I work with a lot of really miserable, crappy fathers who do everything from beating their kids to having sex with their daughters. This has made me very conscious of the good fathers in my midst. There are many of them. They are the ones who do their best to provide for their family, are there for their kids when the need arises and don’t run from their families at the first sign that there might be some rough weather ahead.
And believe it or not, if I had to choose a father of the year for this year, it would be Dick Cheney. Yes, that Dick Cheney, the original Dark Lord of all good science fiction writing. I choose him because, when push came to shove, he looked at his gay daughter and saw the person who was there, the daughter he clearly loves, and publicly said that she should have the right to marry the person she loves. For the uber conservative that he represents, this is tantamount to treason. But he stood up for his child despite what it might cost him in his public life and for that he deserves kudos… and trust me when I tell you, that is not a statement I ever thought I’d make in this lifetime unless I was heavily drugged and I’m not.