Searching for morsels of gratitude this Thanksgiving as Kansas careens off the rails

Opinion editor Clay Wirestone is thankful for many things, including Senate President Ty Masterson's close reading of his columns. (Photo by Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector)

The Thursday of Thursdays has arrived, that being our yearly attempt to act grateful and kind while huddling around an enormous dead bird.

Ha! I kid, because Thanksgiving of course lives in our hearts and minds as a meaningful holiday, not just an excuse for four days away from work and trampling our fellow humans in a quest for flat-screen television sets. We come together to express thanks — for the love that surrounds us, for our family and friends, and for other things that make for dreadfully dull columns. I call them like I see them, folks.

In the interest of shaking things up, here are a dozen messages of thanks for the decidedly cruddy autumn of 2025. It’s bad out there! 

I’m thankful for Senate President Ty Masterson’s close reading of my Kansas Reflector columns. He’s used some of my words for an ad, which I can assure you was not my intent. His gubernatorial campaign should stay tuned for my next column, which will no doubt be even more complimentary!

I’m thankful for President Donald Trump, who has contributed to the civil discourse we all value by calling reporters “piggy,” “insubordinate” and “ugly” in recent days. Here in Kansas, we have to sit so far away from Republicans we can’t even hear what they’re calling us!

I’m thankful for Gov. Laura Kelly’s victory lap in Newsweek, where she’s profiled as a Democrat who can set an example for the nation. I might feel even more thankful if there were more than the one, single, soon-to-depart Laura Kelly.

I’m thankful for the spread of artificial intelligence, which has nearly reached the level of Kansas lawmakers, all the while enriching tech titans and literally driving people insane. Nothing problematic will ever come from this!

I’m thankful for House Speaker Dan Hawkins’ thin-skinned fit of pique in punishing Republicans who wouldn’t call for a special session. That will definitely encourage no one else to run for speaker in January, Dan!

Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins oversees a session of his chamber on March 11, 2025. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

I’m thankful for the hundreds of books I have piled up around my room and definitely plan to read some day. I’m not just creating a hoarding situation and/or fire hazard.

I’m thankful for the fact that hot, young, fresh artists like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and the Beatles have released enormous multi-disk boxed sets for the holiday season. We need to hear more even minute variations of their previously released recordings.

I’m thankful for the Kansas Republican Party, which showed its deep commitment to equality and justice by condemning hateful texts from young staffers while simultaneously posting racist memes about Kelly. Only the best sombreros for our state GOP!

I’m thankful for those in Kansas who voted for a candidate and administration that promised a wholesale rollback of civil liberties and war on the poor, embodied in Project 2025. Looks like you got what you voted for! Hope you enjoy all those tariff-inflated prices this holiday season.

I’m thankful for the way that Kansas Republicans so bravely condemned homophobia in August — when it meant being able to go after a Democrat. What a coincidence!

I’m thankful for all the earth-shaking decisions that Kansans will get to make next year: our governor, D.C. delegation, state Legislature and method of selecting state Supreme Court justices. I’m sure that will all go well and there’s absolutely nothing to be concerned about!

Finally, and more seriously.

I’m actually thankful for all those who made this a joyous year for me personally, regardless of the political and cultural headwinds. By that I mean my family and friends, the amazing Kansas Reflector staff and community, my poetry night comrades, and the mensches at the University Press of Kansas.

You’ve all indulged and encouraged me through these turbulent months. I appreciate it more than words can say. May your Thursday of Thursdays be the Thursday-ist it can be.

Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.