By John Kass

Thursday Nov. 28, 2024

What a great time to be an American in America!!

And I just love that Norman Rockwell painting, “Freedom from Want” with the grandparents and their family and friends together for Thanksgiving Day.

We thank God. And we also thank friends, those we love.

People are just happier now, aren’t they? They’re more optimistic about the future, and they’re curious, rather than fearful, of what the future might bring.

Thanksgiving brings the Christmas season, and that means you might rewatch that great Frank Capra classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

The heartwarming Christmas movie ends with the pilot Harry Bailey home from the war, toasting his brother George (Jimmy Stewart) as “the richest man in town.”

And a note of thanks from Clarence the Angel: “Dear George—Remember NO man is a failure who has friends.”

That always gets me, because as a good friend always says, “No man walks alone.”

And I happen to know the richest man in town. It’s not Jimmy Stewart.

It’s my friend Thom Serafin, husband to Ann, father to sons Mathew and Mitchell, and friend to so many.

If you’ve read about those amazing Christmas parties he throws, you know  that he and Ann are always surrounded by people who love the Serafin family.

Some of you know him as the sharp-witted deep voiced TV political analyst with the “good hair.”  Or as the boss of the top Chicago public relations firm Serafin & Associates. He’s a movie star, though a Green Bay Packers fan. And we’ve been blessed with friendship and support from the Serafin family for years.

Just a couple years ago I had a serious crippling health issue and he came through for me.

I was knocked down by a heart attack and required immediate cardiac surgery and a quadruple bypass. I thought my time had come.

On the University of Chicago operating table, it got worse. I suffered a stroke. And I just started johnkassnews.com. When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t move my right hand.

I was about to lose my website, my business that Betty and I relied on after those leftist bigots there forced me to leave “the paper.”

That’s when Thom Serafin stepped in. He calmed Betty and me. He called other good friends and organized them into something of a staff. Many people talk about helping. He saw what was needed and did it, really did it, all the while reminding me of God’s love for all mankind. And our common obligation to use kindness whenever possible. He’s a decent man, and I would not be doing this now if it weren’t for my friend Thom Serafin.

They all pitched in and wrote columns for the website. And all of you readers and loyal subscribers pitched in by keeping your subscriptions with johnkassnews.com.

I’ll never forget Thom Serafin, who as in the Frank Capra film, is the richest man in town.

All those I mention here were rocks to me, rocks of support for my broken and weakened body,

pillars who held me up when I couldn’t stand myself.

Betty was there, of course. And our sons and their girlriends. Without their love, well, I don’t want to think of it.

And Jeff Carlin is always there, dear friend, WGN radio executive producer and co-host of our podcast, your favorite podcast: the Chicago Way.

James Banakis was also there too. And the life-long restauranteur found something out about himself: He can really, really write.

Packers fan David Bittinger has placed op-eds at the Los Angeles Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and elsewhere, including here. He also writes commentary on his own website and political poetry on “X.”

Peter V. Bella  is a retired Chicago police officer and photographer, writer, and serious cook. He also writes at his website petervbella.com and knows where to get a good sausage up on the Northwest side.

Dr. Cory Franklin, physician and writer was for 25 years director of medical intensive care at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He was one of the role models for Harrison Ford in the movie “The Fugitive.” He writes at the Chicago Tribune, the Jerusalem Post, johnkassnews.com and many others.

Gene Eydelman, born in Minsk, Belarus and grew up in Skokie IL. He represented the United States in Judo at the Maccabi Games in Israel 3 times.

Greg Ganske,is a retired plastic surgeon from Iowa. He served in the US Congress from 1995-2002.

Erin Geary spent 30 years as a teacher. Her essays on American culture and politics most often found at Commonfolk365.substack.com

Pat Hickey is a prolific Chicago writer and long time teacher of literature and writing at many Catholic High Schools in Chicago and Northwest Indiana. He unleashes his exacting intellect on Virgil’s Aeneid at johnkassnews.com on Friday and explains why our morally weakened culture needs Virgil now.

Mike Houlihan, Shakespearean actor, playwright, newspaper columnist  and host of Hibernian Radio. We call him “Houli.” I was just on his radio show from “the bunker” at a secret undisclosed location.

Steve Huntley writer for over three decades Chicago newsman at the Sun-Times, having served on the editorial board, and senior editor with US News and World Report. His writing is often picked up for national distribution, either on Real Clear Politics or at Powerline blog. A pro’s pro, he always has my respect. Please make sure to read him Sunday on this site, with “Dreaming of a Better Government.”

Ray Hanania is one of our first guest contributors, Ray is a veteran Chicago newsman, for many years political columnist of The Southtown Economist and Chicago Sun-Times. His work can also be found at www.Hanania.com.

Jeanne Ives, Westpoint graduate, US Army veteran, and Republican conservative  former Illinois gubernatorial candidate. She has a radio show on Sunday evenings on AM560 and is host of breakthrough-ideas.com. Froylan Jimenez a Chicago Public School Civics Teacher, coach and CTU union member. Mickey Horstman, Illinois Policy Institute.  Garry McCarthy is the former Supt. of Police in Chicago.

The great champion of the unborn Mary Hallan FioRito addresses another thorny issue as government works its way into families: Does the child “belong” to the state? Or, to the family.

Michael Ledwith is a frequent contributor. The former U.S. Army officer ran with the bulls in Pamplona and saw Baryshnikov dance ’Giselle’ at the Auditorium Theater.  Surfer. Rock and roller. Bill Marovitz, former Illinois State Senator. Bill Melonides, is a professional photographer and chef. Jay Levine is the former Chief Correspondent for CBS-2 Chicago. His beats ranged from City Hall to Vatican City. Stuart Loren sees the cowardice in politcal Illinois.

John P. McCormick, native of Manchester, Iowa. Among his various news jobs: night copy clerk at the late Chicago Daily News, Midwest bureau chief for Newsweek Magazine and editorial page editor of the Chicago Tribune. We were colleagues at “the paper” and I’d try out columns and he’d work out editorials. That’s what colleagues do. He stood up to the corrupt forces of Illinois that were bent on destroying it.

My brother Nicholas Spyridon Kass served the United States government for more than 30 years at the White House, CIA, U.S. State Department and other posts. He is retired, living in Romania and is a senior fellow for foreign affairs at the Center for National Interest. He has written for The American Conservative, American Greatness, johnkassnews.com and other publications.

Donna More is the former federal prosecutor who should have been elected Cook County States attorney but for Democrat fools and knaves who had campaign cash showered upon them by their rich daddy. Moor was not so favored. And so sinister politicos like Boss Toni got Kim Foxx elected county prosecutor, to the enthusiastic applause of George Soros.

Dan Proft, is my friend, the conservative Chicago talk show host on Chicago’s Morning Answer program on AM 560, and is the unsentimental podcaster on  COUNTERCULTURE: “The intersection of reason and faith, in the great battle against sentimentality, to preserve Western Civilization.” He does not suffer fools.

Steve, the Pilot is the fishing buddy and friend of the famous trout fisherman known as Johnny Two Rods. Juan Rangel is the Chicago school reformer with recent victories against the malevolent CTU.

Matt Rosenberg has walked across half of Europe, it seems, and is deeply interested in Chicago. Political guru Thom Serafin has been blessed with that “good hair.” His friends are thankful that he lopped off his hipster pony-tail. Roy Santoro is a veteran Chicago newsman. Anne Savoy is a Chicago baseball fan whose heart has been broken by the White Sox.

Father Paul Siewers the Orthodox priest has written beautifully about the mysteries of the Lenten season.

Marie T. Sullivan a native of Ohio  Marie T. (Terry) Sullivan has lived in Chicagoland for all of her adult life. Her background is in music. By day she works for a Chicago nonprofit. For two years she was culture editor for the now defunct Chicago Daily Observer. She’s an elegant writer. 

Freelance writer Robert Thomas wrote a gripping story: “One Day in East Berlin, 1984.” And the Illinois Policy Institute’s Brad Weisenstein knows that tax dollars won’t save Chicago newspapers.

The man who should have been elected mayor of Chicago was too white and he wasn’t enough of a leftist to suit Democrats and Chicago’s Marxist newsrooms, but problem-solver Paul Vallas keeps on trying to work out what ails this broken city. He won’t give up.

So there’s a sampling of the friends who’ve pitched in to help me at johnkassnews.com. I wanted to recognize and thank them.

I used to think I was alone, but all of you had my back, and so many of you subscribed, so that told me I was not alone. And as long as you keep subscribing, I’ll keep writing and giving you the best I’ve got.

And, as another good friend of mine says (he’s a shy former Democrat and does not like to read his name in print):

“No man walks alone.”

He’s right. I know God loves us. And I do remember that no man is a failure who has friends.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, from Betty, the boys and me.

God bless you and your families and God bless America.

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