The United States Pirate Party

Did you know there is a United States Pirate Party?

The United States Pirate Party (USPP) was founded in 2006 by Brent Allison and Alex English. Our platform is aligned with the International Pirate Movement. 

We support and work toward reformation of intellectual property (IP) laws, true governmental transparency, and protection of privacy and civil liberties. 

We strive for evidence-based policies and egalitarianism, while working against corporate personhood and welfare. We believe that people, not corporations, come first. 

We would like to encourage you to learn more about our name and values here. The Pirate National Committee (PNC), formed in 2012, tracks and assists the growth and development of newly-formed state parties across the nation. As of January 2013, there are 8 member-state parties of the PNC. 

The PNC includes delegates from member-state parties across the nation, and is the governing body of the United States Pirate Party.  Meetings of the PNC are open to the general public and are held biweekly on Wednesdays at 9PM over IRC.

How to Make Sense of the Wikileaks Clinton Campaign Email Document Dump and Controversy

It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction in the coverage of Wikileaks' ongoing publication of internal emails from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, known as the Podesta emails. There are internet hoaxsters pushing fake emails that are not contained in the actual published files. There are junk reports from prominent newsy websites that are based on obvious misreadings of the files in question. There is Clinton campaign and Democratic party spin seeking to distract from the content of the published emails. There is Trump campaign and Republican party spin exaggerating the content and import of what has been revealed by the leaked documents. And so on. In this article, we'll provide a bit of context on the leak itself, cover some examples of how it is being exploited by hoaxsters, how it is helping to reveal the incompetence of newsy sources of information, and how it is playing out within the context of the presidential campaign itself. We'll conclude with some tips on how to sift through the bullshit.

How to Spot a News Hoax and Prove that Its Source Is Fake

Image via Hoax Slayer

We all know the internet is rife with falsehoods, misinformation and disinformation. And, sooner or later, we're all bound to be taken in by an internet hoax, whether it is a fake news article, a photoshopped image, an advertisement masquerading as legitimate content, or even a government-sponsored propaganda campaign. In this article we'll use a real-world example to take a look at some simple sleuthing strategies on how to spot a hoax news article and prove that its source is fake.

Space Station Sunday: Fire It Up!

Good morning / afternoon / evening (depending where you are on this fine planet), space fans! Here's what's been up lately in low-earth orbit!

Lookin' good, homeworld!
 The Northern Lights were so strong this week,
Reykjavik, Iceland turned off their streetlights to watch the whole show.
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

Space Station Sunday: Soyuz Sails Home

Good afternoon, space fans!  It’s been another week of excellence from the orbital office!  Here’s what was up…

Welcome home Jeff, Anatoly, and Oleg!
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

Space Station Sunday: Three Hurricanes And A Spacewalk

Good evening, space fans!  What a week for working offshore of the world!  Here's what was up...

Sometimes the Earth acts up:
Hurricanes Lester, Madeline, and Gaston
breeze over seas.
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

Space Station Sunday Standby

Good afternoon, space fans!  We've swung a little outside the usual orbit today, but will be back later on this evening (or possibly early tomorrow, depending on your Earthling location) with all of this week's stories from space!  Standby for the science...watch this space!