Commentary by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Five Cueball thoughts for November 13, 2015…

1. Paris attacks

The recent attacks in Paris, France, leads me to three conclusions…

1) It’s miraculous that we haven’t had a major terrorist attack on our U.S. soil since 2001.

2) When we humans finally decide to destroy ourselves once and for all, it will come with little or no warning.

3) Somewhere, someplace some fringe terroristic lunatics are planning a Paris type attack on this country as we speak and there really isn’t anything we can do about it. As the well orchestrated Paris attacks demonstrated, all it takes is money, intelligence, loyalty and resolve.

As for me, I’m not going to think about it and hope someone a lot smarter than me can figure out how to keep us safe. I’m too busy raising my kids, riding my bike and gathering news for Sumner County, Kansas to worry about things I can’t do anything about.

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2. Financial records

Last week, when many were having a collective cow about what was or wasn’t said at a Wellington City Council meeting, I thought the more interesting issue was the contention that the financial records of people running for city council should be released to the general public. Some believe if you have difficulty with your finances, there is no way you are qualified to run the city’s business.

I couldn’t disagree more. First of all, the government can’t just release personal financial records of its private citizens. That would be my job as a news reporter to go ask for them.

Excluded from Wellington City Council because of personal financial hardship.

Second of all, it isn’t relevant anyway.

Having financial troubles to the point of declaring bankruptcy may result from many things – whether it be a healthcare calamity, a bad risk on a business, or simply bad luck you never know. Oftentimes successful entrepreneurship is as much about luck as it is about skill or smarts.

I also disagree with the notion that those who have had personal financial troubles would not be good stewards of our city funds. You know who went bankrupt before he became President? Abraham Lincoln. Thomas Jefferson did too. Walt Disney was bankrupt before he built his empire. Henry Ford, Milton Herschey… etc.

It’s not the bankruptcy, that should be scrutinized but how that person reacts after his/her downfall that’s more important.

Overcoming hardship says a lot about a person.

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3. Kansas City Royals

In case you haven’t heard, the Royals won the World Championship a couple weeks ago. I’ll wear a T-shirt around in case you forget.  I kind of feel bad for those around me who can’t jump on the bandwagon and celebrate like the rest of us. That’s a spoonful of happiness at their disposal. There may be just 10 or 20 dyed in the wool Royals fans in Sumner County, who stuck through 30 years of suck-fest baseball. But who cares? The rest of us are celebrating the fact a World Championship has finally come to the area for the first time in 30 years, and it’s our turn to tell everyone we are better than everyone else.

I get accused of being a bandwagon fan, but I’m pretty consistent in my bandwagon-ism. I always cheer for the local teams to do well on the big stage — whether it be the Royals, the Wildcats, the Wichita State Shockers, or the Wellington Crusaders. The only exception I have is the Kansas City Chiefs – because they are, um, the Chiefs. But if they ever win a Super Bowl in the next 1,000 years, I will still be happy for those people around me just because they have suffered so long.

As for the Royals, let’s just name general manager Dayton Moore — the second smartest guy in America behind KSU football coach Bill Snyder. His team today is the toast of the world — built around athleticism, speed, and a bullpen like no other. Hard to believe this once pathetic franchise has turned into something all of baseball now wants to emulate.

I have never been a Major League Baseball aficionado and didn’t get trapped in the nation’s obsession with the game until I started watching the Royals intently last season. Now I can’t get enough of it. What a great time to be alive.

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4. Stupid protesters

Are these the dumbest protesters in the history of mankind?

Isn’t the whole point of a public protest is to create attention to yourself or to a cause you are promoting or protesting?

So what in the heck are these moronic University of Missouri college students so upset about a reporter coming over and taking pictures of them? They don’t want the media to promote their cause?

Then you have Madam College Professor at the end of the video, who obviously hasn’t left her herbal tree enclave since the last U of M protest in 1969, demanding that the reporter be physically removed by her entourage. Hey, Moonbeam. Taking pictures on public grounds is completely within your constitutional rights something you should have learned in your third grade social studies class.

If this is a future of our country, I’m thinking we might as well turn over the keys to some third-world despot leader now.

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5. Shout out of the week

This week it goes to the Argonia-Attica football team that just qualified for the Class 1A 8-man Div. II state championship game for the second consecutive year.

The Titans ripped Axtell 52-0 – which was the same team that beat Caldwell the week before 62-14. The Titans have been so dominating this year that they have played just one fourth quarter all season. In eight-man football if you outscore your opponent by 45 points at the end of the first half you can end the game right then.

This could be what next Saturday’s 8-man state championship game will look like.

Yet despite its weekly drubbing of opponents, the Titans are going into the state championship game as underdogs. Victoria beat A&A 52-8 in last year’s state championship game and is currently on a 24 game winning streak.

Next Saturday when these two teams square off for the state title in Newton, it could be the Ali vs. Frazier battle of eight-man football. I can’t wait.

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