Massachusetts' New Political Party: Pirates

Avast there, Massachusetts voters! A’fore ye register f’r some lilly-livered party like the “Democrats” or “Republicans,” ye might want to consider signin’ on with the state’s newest crew: the Massachusetts Pirate Party. That’s right, the Massachusetts Election Division has officially approved the swashbuckling party as a political designation, meaning voters can now register as a “Pirate,” Raw Story reports.

Of course, the party’s name actually refers to the kind of pirates who use BitTorrent, not the ones who say "shiver me timbers." It’s one of many global groups inspired by Sweden’s Piratpartiet, which formed in 2006 to fight for copyright and patent reform, government transparency, and personal privacy. The Massachusetts wing espouses the same values. “The MAPP will advocate for putting people before corporations,” it said in a statement. “We call for people to join together and stand for the rights of the common citizen and expect basic honesty from our government.” (More Pirate Party stories.)