Yo ho ho! And there they go!

Column

Two invasions and it's still January.

At least the pirates are gone and the street sweepers have cleaned up the leftover drinking cups and cheesier beads along the parade route. We won't worry about them for another year.

Unfortunately, they will be, as they say, back. Next time, there will be Democrats as well, matching the Republicans, smarmy ad for smarmy ad.

I don't know if we learned much these couple of weeks. We know one contender wants to colonize the moon and another had accounts in Switzerland and the Caymens. Rick Santorum appeared to have good ideas but needed an offshore account.

I think they could have made more of an impression if they would have taken lessons from those other pirates.

I don't know if any of them watched the Gasparilla parade, but I'll bet for what they paid for those commercials they could have purchased crates of sparkly beads. They could have driven around town tossing beads to voters who flashed registration cards.

"I enjoyed your article today (Friday). I don't care if Hassan spends all of his spare time stroking lost kittens and helping old ladies across the street; his association with CAIR, an organization defined by the FBI to be terror-linked, trumps all. He has no business in a taxpayer-funded school, period.

"But I'll add that the continuing outrage about the CAIR speaker is due in larger part to the school board's defense of the decision than to the decision itself. This was clearly not the right choice for a speaker, but the furor would have quickly died down had the school responded appropriately to the public's legitimate concern.''

Mike Royal of Brandon writes: "I've read you since you wrote for the original Tampa Times and always considered you a voice of reason in our sometimes maniacal world. I almost choked when I heard (Rick) Santorum criticize two candidates for buying into the 'hoax' of global warming. Really?

"As for what is mandatory in our schools, here is my list: 1. Computer\internet use from the first grade. 2. Spanish. 3. Auto mechanics for boys and girls. 4. Home economics for boys and girls. 5. Basic old school mathematics. I remember modern math when I was in high school. What a load of useless …! 6. Civics.

"That's my list. I can only hope the Bucs new coach has the same intelligence and insight into coaching as you seem to have about life.''

Thanks, Mike. I'm sure the coach will be calling me up next fall for some tips.

I always liked the flying wedge.