer in the case. Medina District Attorney Dean Holman, however, said Thompson would be faced with conflicting interests if he represented Dustin Lynch because he also advised Mishne's parents. Claiming that the delay has weakened his case, Thompson requested Madonna District Attorney General Judge Christopher Collier to disqualify himself from presiding over the case because the judge did not decide on Thompson's request for two months. The boy himself finally rejected Thompson's offer, withdrawing his insanity request. Lynch's mother, Jerrilyn Thomas, who demanded Collier appoint Thompson to defend his son, said he changed his mind after visiting with his son in prison, saying that the charges against him "have nothing to do with video games or Paxil, and I have no son-killer."
Tennessee
Thompson again filed a lawsuit in a Tennessee state court in October 2003 on behalf of the victims of two teenage brothers who plead guilty to murder, abuse, and desperate assault. Because the boys told investigators that they were inspired by Grand Theft Auto III , Thompson sought $ 246 million offense from publisher Take-Two Interactive, along with PlayStation 2 maker Sony Computer Entertainment America and Wal-Mart retailer. The lawsuit accuses the defendant of knowing or should know that the game will cause copycat violence. On October 22, 2003, the case was transferred to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Two days later, the plaintiffs filed a voluntary dismissal notice, and the case was closed.
Alabama
Thompson was involved in a similar lawsuit in Alabama in 2005 on behalf of a family of police personnel killed by Devin Moore, a teenager reportedly as a compulsive Grand Theft Auto. However, the participation of lawyers in this case is at odds with a pro hac, or temporary representative, acceptance for practice in that state. The opposing lawyers demanded the abolition of privileges by stating that Thompson's behavior was unethical and claimed that he had threatened and harassed them in letters and emails. The judge added that Thompson had violated his silencing order during Moore's criminal proceedings. Thompson tried to withdraw from the case, but his request was denied by the judge, who went ahead and revoked Thompson's temporary registration to the state bar.
Meanwhile, Thompson said he thinks judges are trying to protect Moore's criminal convictions in any way. He also complained about the ethics of judges, saying a local lawyer who claimed to have influence on the judge had assured him that the case would be dismissed unless the lawyer was on the Thompson team, and also claimed that Rockstar Entertainment and Take Two Interactive posted slander comments about him on his website they.
In the aftermath of this lawsuit, Thompson lobbied Alabama Attorney General Troy to file a civil suit and asked retailers not to sell "cop-killing games". After the murder of another police officer in Gassville, Arkansas by Jacob D. Robida, an 18-year-old fugitive, Thompson once again increased the possibility of connecting to Grand Theft Auto, but investigators found no evidence. that a video game is involved.
Florida
Thompson once reported that he had recorded Miami Best Buy selling copies of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to his 10-year-old son at the time. In a letter to Best Buy, he wrote, "Prosecutions and public relations consequences should fall in your Minneapolis headquarters like snowflakes." He eventually sued the company in Florida, arguing that he had violated the law against the sale of sexual material that is considered harmful to minors.
In January 2005 Best Buy agreed that it will enforce existing policies to check the identification of anyone who looks 17 or under and try to buy a game rated "M" (for adult audiences). No law in force at the time was prohibited from selling "M" video games rated for teenagers.
New Mexico
In September 2006, Thompson and lawyer Steven Sanders filed suit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, against Sony, Take-Two, Rockstar Games and teenage killer Cody Posey, for the deaths of three members of the Posey family. The lawsuit, on behalf of surviving family members, claims that "obsessive" playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City makes violence "fun and exciting," violence is cut off from the consequences, and causes Posey "to act out, imitate, imitate and imitate violence "when in July 2004 he shot and killed his father, stepmother and half brother and then buried them under a pile of dirt. According to Thompson, "Posey basically practices killing in this game.If it's not for Grand Theft Auto, three people probably will not die now."
The lawsuit claimed that Thompson had been told by the sheriff's deputies that the game and the Sony PlayStation 2 were found on the farm. The suit also claims that the game teaches Posey "how to aim and shoot a gun in a way that makes him an extraordinarily effective killer without teaching him any of the obstacles or responsibilities necessary to impede such killing capacity." Gary Mitchell, Posey's lawyer, said Thompson contacted him "many times" before the trial, urging him to highlight the game in Posey's defense, but Mitchell said he "did not find it has any reward."
Take-Two reaction
On 14 March 2007, Take-Two filed a lawsuit to permanently forbid Thompson to file a public disruption action against a company that would block sales for minors from an unpublished video game Grand Theft Auto IV and Manhunt 2. The lawsuit alleges that Thompson's claim violates the rights of the Company's First Amendment.
In response, Thompson said: "I have prayed, literally, that Take-Two and his lawyers will do something so stupid, so arrogant, so stupid, even more stupid than what they should do, that such mistakes will allow me to destroy Take-Two. "On April 19, 2007, Thompson and Take-Two settled the lawsuit, with Thompson agreeing not to seek legal restrictions on Take-Two game sales, threatening to sue the company, or accusing Take-Two of making a mistake based on the sale of each game.
An analyst said that the settlement is likely to shut down public statements and lawsuits against the company. However, in the 2008 release game, Thompson called Grand Theft Auto IV the "most severe attack on children in the country since polio," and asked Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to "pursue and file criminal charges against [ Minnesota based retailer] Target and Best Buy ". He also sent a letter to Take-Two chairman, Strauss Zelnick's lawyer, addressed to Zelnick's mother, where Thompson accused his son of "doing everything possible to sell as many copies of GTA: IV as possible to boys in the United States, You claim to raise it to 'Scouting'.... More like Hitler's Youth, I would say. "On May 1, 2008 Thompson appeared on the Glenn Beck Mainstream News program, asserting that the game's sexual content making his sale to minors illegally, and that he works with law enforcement to file criminal charges. Thompson also filed a complaint to the Chicago Transit Authority about a poster advertisement for a game at the Chicago, Illinois, bus stop.
Email GameZone
In September 2013, Thompson expressed his hatred about Grand Theft Auto V during a series of email exchanges with GameZone writer Lance Liebl during its launch week. The game happens to launch around the same time as the Washington Navy Yard shooting. Traditional media outlets like FOX News are looking to find evidence that violent video games, such as Grand Theft Auto V , have a role in brutal murder. GameZone responded by writing articles that do not agree with this. This captured the attention of Thompson, who then sent an e-mail to the site. "Listen, Lance," he wrote in an email, "The American Psychological Association has built a causal link between these games and increased aggression.The Department of Defense uses them for that purpose." Liebl responded by offering Thompson the opportunity to come on the site and explain his attitude, which he rejected, describing the gamer as "too distracted to get it."
Bully
Beginning in 2005, Thompson supported a campaign to ban Take-Two subsidiaries Rockstar Games release a game called Bully , in which, according to Thompson, "what you actually do is physically train your revenge and and then you, like Klebold and Harris at Columbine, become the biggest oppressors. "According to Thompson, the game" shows you how - by intimidation - taking over your school. You hit people; hit them with sling shots, you drown their heads in the dirty toilets There's a white-and-black crime in the game You bluff your teachers and classmates with bats.This is really crazy. "Thompson sued Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Circuit City, GameStop, and Toys 'R' Us, looking for orders to ban game releases. He also participated in protests at the Rockstar office which also included students from Peaceaholics, Washington's mentoring organization, D.C. Thompson said he hoped that pressure would make retailers refuse to bring the game. In March 2006, the Miami-Dade County State School council unanimously passed a resolution that criticized the game and urged retailers not to sell games to minors.
Thompson also criticized Bill Gates and Microsoft for contracting with Rockstar Games to release games on Xbox. The Xbox version has been canceled for undisclosed reasons, but a version was released several years later on the Xbox 360. In August 2006, Thompson requested a congressional appeal for an early copy, threatening to file a lawsuit in Miami if he did not get help from US Representative Cliff Stearns. After the game is over, according to Thompson, "the horse will come out of the barn and it will be too late to do anything". Thompson argues that it violates Florida's public disturbance laws, which prohibit activities that could injure public health.
Rockstar Games founder Terry Donovan said, "I would prefer if we can make great games and not have to deal with misunderstandings and misperceptions about what we do." After receiving no response from Rockstar regarding a previous copy, Thompson filed a public offense complaint against Wal-Mart, Take-Two Interactive and GameStop, demanding that he be allowed to preview the game before the October 17 release date. Take-Two offered to bring a copy and let both Judge Ronald Friedman and Thompson see the game in the judge's room on October 12, 2006. The judge finally saw no reason to limit the sale and refused the complaint the next day.
Thompson is very critical of the judge's decision, telling the judge "You do not see the game... you do not even know what you're seeing," as well as accusing Take-Two employees who are demonstrating the game avoids most of the violence. Empty Rome then filed a motion for Thompson's behavior to be "contempt for the court". Judge Friedman later resigned his decision, and instead filed a complaint against Thompson with The Florida Bar, calling Thompson's behavior "inappropriate by bar members, unprofessional and despicable".
Thompson then drew the attention of the game's main character, a 15-year-old man, capable of kissing other boys. Thompson wrote to the ESRB president, Patricia Vance, "We just found gay sexual content in Bully when Jimmy Hopkins was dating another male student." "Good luck with your Teen rating now." ESRB responded by saying that they already know that content is in the game when they rank.
Manhunt
During the aftermath of Stefan Pakeerah's murder, by his friend Warren Leblanc in Leicestershire, England, the game Manhunt was linked after the media wrongly claimed the police found a copy in Leblanc's room. The police officially rejected any relationship, calling drug-related robbery a motive and revealed that the game had been found in the Pakeerah bedroom instead of Leblanc. Thompson, who had heard of the murder, claimed that he had written to Rockstar after the game was released, warning them that the nature of the game could inspire imitators' killing: "I am writing to warn them that someone will imitate the game's Manhunt and killing someone.We have dozens of murders in the US by kids who have played this type of game.This is not an isolated incident.This type of game is basically a homicide simulator.There are people killed here almost every day.'After that, the Puport family hired Thompson for the purpose of suing Sony and Rockstar for £ 50 million in false claims of death.
Jack Thompson will then vow to permanently ban the game during the release of the sequel to Manhunt 2 . Thompson said he plans to prosecute Take-Two/Rockstar in an effort to have both Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV banned as "public annoyance", saying "the killings have been specifically linked to Take-Two's Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto . [I have] asked Take-Two and the retailer to stop selling the Take-Two 'Adult' murder simulation game to the kids They all refused.They will be notified by a court of law that they must adhere to their own 'Adult' label logic.
The lawsuit was dismissed when Take-Two petitioned to US District Court, SD FL to block the impending lawsuit, arguing that video games purchased for personal entertainment can not be considered a public annoyance. The next day, Thompson wrote on his website "I have prayed, literally, that Take-Two and his lawyers will do something so stupid, that such a mistake will allow me to destroy Take-Two." Take-Two holes have been dug. for himself will be clear next week when I retaliate. "
Mortal Kombat
In October 2006, Thompson sent a letter to the Midway Games, demanding they stop and stop selling the latest game in the series Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, claiming that the game illegally took the advantage of its similarity, because gamers can use the Kreate a Fighter option to create a Thompson-like character. Midway did not respond to his letter.
Activism and lobbying
In addition to filing lawsuits, Thompson has pushed measures to challenge similar games in various public settings. He co-authored the Christian Science Monitor with Eugene F. Provenzo, a University of Miami professor who studied the effects of video games on children. Initially unified to give opposing views on the 60 Minutes after the Columbine High School massacre, they said they had become friends and collaborated on a book. They describe themselves as having "a shared belief that the first person shooter video game is bad for our kids, teaching them to act aggressively and giving them efficient killing skills and romantic and underrated scenarios to kill in the real world".
Thompson has endorsed laws in a number of countries that will ban the sale of violent and sexually explicit gaming videos to minors. In response to the First Amendment issue, he argues that the game is a "public safety hazard." However, he refused as "completely unconstitutional" Hillary Clinton proposed a law to ban sales for minors of the rated game "M" for Mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. Thompson argues that the government can not enforce private sector standards but must rely on obscenity tests on Miller . He alleged that Clinton was only positioning himself politically, with the support of the gaming industry, by filing a bill which he thought he knew was unconstitutional.
In July 2005, Thompson sent letters to some politicians urging them to investigate The Sims 2, alleging that the game contained nudity that could be accessed by entering a special code. Thompson mentioned nudity that was inappropriate for a game rated "T" for Teen, a rank showing a match for anyone 13 and older. Electronic Arts producers dismissed the allegations, with vice president Jeff Brown explaining that game characters have "no anatomical detail" under their clothing, effectively resembling a Barbie doll. Although the game features blurry patches in body areas when the characters are naked, like when bathing, Brown says it for "funny effects" and denies anything inappropriate about the game. However, commands that can be entered into the in-game console to disable the blur effect have been removed from the game in an expansion. There is no official reason given for the change.
In Louisiana, Thompson helped draft a 2006 bill sponsored by state agency Roy Burrell to ban the sale of violent video games to buyers under 18 years old (HB1381). In an effort to avoid constitutional problems, it is avoided trying to define "violence" and instead adopting variations of the Miller obscenity test: selling to minors would be illegal by community standards if the game appeals to "morbid interest minor in violence, "blatantly assaults on adult match standards for minors, and has no serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors. The bill was unanimously passed by the House of the State and approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee A, despite the industry's opposition and prediction that it would also be unconstitutional. The Shreveport Times editorial that Thompson's support for the bill "should immediately trigger an alarm" and describe Thompson as someone "trying to catch a cultural ambulance". In defending the bill, Thompson said it was necessary for public safety, and it was a "miracle" that Columbine-type events had not occurred in Louisiana. However, ESA filed a lawsuit under the Entertainment Software Association v. Foti , and US District Judge James Brady issued a preliminary injunction, temporarily blocking the law to take effect until a full legal review can take place. The law was permanently ordered in late November 2006, and the state was ordered to pay the plaintiff's legal fees. Judge Brady was "astonished" that Louisiana state and governor legislators Kathleen Blanco wasted taxpayer money by trying to enforce the law.
At one point, Thompson was asked by the National Institute of Media and Families to stop using the name of the organization in his campaign. NIMF President David Walsh feels Thompson throws the organization in a bad light whenever he raises their names. "Your comments have included extreme hyperbole and your tactics include personal attacks that I deeply respect," Walsh said in an open letter to Thompson.
Thompson also works to influence police investigations into violent acts he sees as linked to violence in video game media. On June 2, 2006, Thompson suggested that West Feliciana Parish, a Louisiana police detective, investigate the murder of 55-year-old Michael Gore by 17-year-old Kurt Edward Neher, should look into the video game played by Neher. According to Sheriff J. Austin Daniel, the autopsy showed that Gore was beaten to death and shot in the face. In this regard, Thompson stated that "nobody shoots anyone in advance unless you're a hit man or a video gamer."
More public comments
Thompson foresees that the perpetrator of the Beltway sniper attack is "a teenage boy, who plays video games" and speculates incorrectly that he "may indeed be riding his bike to and from the shooting location, his weapon is broken and placed in his backpack while he paddles." that the shooter, Lee Boyd Malvo, has been "trained" at Halo , Thompson then claimed a credit for this at The Today Show : "I predicted that the sniper beltway would be a teenage boy trained in the game turned to sniper mode, and three months later, NBC reported that that's what Malvo did and he told her to train the game to suppress its inhibition to kill. "John Muhammad was a Gulf War veteran and earned expert skill shot at US Army.
Thompson also criticized Christian video games based on the Left Behind series. At Left Behind: Eternal Forces , players participate in "a raging battle in the streets of New York," according to a game fact sheet. They are engaged in "physical and spiritual warfare: using the power of prayer to strengthen your army in battle and use modern military weapons throughout the game world." Thompson claims that game makers sacrificed their values. He said, "Because the Christian context is somehow okay, that's not good, the context is irrelevant, it's a mass killing game." Left Behind author Tim LaHaye disagrees, saying "Instead of banning young people watching their favorite shows, I'd rather give them something positive." The fight for the game resulted in Thompson severing ties with Tyndale House, which publishes Left Behind and Thompson's Out of the Harm's Way books. Thompson has not seen the game, which he says has "personally broken my heart," but claims, "I do not have to meet Abraham Lincoln to know that he is the 16th president of the United States."
In April 2007, just hours after the Virginia Tech shooting (and before Seung-Hui Cho was actually identified), Thompson estimated that the shooter had trained the Counter-Strike game. According to Thompson, games "train you and give you scenarios on how to kill them [and] make you kill them with your lower heart rate." He says that Seung-Hui "is in a hyper-reality situation in virtual reality." Although Seung-Hui was last known to have played Counter-Strike in high school, four years before the shooting, Thompson insisted that "you did not drop him when you went to college, usually." Thompson denied Seung's roommate claims -Hui that Seung-Hui only uses his computer to write fiction, on the grounds that "Cho can go to the room quietly, efficiently, and quietly killing people." Prior to its identification, Thompson attributes the "sic [flat effect] on Seung-Hui's face" and the efficiency of his attacks to a video game exercise from the shootings. However, a search warrant was released, a list of items found in Cho's dorm room, containing no video games, and the story Washington Post cited by Thompson subsequently deleting a paragraph stating that Seung-Hui enjoys violent video games at secondary school. Despite all the evidence that Seung-Hui has not played Counter-Strike in a couple of years, Thompson continues to insist that "this is not rocket science, when a child who never kills anyone in his life goes on a rampage and Looks like a Terminator, he's a video gamer. "Thompson also sent a letter to Bill Gates, saying," Mr. Gates, your company is potentially legally liable (for) the damage done at Virginia Tech.Your game, a homicide simulator, used to be in the Post, training him to enjoy killing and killing. "However, Microsoft did not create Counter-Strike - they just published the Xbox version of the game. The Virginia state's official panel assigned to investigate the shooting determined that Seung-Hui "played video games like Sonic the Hedgehog ," and that "none of the [he's playing] video games is a war game or theme of violence. "
In December 2007, Thompson filed a lawsuit against Omaha, Nebraska Police Chief Thomas Warren, asking him to produce information about all of Robert Hawkins's "violent entertainment stuff", which killed nine people, including himself, in shooting at Westroads Mall earlier that month. According to Omaha police, such information is not a matter of public records, as it is part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
On February 15, 2008, Jack Thompson claimed that the actions of Steven Kazmierczak, which earlier today killed five people at Northern Illinois University before committing suicide, were influenced by the game Counter-Strike. In the next news release, Thompson claims that "We have a country of Manchurian Candidate video gamers out there who are ready, willing and able to commit massacres, and some of them will do it." Thompson also threatened the university with a lawsuit if the school did not provide a copy of "all documents revealing violent videogame game [Kazmierczak]."
Relationships with game industry and game players
Thompson's "high profile war" has made him an enemy of video game enthusiasts. Sometimes, Thompson has been arguing directly with the gaming industry and his fans. In 2005, he wrote an open letter to the chairman of the Entertainment Software Association Doug Lowenstein, making what he described as "a simple video game proposal" (an allusion to the title of satirical verse Jonathan Swift, A Simple Proposal) to the video game industry: Thompson says he will donate $ 10,000 to a charity appointed by Take-Two CEO Paul Eibeler if there is a video game company that will make games including the scenarios he describes in the letter. The scenario summoned the main character, whose son was killed by a boy who played a violent video game, to kill a number of industry executives (including one model on Eibeler) and commit a mass murder at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The video game enthusiast immediately started work to take Thompson on his offer, resulting in a game of I O.K - A Murder Simulator , among others. After that, he claimed that his application was satirical, and refused to make the promised donations.
In response, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, creators of the Penny Arcade webcomic game and Child's Play charity children, went in to make a $ 10,000 donation instead, writing in their check scrap field, "To Jack Thompson, Because Jack Thompson will not. "After that, Thompson tried unsuccessfully to get Seattle police and FBI to investigate Holkins and Krahulik for orchestrating" criminal harassment "against him through an article on their site. Other Webcomics regularly include references to Thompson, alluding to this incident as well as others.
In 2006, two Michigan gamers started a project dubbed "Flowers for Jack", asking for donations to give a massive bouquet to Thompson's office. The flowers were delivered in February along with a letter aimed at opening a dialogue between Thompson and the video game community. Thompson rejected this offer and passed interest to some of his industrial enemies, with comments such as "Throw them away with the decency you threw away for a long time, I really do not care about them milling them and smoking them if you like."
Gamers have responded to Thompson's attempts to link the Virginia Tech slaughter to the game Counter-Strike . The video games gaming website and young gamers on the Internet message boards are "filled with anger" at what San Francisco Chronicle reporter Peter Hartlaub calls "the wrong statement of the series", in some cases linking to YouTube Thompson's video and dissecting it claim point by point. Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developer Association, said: "It's so sad that these slaughterhunters - they are worse than the ambulance hunters - they are waiting for these things to happen so they can jump onto their soapbox." In response, Thompson Della Rocca as an "idiot" and a "jackass [...] paid to not connect the dots [linking shootings to video games]," and compared himself with those who warned that the government should be more concerned about terrorism before the September 11, 2001 attacks. According to Della Rocca, Thompson then challenged him to a series of game debates, claiming that they could each make over $ 3,000 per event. When Della Rocca suggested that neither he nor Thompson accept the money for the incident, Thompson refused.
In July 2009, the chairman of the Consumer Consumer Association (ECA) Hal Halpin posted a copy of an email exchange between himself and Thompson, stating, "I received messages (IM, email, FB notes, etc.) from members at any time, asking what records every day) comes from JT because this one is quite harmless and I have changed something that is personal (not that I do not like to stop the threatening letter and stop it), I think I will share it as something very typical to exchange. " Halpin and Thompson have been vocal opponents since 1998, when Halpin runs the IEMA game retail trade association. The exchange was triggered by Halpin's guest editorial entitled, "Perception Is Everything" for IndustryGamers.com in which he asked consumers and industry to speak out against the negative stereotypes of gamers.
In March 2011, in response to the school shooter model entitled School Shooter: North American Tour 2012 , developed by Checkerboarded Studios on the Valve Company Source engine, Thompson emailed the managing director of Valve, Gabe Newell , demanding that the mod be removed, as he speculates that Valve plays a role in mod development. In the letter, Thompson stated that Half-Life was directly responsible for the Erfurt school massacre, as well as the Virginia Tech massacre and that Valve had until 17:00 on March 18 to remove the mod.
Howard Stern Show
In 2004, Thompson helped get a Howard Stern show taken from a radio station in Orlando, Florida by filing a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission. Thompson objected to the use of the dirty words Stern received in the air. He argues that "Either the announcer will accept the mild harassment harness that has been the law for decades and start clearing their actions, or a deep public outcry will foster a more frightening government response." Thompson claimed to have received death threats from Stern event listeners, noting that "You are expecting that IQ people are considering listening to Howard Stern, apparently they fail to realize that I may have a caller ID."
During his opposition to Howard Stern, Thompson was asked in an interview with a reporter if, by default, he would blame Christianity for the murder committed by Michael Hernandez, a fourteen-year-old boy who killed one of his classmates in 2004, because Hernandez wrote a diary where he always talks about praying to God. Thompson replied, "The Bible does not promote the killing of innocent people, Grand Theft Auto . Thompson then expanded his comments in the same interview by saying, "Islam promotes the killing of innocent people, the Quran obliges the unbelievers, whether Jews or Christians, to be killed.... That is the essence of religion.... Muhammad is a plow the sea that kills the infidels and who advocates kafir killing - not a good person Osama bin Laden in accordance with his good tradition.
He then spoke in defense of Stern during the final legal battle with CBS for promoting Sirius in the air before switching to satellite radio. Thompson argues that the technology added by CBS for editing swear words can also work to edit Stern references to Sirius. According to Thompson, "The reason why CBS chose not to edit Stern was that the Arbitron Stern rankings remained high and could even be enhanced by people who listened every day about Stern's feud with CBS and his move to Sirius.In other words, CBS actually uses the Stern about moving to Sirius to make more money for CBS. "
CBS President Leslie Moonves responded, saying "You know what? You can not let such a person tell you what to broadcast in the air or what not to air It will only open the door when suddenly next week, Take David Letterman out of the air or release CSI in the air. ' Or you know what? Everybody Loves Raymond is about, you know, sex last week or around a 70-year-old man - you know, we're dealing with Peter Boyle having sex with Doris Roberts. " from the air.'That's something we should not let happen. "
Florida Bar
Action against the bar
In 1993, Thompson asked a Florida judge to declare The Florida Bar unconstitutional. He said that Bar was involved in revenge against him because of his religious beliefs, which he said contradicted what he called the pro-gay, humanist, liberal Bar agenda. He also said that "the marriage of all three functions of government to The Florida Bar, the 'official arm' of the Florida Supreme Court, is in violation of the constitutional basic requirements of separation forces and checks and balances separation of collateral." Thompson received $ 20,000 out of court.
On January 7, 2002, Thompson sent a letter to the Florida Supreme Court on the action of The Florida Bar. The letter was filed in court on 10 January 2002 and treated as a petition for a mandamus warrant against The Florida Bar. Before any action was taken on the petition, Thompson sent another letter to court on 28 January 2002 voluntarily refusing the case. The letter was filed in court on January 30, 2002, and the Florida Supreme Court issued a dismissal order on February 28, 2002.
In January 2006, Thompson asked the Department of Justice to investigate the actions of The Florida Bar. "The Florida Bar and its agents have been involved in this documented pattern of illegal activity, which may sink to the level of criminal blackmail activity, in the knowing and illegal attempt to cool my federal First Amendment right," Thompson wrote in a letter to Alex Acosta, temporary US attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
In April 2006, Thompson filed another lawsuit against The Florida Bar, this time in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleging that the Bar harassed him by investigating what he called an unfounded complaint made by an unsatisfied opponent in an earlier dispute. His five complaints demanded more than $ 1 million in damages. The lawsuit alleges that Bar is pursuing an unresolved ethical complaint filed against Thompson by lawyers Tew Cardenas Lawrence Kellogg and Alberto Cardenas of Miami, and by two lawyers from the vacant office of Rome in Philadelphia, in violation of Thompson's constitutional right. According to the lawsuit, Bar sees Thompson for violating bar rules that prohibit lawyers from making disparaging statements about judges, other lawyers, or court personnel. Thompson also filed a motion to the court to order the mediation of his dispute with the Bar. Thompson commented, "I am happy to do what I do and I think I have got the First Amendment to harass people and participate in the public square in a cultural war." Thompson also said he was optimistic his federal suit would succeed. "I am 100 percent sure that it will result in a change, otherwise I will not file it."
On April 25, 2006, The Florida Bar filed a motion to sack Thompson's complaint. Bar argues that Thompson's complaint should be dismissed for a number of reasons, including the fact that the complaint failed to state the claim in which it could be granted assistance. The Bar also argues that it is completely immune from responsibility for actions arising from its disciplinary function, that the eleventh Amendment forbids Thompson's restoration of damages, and that the court should reject the case in accordance with the doctrine of rejection of Younger v. Harris . On May 4, 2006, Thompson filed a motion asking Judge Federico Moreno to resign from the case, as Judge Moreno was a member of The Florida Bar. Quoting "numerous warnings," Judge Moreno resigned on May 9, 2006 and referred the case to Chief Justice William Zloch for further action. Thompson did not, however, respond to Bar's motion to refuse the case. Finally, on May 17, 2006, Thompson filed a Voluntary Dismissal Notice with the court, and the case was dismissed without prejudice.
Archiving
In October 2007, US Judicial Court Judge Federico Moreno sealed court documents filed by Thompson in a Bar case describing "gay sex acts." Thompson's submission was asked by US District Judge Adalberto Jordan to order Thompson to point out the reasons why his actions should not be filed as a complaint with the Ad Hoc Court Committee on Recognition, Reconsideration and Complaint Acknowledgments, but the order was dismissed after Thompson promised not to press charges. filed more pornography. Thompson then sent a letter to act US Attorney Peter Keisler and US Senator Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter demanded that Jordan be removed from his position for failing to prosecute Florida lawyer Norm Kent, whom Thompson claimed had "collaborated" with the Bar for 20 years to discipline him.
In February 2008, the Florida Supreme Court ordered Thompson to point out the cause why it should not deny future court filings from him unless they are signed by another member of the Florida Bar. The Florida Supreme Court described its influence as "repetitive, reckless and insulting to the integrity of the court," especially where Thompson, who expressed concern about "the inability of the court to understand his argument," filed a motion he called "A picture book for adults," including a " swastika, kangaroos in court, reproduced dollar bills, cartoon squirrels, Paul Simon, Paul Newman, Ray Charles, handprints with the word 'slap' written underneath, Bar Governor Benedict P. Kuehne, Ed Bradley, Jack Nicholson, Judge Clarence Thomas, Julius Caesar, a monkey, [and] a house of cards. "(See) Thompson claims that the order" illegally violates "its constitutional rights and constitutes a" brash attempt "to repeal First Amendment rights to petition the government to correct complaints. In response, he sent a letter to US Attorney General Michael Mukasey, referring to the show-cause order as a criminal act committed in retaliation for his search for help with the courts.
On March 20, 2008, the Florida Supreme Court imposed sanctions on Thompson, requiring that any future filing in court be signed by members of The Florida Bar other than himself. The court noted that Thompson had responded to the cause of the event with some "rambling, argumentative, and derogatory" responses that characterized the order of the show as "weird" and "stupid."
Disbarment
In February 2007, The Florida Bar filed a waiver of Thompson for alleged professional misconduct. The action was the result of a separate complaint filed by people who claimed that Thompson made slander, false statements and sought to embarrass, humiliate, harass or intimidate them. According to the complaint, Thompson accused Alberto Cardenas of "distributing pornography to children", claiming that the Alabama judge who was leading the Devin Moore case "broke the rules, even the Alabama State Bar Regulations, because he thought the rules did not apply to him" letter to Blank Rome's management partner, said, "Your law firm is actively and consciously facilitated by various means of criminal distribution of sexual material to minors." Thompson claims that complaints violate the state's religious protection because his defense is motivated by his Christian faith.
In May 2008, Miami-Dade Dava Tunis Court Judge, after reviewing 2,400 pages of transcripts and 1,700 pages of the exhibition, recommended that Thompson be found guilty of 27 of 31 alleged offenses, including making false statements to court, disparaging and embarrassing lawyers and other lawyers , and practicing law outside Florida inappropriately. Thompson filed a motion to the Florida Supreme Court a day after the report was issued to attack Tunisia's recommendations as there were no details. Previously, Thompson had attempted to have Tunis cancel its case, and lodged a complaint against him with the State Judicial Qualification Commission, which was responsible for investigating the judge.
On June 4, 2008, prosecutor Sheila Tuma recommended an 'enhancement of excommunication' for Thompson, saying Thompson showed continuous errors, patterns of abuse and persistently failed to admit any wrongdoing. The enhanced dismissal extends the period before the lawyer can reapply for entry into the bar from five to ten years. After being banned from addressing disciplinary proceedings, Thompson distributed his written objections to a lawyer, a court reporter, and a newspaper reporter, left the courtroom, and called for action against him as "star space" and "kangaroo court".
On July 8, 2008, Tunis's Judge recommended a permanent waiver and a $ 43,675.35 fine for Thompson to the Florida Supreme Court, citing "cumulative indecent behavior, repeated persistent behavior patterns on many unrelated individuals, a total lack of remorse or even a slight recognition of inappropriate behavior, and sustained behavior consistent with previous public reprimands... Over a very long period of time involving a number of unrelated cases and individuals, the Respondent has shown a pattern of rough, , repeatedly and deliberately, to merely try to bring difficulties, distractions, and sadness to those whom he deems to be contrary to the cause... He does not continue in the appropriate professional conduct guidelines but uses other means available to intimidate, harass, or bring public hatred kep there are people he considers to be against it. "The court approved the recommendations and fines on September 25, 2008, and ordered that Thompson be permanently dismissed effective 30 days from the date of the order so that Thompson could close his practice.He then filed an emergency stay request on the orders of the Florida Supreme Court with the US District Court, In an e-mail to a media outlet, Thompson responded to the court's decision by stating, "This revocation time transparently reveals his motivation: This past Friday Thompson filed a federal civil rights action against The Bar, the Supreme Court, and its Seventh Judges. This busyness in excommunication is a reward for filing the federal suit. With this stupid enemy, Thompson only needs his loyal friends. "He closes the email - where he entered the court decision - with,"... this should be fun, from now on. "
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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