Video game bill story just won’t die: Utah Senate President suggests lawsuit against video game obscenity activist

If you haven’t been paying attention to the ongoing drama surrounding the vetoed video games truth in advertising bill (remember, it’s the one that would hold businesses who promise not to sell M-rated video games to kids but who are caught doing so anyway accountable), then you should start, because it’s getting very entertaining.

Here’s the players in the latest episode:

Jack Thompson is the disbarred Florida attorney who is leading the campaign against “obscene” video games like Grand Theft Auto IV. On Easter Sunday, he sent a mass e-mail out with a scandalous image of a man getting a lap dance in GTA IV, an e-mail that was sent to many Utah lawmakers including…

Sen. Michael Waddoups is someone you might remember from such movies as “Chilli’s is a Bar” and “Chris Buttars is a good man.” In this series of video game bill episodes, he was a supporter of the bill that Gov. Jon Huntsman vetoed, but says now, in the Salt Lake Tribune that because of the constant e-mail harassment from Thompson, he’s not supporting it anymore. Furthermore, Waddoups has apparently told Thompson that if he gets any more spam e-mail from him, then he’s filing a complaint with the Utah Office of the Attorney General.

Now, it’s pretty clear that Thompson is a freak and a dweeb and needs to quit beating a dead horse, but as cool as it is that Waddoups has told him to, basically, shut the hell up, I don’t think Waddoups has an actionable claim against Thompson. As a public official, you can’t just say you want to stop getting e-mail from someone who is interested in an issue. You might not like the guy and, having seen some of Thompson’s arrogant blog posts on places like Misty Fowler’s Saintless, I can see why someone would not want to hear from him again.

But you just can’t sue him, or have him criminally charged, unless he’s making clear threats. And at least thus far I don’t think even Jack Thompson is that thick headed.