Jack Thompson to Take Two: The bible says I win

[Morfiend]

This guy just keeps on amazing me. Seriously, what a douchebag.

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/03/17/jack-thompson-responds-to-the-take-two-lawsuit

Or for those who dont want to read it. Take Two iussued a preemptive lawsuit against Jack and he responded with this letter.

    Heads-Up to Video Game Industry Press Re Take-Two Lawsuit Against Jack Thompson

    Dear Gamers and Gamer Publications on the Internet and Elsewhere:

    I have been praying, literally, that Take-Two and its lawyers would do something so stupid, so arrogant, so dumb, even dumber than what they have to date done, that such a misstep would enable me to destroy Take-Two. With the filing of this SLAPP lawsuit last week, my prayers are finally answered.

    This lawsuit, filed in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, is, without a doubt, the single dumbest thing I have ever seen any lawyers do in my thirty years of practicing law--while in continuous good standing to do so with The Florida Bar, I might add, the shock radio and video game industry's efforts notwithstanding.

    I encourage folks to read Psalm 35, a Psalm of David, which is brilliant in its entirety (since God Himself wrote it), but for those who don't own a Bible or who think their hands will catch on fire if they touch one, here is the salient portion that applies to this lawsuit:

    7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit,
    which without cause they have digged for my soul.

    8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares;
    and let his net that he hath hid catch himself:
    into that very destruction let him fall.

    9 And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD:
    it shall rejoice in his salvation.

    The pit Take-Two has dug for itself will be patently clear next week when I strike back. Oh, and by the way, the entire Take-Two management and board will be gone on March 23, so this pit-digging comes at a very bad time indeed.

    Amen, and Praise be to God Almighty, maker of Heaven, Earth, and yes, the maker even video games. Jack Thompson

[WayAbvPar]

He is a frontrunner for an avatar for Raging Douchebags week for sure.

[Yegolev]

I don't think it's a bursting-into-flames sort of thing, more like the painless dissolving you get from hydrofluoric acid.

[Murgos]

What's the March 23rd statement in reference to?  Are the board and management of Take-2 going away on a retreat or something?

Edit:  NM, there is a stock holders meeting on the 29th (which was postponed from the 23rd) where there may be someone trying to buy the company.

[Calantus]

(since God Himself wrote it)

    9 And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD:
    it shall rejoice in his salvation.

God refers to Himself in the third person?

[Azazel]

The Lord is a bit like The Rock in that sense...

[schild]

This guy can't harm anyone anymore.

[Sky]

Can you smell-ll-ll-ll-ll-ll what the LORD is cookin'?

[Bunk]

He used to piss me off, but now its become more of that sickly feeling you get when a decrepid old man starts ranting and raving about whatever injustice was done to him that day, and his dentures fly out on to the floor mid speech.

Short of maybe finding out that he's using pictures of camel sex to blackmail the Sultan of Brunei in to buying Take Two, and then letting ole Jack fire them all - I don't think much is going to come of this.

[WayAbvPar]

This guy can't harm anyone anymore.

I don't care what you say- I am holding out hope that he will harm himself mortally. Preferably on PPV, kthx.

[Big Gulp]

I think Jack Thompson is really an elaborate false flag operation from Take Two in order to keep them, and more importantly GTA, in the headlines.

[Ironwood]

At this stage, as human beings, he should have your pity and support for what is quite clearly a fast-deteriorating mental condition.

[Paelos]

I'm just amazed anyone could read that Bible verse and think, YEEHAW I'M GONNA GO KICK SOME ASS!

The verses mean, your enemies are going to try to hurt you, but eventually they will only hurt themselves. It's another live by the sword, die by the sword reference. It has nothing to do with upstanding people waiting on the sidelines trying to shove people into pits. At some point Jack should take a better look at who he really is in this story: the man digging the pit, or the man patiently waiting for him to fall in.

Make sure to look at that shovel in your hand before you decide Jack.

[Ironwood]

As expected, this one kicked off.  In Penny-Arcade amongst other sources.

However, the quote I found most juicy was from the Nutbar himself :

The background also includes a number of contentious remarks about Take-Two before enumerating his accusations. Thompson refers to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as a "violence and sex simulation game" that perpetuates racial stereotypes, asking, "What else would one expect of Scottish sociopaths sipping their single malt Glenlivet in between brainstorming software programming sessions?"

What else indeed ?  Speaking as one myself, I ponder the question daily.

[Big Gulp]

"What else would one expect of Scottish sociopaths sipping their single malt Glenlivet in between brainstorming software programming sessions?"

Because when I think of Scottish sociopaths my mind immediately jumps to expensive Scotch and game development.  Not, say, random violence, plaid and haggis eating.

[WindupAtheist]

The pit Take-Two has dug for itself will be patently clear next week when I strike back. Oh, and by the way, the entire Take-Two management and board will be gone on March 23, so this pit-digging comes at a very bad time indeed.

WHEN I STRIKE BACK ON MARCH 23RD, ULTIMATE WARRIOR, YOU ARE GOING DOWN!

[Ironwood]

Hey, you remember a couple of months back when we were actually worried about the effect this guy might have ?

I lol.

[Yegolev]

I despise people who are intolerant of other cultures, and the Dutch.

[Bunk]

Ok, well, so now he's accusing Penny-Arcade of racketeering.

[Morat20]

Ok, well, so now he's accusing Penny-Arcade of racketeering.

Penny Arcade's reply was, as always, excellent.

[Samwise]

The pit Take-Two has dug for itself will be patently clear next week when I strike back. Oh, and by the way, the entire Take-Two management and board will be gone on March 23, so this pit-digging comes at a very bad time indeed.

WHEN I STRIKE BACK ON MARCH 23RD, ULTIMATE WARRIOR, YOU ARE GOING DOWN!

THANK YOU.  I was trying to figure out what he reminded me of.

[Ironwood]

I despise people who are intolerant of other cultures, and the Dutch.

I lolled again.

[Alkiera]

(since God Himself wrote it)

    9 And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD:
    it shall rejoice in his salvation.

God refers to Himself in the third person?

Jack can't even get his facts about the Bible straight.  That was written by King David.  Ps. 35 even begins "A Psalm of David" in the KJV, which is the version used in his quote.  While I wouldn't approve of anyone under 18 playing a game like GTA, I get equally upset with the loons who use the Bible, out of context, as support for their lunacy.

--
Alkiera

[Triforcer]

(since God Himself wrote it)

    9 And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD:
    it shall rejoice in his salvation.

God refers to Himself in the third person?

Jack can't even get his facts about the Bible straight.  That was written by King David.  Ps. 35 even begins "A Psalm of David" in the KJV, which is the version used in his quote.  While I wouldn't approve of anyone under 18 playing a game like GTA, I get equally upset with the loons who use the Bible, out of context, as support for their lunacy.

--
Alkiera

Not to quibble, but to an evangelical, everything in the Bible WAS written by the lord, even if a human hand penned it- the human was merely the vessel for God's wisdom.   But I'm Catholic, so I could be wrong.  Perhaps F13's multitudes of evangelicals can chime in 

[stray]

I'm not Evangelical, but technically, they don't believe that either. They put it in the realm of "mystery", such as other confusing concepts like the Trinity and whatnot. Only the miseducated or inattentive evangelicals say the Bible was written by God. The others will try to argue that it was just inspired/revealed by God in some way or another (though "inspired" in the sense that they'd put it on equal terms with authorship).

[HaemishM]

Evangelicals define inspired as "might as well have been written by the burning bush, thus IT IS GOD'S LITERAL ABSOLUTE WORD!"

As you can imagine, they make that vein in my forehead throb.

[Sky]

While I wouldn't approve of anyone under 18 playing a game like GTA

Really? You don't think /anyone/ under the age of 18 should play GTA? Because of some motherfucker talk and violent gameplay?

Maybe we shouldn't approve of anyone under the age of 18 attending public school.

[stray]

Gimme them duckets!