I was raised in a small town in Kansas. My parents were devout Mennonites who instilled in me a strong sense of the importance of being a moral, ethical, caring person. I was a good student, loved math and science, and in college discovered a science that analyzes human relationships and might produce knowledge that could ameliorate human problems. So I pursued a career in sociology. I first learned to program computers in support of sociological research projects. I studied institutionalized discrimination, urban sociology, and mathematical demography. I earned a B.A. degree from the University of Kansas, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. After teaching sociology for several years, I was invited to direct an urban research project in Kansas City – the Mid-America Urban Observatory. I gradually transitioned from academia, through not-for-profit opportunities, eventually to for-profit companies. Before I retired in 2003 I designed computer systems for hospitals and doctors offices. A number of designs that I helped to implement were patented by my last employer, Siemens Corporation. I have been married for more than 35 years. My wife and I enjoy reading, movies, gardening, birding, and local democratic politics. She is a retired research psychologist and a very talented artist. Today I feel that our country is facing multiple serious crises, and that informed educated citizens have a responsibility to speak out and work for positive change. From time to time I wish that our government, our economy, and our world were all running smoothly and peacefully, and I could relax and enjoy my retirement. But I feel the attacks of the Bush Administration on our rights are as serious as the attack on Pearl Harbor. Like millions of young Americans then, I feel a moral obligation to fight for my country now, by exposing and publicizing the dangers threatening our democracy – dangers that originate within our own corrupt government.