Wow, I think this may be the single greatest thing to come out of International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
According to the Arkansas Times:
What do you do to make a bunch of soulless nutcases abandon their post at the Convention Center? Send in the pirates!
Yep, the cuckoo Phelps hate group walked the plank this morning after a happy bunch dressed like pirates and holding signs saying "God hates shrimp -- Leviticus" and "God hates cotton-polyester blends" stood opposite them at the corner of Markham and Scott streets. The group, made up of Central Arkansas Pastafarians, waved swords and growled "Arrghh!" in a manner that would have made Abbie Hoffman proud.
With cars honking and waving at the pirates and a TV crew giving them all the attention, the Phelps group -- with a child in tow, sadly -- picked up their "fag" epithets and went away. Pitiful.
It just goes to show that Pastafarianism combined with grassroots community activism can defeat the wingnuttiest wingnuts the Republican party can dish out.
And no one, anywhere, can take a shot at Arkansas without thinking about these brave pirates. More to the point, they look like they had a blast. And THAT'S what really counts.
It recently came to our attention that Google was not accessible to a large, influential, and notoriously quick-tempered community: Pirates. As of today we are proud and rather relieved to announce that Google Search is available in Pirate.
As you can see from this graph of the popularity of related searches from past years, we have reason to believe that this might be a timely addition:
If ye're a gentleman or lady o' fortune yerself — or just want t' talk like one — ye c'n set Pirate as yer preferred lingo usin' th' Likes an' Dislikes page, or cast yer deadlights on an example.
Posted by Cap'n Pam Greenebearde
And check out the spikes on that graph... International Talk Like a Pirate Day (weekend!) has truly arrived.
Yarr, mateys. 'Tis International Talk Like a Pirate Day (and weekend) and what better way to celebrate than to revisit pirates of yore.
To wit, I give you a young, clean-shaven, well-oiled, slightly nancy-boy yet totally swashbuckling Burt Lancaster in... The Crimson Pirate. (It's only the teaser intro and the credits.)
Before I begin, let me just point out that there are more stupid Americans in the world than stupid Canadians. About ten times as many. This is partly because they outnumber us about 10 to 1, so just do the math.
Now I know that Canadians love to make fun of the "dumb American" stereotype, but we're well aware that the majority of our neighbours to the south are wonderful, kind, articulate, intelligent individuals, even if their government representatives sometimes send, shall we say, mixed messages.
I'd also like to point out that the biggest moron/idiot I met while on my many world travels was, I still cringe to recall him, a Canadian. Steve.
Imagine a drunken idiot far from home acting like a pompous ass to everyone he meets, especially the residents of the country he's visiting. But in this case, he's not an American pretending to be a Canadian (man, there are a lot of those guys too...), he's actually a Canadian. And he's telling everyone. I haven't been able to laugh at "dumb American" jokes since.
I don't know why I had to say all that, but I've been watching the coverage of the American Presidential Campaign and I have a lot of issues to work through. Seriously? Some of you will actually vote for McCain and Palin? Well, if 52% of you think that angels actually physically walk among us (and look like Michael Landon) and 54% of you think Elvis is still alive, I guess anything can happen.
After all, we elected Stephen Harper. Eeewwww.
Okay, that said, I'd like to reprint this open letter to the youth of American, written by Bill in Portland, Maine.
Dear America's Youth,
Hey! Sup? Got a minute? Right---of course you don't. Well, we're the adults here so put the skateboard down, take the iPod plugs out of your ears, sit down and pay attention.
You may have noticed that the country you live in has turned into a bit of a mess lately. Not to put too fine a point on it, um, dudes and dudettes, but we're out of money, people are losing their homes and jobs and selling their bling to get by, we're mired in two endless wars, the planet's baking to a crisp, and nobody knows what to do. In short, we appear to be fucked. We can use that word...we're adults.
Anyway, this is just a heads-up that your mission in life will be to clean up our mess.
I know what you're saying. "Hey, we didn’t crap this shit. Why do we gotta clean it up?!" First, watch your language. Second, we planned it. Let us explain.
You see, in order to build character and resilience and valuable "life skills," we must tear you down and then build you up. We must break your spirit, make your stuff worthless, and show utter disregard for your future. But when the time is right, we'll turn over the reins to you so you can fix everything. It's called "tough love," and we're doing it because we care. Quit slouching.
Now, we're not quite done ruining the country yet. That will take a little more time. So keep on doing what you're doing for now, but be ready to take over when we give you the signal. The signal, by the way, will probably look like a bunch of grownups jumping off of bridges.
I know this must all seem terribly daunting and inconvenient, but it's for your own good. If you don’t figure out how to rebuild the most powerful country on earth when it's been reduced to rubble, you'll spend your lives all spoiled and complacent and happy. Trust us...you'll thank us later for giving you this amazing opportunity.
Peace. Word. Wii.
---The Adults Currently In Charge Of Things
P.S. We'll give you a head start with this free tip. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Zac Effron.
P.P.S. When China calls and demands their money back, you might be able to buy some time by offering them the Dakotas. Oh, and get a haircut.
And one more thing: Help Save the Youth of America, by Billy Bragg
Oh, and if you're really sick of vapid TV news, may I recommend the following news sites to cleanse your palate...
Only two more sleeps... time to get ready! And that means having an arrrr-senal of Pirate Jokes at your disposal to elicit groans and giggles from people you meet. Try here: www.piratejokes.net.
For example:
Q. How much did it cost for the pirate to get his ears pierced? A. A buck-an-ear!
Oh yeah, I went there.
Bonus Joke:
Q. What was the pirate's favorite movie? A. Starrrrrr Warrrrrrrs!
As soon as you recover, get to it and spread those jokes around. I mean, Arrrrr-ound.
To make things easy, here's a great collection of Pirate fonts, symbols and images to spice up your party invitations, ransom notes, and term papers. (Essays on Milton are sooo much more interesting when they're interspersed with skulls and crossbones... and teachers really appreciate the variety.)
September 19th falls on a Friday this year, so no excuses for not wearing full Pirate regalia to work!
