Hey, everybody identifies with some group. I've always been a bit of a Pirate at heart, admiring and emulating pirates in some ways, so the pirate theme was a natural.

  What's all this got to do with "Captain Swoop"?

  besides flouting many of His Majesty's Laws as a Pirate Radio operator and few other questionable escapades in my youth, I was given the nickname of Captain Swoop by comrades in the military, in honor of a term for expertise at working swift and smart, sometimes using unorthodox methods or having to make new rules as I went (many Pirates were noted for being brilliant tacticians who often thought "out of the box"). The nickname just sort of fell in line with so many other aspects of my life that I decided to take it mainstream.

  I thought pirates were a bad thing?

  A common misconception foisted on the masses by His Majesty. Aye, there were indeed some very bad Pirates, and all have a dark streak in them somewheres. But like every dark cloud, Pirates of old had a silver lining to them as well! Fer instance, did you know:

• Pirates had one of the first Democratic governments in the New World? Captains, officers, and even voyages, were settled on by VOTE, a rare concept among most governments at the time.

• Pirates had one of the first Workman's Compensation programs? There were preset monies paid for injuries recieved during battle, including loss of a joint, limb, or eye.

• Pirate crews were often better disciplined than the navies they faced. Many who called themselves the Brethren Of the Coast" followed a Pirate Code that forbade mistreatment of female prisoners (contrary to popular belief), fighting (with each other), and theft of ship property. This code was popularized in the fictitous movie, Pirate's of the Caribbean, but few realize that it really existed.

• While the stereotypical Pirate is a sword-brandishing cutthroat nobody would care to meet, the pirate culture itself is very popular. Pirates from the "Golden Age" inspire admiration because they were often noted for cunning, bravery, and style - some were so good at it they became iconic, like Sir Henry Morgan, who's likeness is now found on Captain Morgan Rum. A Google keyword search for "pirate" yields over 6.6 MILLION hits and 211,000 images, to give you an idea of how popular the ideal is. Movies, books, costumes, and all manor of art abounds. But most admired about the Pirate was his FREEDOM. The pirate made his own rules, on his own terms, and was a success often in the face of overwhelming odds, something nearly everyone can envy.

  It still sounds pretty cheesy. Why would anyone go for the pirate theme?

  A lot of Pirate fans are of the 'closet' variety, striking their colors when confronted about it. Being a Pirate in this day and age is not everyone's cup of tea as most do not have the Sack for it. But there are benefits. For example, just flying a Pirate Flag on your vehicle can give you:
• INSTANT RECOGNITION: It'll give you a giggle to watch pretty girls and crowds of kids ignore a spiffy sports car or Hummer to wave at a Pirate Flag on your vehicle...you may even get flashed occasionally...
• SAFER DRIVING: People hestitate to cut you off in traffic out of fear you belong to some gang or you'll make them walk the plank. People do a double take and actually notice you pulling out of parking lots, turn lanes, etc.
• LOCATION, LOCATION: nothing makes finding your 4x4 easier in a huge parking lot than a whoppin' big Pirate Flag flyin' from the antenna!

For every person who views a pirate fan as geekish, there are 3 that'll give you a wink or a nod, or more. And then there is always the Grog, the Wenching, the Wind in your Sails....