A weekly airing of national and local politics, sports, lifestyles and historical notes from a very politically incorrect viewpoint, Tampa Bay Rants and Raves has been published since 2014. As always, beware - some of what is printed here should not be taken literally.

First thing on our mind:

Don’t forget to make a stop at one or more of the red kettles you’ll see over the next four weeks, you’ll be supporting a great organization.

Leading off: When will they ever learn?

First, apologies to the Kingston Trio for lifting a lyric from Where Have All the Flowers Gone? But it seems our political warriors do not learn from their mistakes. After almost eight years of Lawgate from the Democratic Party, we foolishly believed Donald Trump when he vowed no revenge against his political rivals. But less than a year in office, he unleashes the dogs on Latisha James and her ilk. James has temporarily escaped justice and the image of her running amuck again is somewhat scary. But, the next time the Democratic Party seizes power, which current events tell us, might not be soon, will we see the same waste of time and taxpayer money? Sadly, the answer is probably yes. When will they ever learn?

Tampa Bay, politics and notes:

We exempt the case of John Bolton from our comments above. Going after your political opponents, while completely wrong, is one thing. Bringing a guy who threatened national security to justice is another level.

We Floridians have always been so proud of south Florida politician Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Her latest achievement is blaming President Trump for the death of a young National Guardsman at the hands of Afghan national and murderer Rahmanullah Lakanwal.

Sea World will no longer allow guests to bring walkers with seats into the park, claiming it is a safety hazard. Already, there is a federal inquiry into a similar policy at Busch Gardens claiming discrimination against handicapped visitors.

Cracker Barrel’s CEO somehow survives the hot mess over their rebranding. The guy who oversaw their advertising and marketing, Gilbert Davila, wasn’t so fortunate.

We tip our cap to Home Depot for the incredible amount of patience shown to left wing radicals and their California based ice scrapper nonsense.

Side note, if you’re buying a live Christmas tree, shop any Home Depot where the trees are sold by the company of a wonderful Christian family we’ve had the pleasure of knowing for over a decade.

From the 5:05 Newsletter: Remember that the War on Christmas cannot be won until Christmas stops its illegal occupation of November. Last week I called on the “Santa Claus Regime” to return to the borders agreed on in the Black Friday Treaty. Santa responded saying he might agree to a pullback to Black Friday boundaries but intelligence indicates a full assault on Halloween’s borders next year. If they break through, then the entire year is theirs for the taking.

This week in 2001 (12/2): In one of the biggest corporate collapses in history, Enron, with over 20,000 employees, files for bankruptcy.

Sports, and random notes:

Ad blast from the past, the nostalgic Publix holiday commercial, in which not a word is spoken, following a family’s train trip south to the music of Pat Matheny’s Last Train Home.

Thanks to Blondie’s Dean Young for the Clearwater High School Band mention in Thanksgiving’s strip. Some nationwide publicity for the old alma mater.

Question: What do Eddie Van Halen, Carl Reiner and Julius (Dr. J.) Erving have in common? Answer: They were three of the 137 celebrity callers on the 11-season run of Frasier.

It was Thanksgiving and all was well in the NFL world as the Detroit Lions hosted the Green Bay Packers last week. No two teams have played more Thanksgiving games than the two Central Division opponents, the first dating back to 1951.

Norvell somehow dodges the bullet.

Back from the brink: The NCAA wisely rescinds their brain-dead proposal that college athletes and staff be allowed to bet on professional sports.

We spent part of last weekend enjoying the Ivy League’s Harvard-Yale game. While a bit one-sided, it reminded us of what college football used to be.

The Athletic 136 saw most Florida teams drop a bit: Miami down one to #9; USF fell three to #32; FSU dropped seven spots to #56; the Gators are at #67; UCF is at #82; despite being bowl eligible, FIU (#107) can’t get into single digits. FAU is at #112. Ohio State remains #1 and UMass (#136 and 0-11) has one last shot at a win when they tackle Bowling Green.

You’ve lived in Clearwater a long time if you ever teed it up at the Glen Oaks par three course on Court Street.

One last thing: Why our guy won’t win

Two of the four most wonderful women in our life occasionally wear T-shirts with the image of the late Atlanta Braves announcer Skip Caray. The front says “Hello, Everybody,” and the back his signature sign off “So long, everybody.” That sign off has been captured by the current Braves announcer and long time Caray devotee, Brandon Gaudin. This year, Skip Caray is among ten finalists for the prestigious Ford Frick Award in baseball’s Hall of Fame. We don’t have our hopes up because (1) the competition is stiff; (2) Skip wasn’t the easiest guy to get along with and (3) he was just part of a renown team of four super pros – himself, baseball encyclopedia Pete Van Wieren, ex-pitcher and sharp wit Don Sutton and another ex-player and traditionalist Joe Simpson. The whole was much greater than the sum of great parts. We have our fingers crossed for the announcement next week, but win or lose; Skip Caray has a place in this family’s heart.

NEXT UP: Focus Group Christmas; Gideon Bible; 1931 ad

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