I was raised an Armybrat, which gave me an appreciation for our military, diversity and travel. In my young adulthood I was a Republican, this in the days Republicans were still actually conservative. When the move began in earnest to push religion into our schools and Constitution, I left the Republican Party or, more to the point, my party left me. I later became a Democrat and have worked on various campaigns and efforts since. I am retired from the legal field and spend my time doing volunteer work with groups such as Pilot International. I also help to moderate a liberal IRC political channel on Undernet which promotes civil and informed debate on the various issues. I dabble at being an artist, preferring watercolors and Native American leather crafts. I enjoy growing gourds to make some of my drums and also use gourds for other projects such as birdhouses which are donated to various community groups to help with fundraising. I am known to be a political news junkie and like to see and to encourage informative debate on the issues. I would like to think I work towards positive change but, apparently, any positive change is hard to measure in today's world. I volunteer with OPN because I believe in responsible free speech and because it's refreshing to see support and encouragement for new writers. My bio, like me, is a work in progress.