Son of A Preacher Man, An Outlaw, and A Man In Black

On This Fathers' Day,  here are comments from three individuals about their fathers.

I saw that he was wary of politicians. They thought, If we get close to Billy Graham, that will influence votes. My father tries to use his position in a spiritual context. (This after he bacame good friends with Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy only to discover later that they were not what they seemed.)

He taught me that there is a devil in this world. There are spiritual powers at work against God. Why do we have bars on the windows? Why do we have to have police forces? Why do we have a judicial system? It's because of the evil in this world. Everything he taught, he taught us through the Scripture.

The son of the Reverend Billy Graham

He said two things matter when you break the law: the skill of your attorney and your control of the media. He said that if you're going to break the law, you'd better understand the consequences and be ready to fight like hell. He said that as a self-declared outlaw, he had a responsibility to understand the laws he was breaking, because the law is a sword that cuts both ways, and it can either protect you or cut you down, depending on your mastery of it. In every confrontation with the law, Hunter fought like his life was at stake, and he used every tool at his disposal, from his considerable intellect and knowledge of law and politics, to his powerful and brilliant lawyer friends, to his mastery of the power of the media to influence opinion. He almost always won. I choose a simpler strategy: I avoid confrontations with the law. Or again, perhaps I didn't choose. He was a warrior. I am a negotiator.

Juan Thompson, 44, the only son of gonzo author Hunter S. Thompson, is a computer guy who lives in Colorado with his wife and son. He is currently working on a book about his relationship with his father. 

Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author, famous for his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to such a degree that they become the central figures of their stories. He is also known for his promotion and use of psychedelics and other mind-altering substances (and to a lesser extent, alcohol and firearms), his anarchist views, and his iconoclastic contempt for authority.

My father liked to enjoy his money. He loved his travels and his toys, and he was more on spending than he was on saving. However, he knew very well that money cannot bring happiness. He knew that it was not a path to peace. It was just a by-product of hard work. It wasn't something he worried about much, that's true. He and my mother spent it like there was always going to be more coming!

He taught me that it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. It's about finding the next right thing. What am I excited about now? My father was a spiritual man, and he read the Bible a lot. And I remember him reciting Solomon, who said that there's no greater joy than to toil at our labor. That's what success was to my dad, to always have something to look forward to, to feel that sense of urgency.

John Carter Cash, 38, is Johnny Cash's only son and the only child of his father's 35-year marriage to June Carter.