They began as shadows, drifting in the space where sky and sea meet.

If you listened really closely, you could hear them, growing closer, wave by wave, growing faster.

Before long, something would come into view, two cross-bombs in a skull, an omen of death

billowing in the wind, and by then you'd know it was too late. The free-booters, aka the

Philobastareus, had arrived.

The term was used, mostly first apparently by the Dutch, to describe looters and robbers

who were living on other people's booties' boils. The French took it and then the Spanish

took it and by the 19th century we were using it to describe Americans who were going across

Central America and the West Indies, pirates and adventurers.

Think Jack Sparrow, pirates of the Caribbean.

It is my intention to comedy one of these ships, pick up a crew and talk to the great

village commander in other words, go from all we easily blackouts out.

It's not very noble, it's really kind of down in the rough and dirty if it were.

You are without doubt the worst part of it, but you have heard of it.

Somehow before long, that same word, Philobastare, would begin to be used in the halls of Congress.

So we're applying it to what was going on in the US and sort of rebellious techniques

for holding up things they imposed.

And ever since, we've had pirates in the Senate.

You'd be forgiven if every time you heard the word Philobastare your eyes glaze over a

little bit, because Philobustering these days, well, it's not quite as exciting as it

was in those swashbuckling sword fighting days.

But something that has stayed the same is that the Philobuster still involves taking

...