Q: Why is this website called "Pirates, Politics, and the Pursuit of Happiness?"
Q: Why did you start this website?
Q: Isn't it deceptive to spread your ideas about politics and the world at large through comedy?
Q: What exactly are your political views?
Q: Did you know that some other guy wrote a book about pirates and liberty?
Q: You made a grammar mistake *here*, *there*, and over *there*. Are you going to fix that?
Q: What are those pictures on your home page?
Q: Why is this website called "Pirates, Politics, and the Pursuit of Happiness?"
A: 3PH is a twisted mix of awesomeness (that's the "Pirates" part), liberty ("Politics"), and my half-assed attempts at satire ("Pursuit of Happiness"). The name describes exactly what the site is all about: pirates, politics, and the pursuit of happiness. It's also a play on the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, but you probably already knew that.
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Q: Why did you start this website?
A: Well, first and foremost, I started this website because I like to hear myself talk. I think I'm pretty awesome and that everything I say is great too. Besides that, I created 3PH to promote the most incredible philosophy of all time: liberty. No joke, free will is one of the greatest gifts to have ever been bestowed upon the lives and minds of men, and with a bit of logic and sarcasm, I'm hoping that I can convince you of the same. Lastly, 95% of the world's sane population thinks that libertarians are crazy and/or out of touch. I want to prove them wrong. I want to show them that normal, honest people (me) support liberty for normal, honest reasons.
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A: Simple answer: I talk about things like science, philosophy, and economics because the government is involved in things like science, philosophy, and economics. If we ever want to change that, we've got to learn about these things. Doing so helps us question our leaders, makes it harder for them to lie to us, and helps us make better, more educated arguments against the extension of government control. Basically, being well-versed in subjects other than political philosophy helps us defend liberty in all arenas, because nothing is immune to the expansion of government power.
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Q: Isn't it deceptive to spread your ideas about politics and the world at large through comedy?
A: I don't think so. Comedy is an awesome way to convey an idea, and when you make people laugh, they're more likely to listen to what you have to say (unlike yelling or protesting). That's not deceptive; that's just good marketing. Plus, Matt Stone/Trey Parker, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert do the same thing, and guess what? They don't even tell you about it. I do, from the front page to the FAQ, so if you do feel deceived, it's your own fault.
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Q: What exactly are your political views?
A: Freedom is something inherent to all of us: you, me, your mom, that weird kid in your physics class that always smells like pee and Mountain Dew, and even some people in France. No matter who you are -- no matter your skin color, gender, religion, sexual preference, or economic stature -- you were born free, and no one can take that away from you. We were born as free people with our own bodies and our own ideas, and we were born in servitude to no one. No one in the world -- not a single man, woman, or President -- has the right to force us, the free people of the world, to serve anyone else. That means philosophies like communism, philosophies that justify the forced seizure of free peoples' life/liberty/property because it may help someone else, are inherently wrong. Sure, it sounds nice on paper, but communism's ultimate conclusion is the enslavement of the people to the people. Rather, the duty of good government is to protect life, liberty, and property (not take it), and to otherwise allow its citizens to live free. Get rich, smoke pot, carry a gun, and marry whoever you want; as long as you're not hurting someone else, it's cool.
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A: Jokes (most of the time?). Not serious (I think?).
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Q: Did you know that some other guy wrote a book about pirates and liberty?
A: Here it is: http://www.peterleeson.com/TheInvisibleHook.html. It's written by Peter Leeson and explores the economic and historic background of old-school piracy. Any relationship between my pirate obsession and his is purely coincidental. Additionally, any relationship between our writings and/or websites is purely coincidental. In fact, I've never visited his website (until now) and I've never, in my life, read his book. Reading his book, however, is on my to-do list.
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Q: You made a grammar mistake *here*, *there*, and over *there*. Are you going to fix that?
A: Probably not. I put a lot of time into my writing, including the grammar, and if something's there, it's probably there for a reason. You see, I don't like how certain grammar rules make my writing look or feel, and if a grammar rule bothers me, I ignore it. For example, I love to use the Oxford comma. I think it clears up my writing. Almost all of the academic writing I've seen, however, doesn't use the Oxford comma, and it looks like a load of crap. It's for reasons like this that I ignore certain rules of grammar, and instead do what I think makes my writing look, feel, and read better. There are some other examples of my grammatical quirks throughout this website (em dash, anyone?), and a lot of them don't necessarily abide by the laws of grammar, but rest assured, whatever you see is there for a reason.
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Q: What are those pictures on your home page?
A: You're talking about the hidden picture-links scattered throughout the introduction? They're leftovers from an old version of the 3PH intro. They didn't get deleted when the old intro was replaced, so now they're still there, but with a new set of writing on top. I kind of like them, though, so I don't plan on removing them. Easter eggs at this point.
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