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I've never written about my Dad anywhere before, but this Father's Day I thought I'd make an exception.

The major reason why is in reflecting upon his life and what he taught me, one thing particulary stood out, and it is instructive for anybody in this age of tremendous hype and propaganda.

First, my dad only had an education to the ninth grade, and he was a carpenter all his life.

Yet even with that being part of his past, there were very few - if any - people that could throw their BS around him and get away with it. He could smell that junk from a mile away, and he hated it when people tried it around him.

Even though the two of us went in opposite directions, with him being a union man and lifelong Democrat, and me owning and running businesses and leaning more conservative (although I think of myself as an independent), he was an equal opportunity opponent of those dishing out their silly rhetoric and agendas.

If you read my writing a lot, you know that sprinkled throughout it that "voice" comes out.

Our world needs a lot more healthy skepticism without getting cynical. Far too many people accept too many things said at face value, without vetting and checking things out to the best of their ability before making informed decisions.

I'm thankful my dad, in his humorous but forceful way, would cut through the garbage, and wasn't hesitant to call something as he saw it. Very few times was he wrong in his assessment.

On this Father's Day weekend, I'm glad to have had the experience of learning that from him, a number of years after he left the planet.

Happy Father's Day.