Posted on 07/15/2005 6:48:01 AM PDT by Tsunamii
Anti-game activist brands ESA "criminal"
Crusading attorney Jack Thompson blasts lobby in general, its "thug" president in particular in open letter to game industry. Hot on the heels of U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton's call for federal game legislation came a very public and very unlikely thank you. Miami lawyer and ardent game-industry critic Jack Thompson, who has vocally blasted games on 60 Minutes, CNN, and other media outlets for over a decade, publicly praised the Democratic senator from New York in an open letter. "I, as a lifelong Republican, am going to thank Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton," he said.
However, Thompson's letter, which was sent via e-mail to game publishers and press outlets (including GameSpot), had far less kind words for Doug Lowenstein. As president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the country's main game-industry lobby, Lowenstein helps oversee the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), which voluntarily stamps games with familiar ratings such as E for Everyone and T for Teen.
However, it's the current kerfuffle over an M-for-Mature-rated game which spurned Thompson's letter. Addressed to an assortment of developers and publishers ranging from Electronic Arts to id Software, the latter of which Thompson partly blames for the Columbine Massacre, the letter blasts "the inept fashion in which ESA has 'managed' the 'Hot Coffee' mod scandal...Doug Lowenstein could have prevented what is going to happen today, but he preferred to shoot the messengers."
Thompson had similarly sharp words on the ESA's defense that the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which says "congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech," prohibits game censorship. Said Thompson, "Doug Lowenstein embarrasses each and every one of you when he holds forth about what the 'Founders' intended when they drafted the Bill of Rights [the first 10 amendments to the Constitution]. For Doug, the Founders are GTA's Tommy Vercetti and Carl Johnson. Doug never met a pixilated prostitute he didn't like, and I'm sure James Madison would be impressed."
At one point, Thompson tries to win ESA members over to his side. "If the ESA wants as its president a thug who demonizes critics of your industry's criminal, frauduelnt [sic] excesses, thereby earning their wrath and their determination, then by all means keep Mr. Lowenstein at the helm." Later, he took a blunter approach. "[Lowenstein's] extremism has painted a bullseye on your industry. Doug Lowenstein has the brush and [GTA publisher] Take-Two has provided the blood red paint....get rid of this highly-paid thug and replace him with someone with sense."
As has been his practice in the past, Lowenstein has deigned not to address Thompson's attacks directly. Instead he issued a lengthy statement addressing Senator Clinton. "Retailers should not sell Mature games to minors, parents should watch what their kids watch, and parents should and can rely on the ESRB ratings to make the right choices for their families," he said. "We hope that after further reflection and dialogue, Senator Clinton will abandon the bill and work cooperatively with industry and others to ensure that parents take advantage of the effective tools on the market to regulate the games their kids play."
don't these idiots know that the more noise they make about how horrible a game is the more kids will want to play it?
oh yeah, none of these moore-ons had a childhood in the first place...
I had to add this from Jacks websight http://www.stopkill.com/
"In 1992, the American Civil Liberties Union named Jack Thompson one of its ten "Censors of the Year"
"I, as a lifelong Republican, am going to thank Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton," he said."
A Republican in bed with the ACLU and Clinton. I think not. Censorship is not a Conservative Value.
Mr "Peace" Jack Thompson can be reached @ jackpeace@comcast.net From his websight.
Is this the same Jack Thompsom who was big on FR in earlier years?
Na Na Na Na Na Na NA NA... Bat Man! Yes, it is the same Bat Jack. The man who dresses up as Bat Man and threatens to sue everybody who argues with him on a message board.
May have been on of the Freepers.
Its funny how people wrap them selves in an ideology until but only when it agrees with there agenda. There are allot of issues I have deep feelings on but sometimes after reflecting on what it means to have small Government and freedom I have to take a side that is not always pleasant but part of an ideology I subscribe to.
It is like people who call them selves "Catholic" who don't go to Church and don't believe in what the Church exposes. I hate to tell them then you are not Catholic.
Yes.
CINOs?
Somewhere out there, there's a horse looking for that patoot.
LOL...
I tried to ask Jack why censorship is the answer but I guess without the Cameras he cant find the right words. All he has come up with is "get lost"....
I rather be in a death bed then in bed with Hillary.
There are many things worse than death, no doubt about it!
Yes he is. This guy is a major douchebag. The Elliot Spitzer of the right.
He used to be active here until people caught on to him and realized what an idiot he was.
He ran agaist Janet Reno for Miami-Dade District attorney once. He lost and ended up making some delusional crackpot conspiracy theories about her.
I don't remmeber the details, but it involved a secret lesbian lifestyle, Drug addiction, alcohol abuse, and the mafia. Obviously a few of those are beleiveable, but all together, just over the top.
Unsurprising that a magazine that sells games to teenagers would report about the weirdest critics rather than attack the more reasoned arguments.
Well, Thompson is the guy who leads the charge and makes the headlines. For what it's worth, several gaming industry magazines have reported on this issue before.
Do you READ the article?! He is not a liberal, but a life-long Republican. As conservative as one can get. When Hillary does this, there are riots in the street. Yet when a Repub does it..wow, its heroic.
Does he make it onto the talk shows anymore? I caught a surprisingly reasonable video game content discussion on TV the other day between some guy and the author of that book Everything is Bad is Good for You.
Video game ping!
If you want on or off this list, Freepmail me
In bed with they ACLU when they name him to their top 10 enemies list? I think not.
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