Meet Jack Thompson, Professional Douchebag

Jack Thompson, a Miami lawyer who operates StopKill.com -- a site devoted to strong-arming artists of all stripes (video games, music, movies, etc.) -- is an utterly horrifying figure. According to a recent letter attacking video games he sent to Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Jack used to be a libertarian:

I am a "recovering libertarian" who has learned that the far more sensible and historically dominant wing of the Republican Party is the one that recognizes that as a last resort government must get involved to stop predatory corporate practices that imperial (sic) the commonweal. The video game industry's decade-long assault upon children is just such a predatory practice that worsens with each passing day.

Thompson's purportedly radical transformation from freedom lover to fascist seems best expressed by the man himself at StopKill:

I am trying to protect our freedoms. How so? When the next Columbine happens and the perpetrators are proven to be copycatters of adult-rated violent entertainment, then the government, driven by parental concern, really will contract freedom for all Americans. Safety will trump freedom.

Ah, I see. Thompson bills himself as a less worse alternative than other people who want to rob me of my liberties.

Well shit, man, where do I sign up? You're right, Jack: it is worth saving constitutional face by cutting off the nose, isn't it? My oh my, Jack, I'm a fascist now, too!

The only bright spot in this whole mess is the Amazon.com page promoting moralist Thompson's new book Out of Harm's Way. There, mixed in under the section header "Customers who viewed this book also viewed", are the following titles:

Trust, the Hand Book: A Guide to the Sensual and Spiritual Art of Handballing

Gay Men and Anal Eroticism: Tops, Bottoms, and Versatiles

Advanced Sex : 101 Positions and Techniques, for the Sexually Adventurous

...and an anti-anti-video gaming handbook for parents...

Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter.

Culture 1, Jack Thompson 0. Amen.

[Cross-posted at The Agitator.]