Wait, wait. I know what you're thinking. So let me say it out loud for you:

"Kansas? They got the liberal guy from Kansas?"

Well, yes. But I concede that it wasn't supposed to turn out that way.

I came of age among Mennonites in Central Kansas, growing up among people whose German-speaking grandparents had emigrated from Russia in the late 1800s because they believed the compulsory military service didn't square with serving a God of peace. Modern Mennonites remain very interested in peace and social justice issues, and they influenced me greatly.

That influence set me on the path to my current set of beliefs.

* I think wars of choice are a bad idea. And while I think some military action is needed in defense against terrorists, I think that jihadism is an idea -- and that we need to give as much energy and effort to competing in the realm of ideas as we do to killing our enemies.

* I'm against torture -- and waterboarding clearly qualifies. I think the "ticking time bomb" scenario used to justify torture almost never happens in real life.

* I think security and civil liberties can co-exist. Imperfectly, perhaps, but still.

* I think our economy, national security AND the environment can benefit from higher fuel standards for cars and trucks -- and that's just the beginning of what our efforts should be.

* I believe my gay and lesbian neighbors deserve the same rights and protections that my wife and I receive.

And so on and so forth. I think that makes me fairly liberal; I resist, however, any tests of ideological purity.

But I don't think people who disagree with me are evil. I'm a lifelong Kansan; I couldn't possibly have civil relations with my neighbors if I thought so.

Still, it helps that I live in Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas. My home is the one tiny blue spot in this big red state of Kansas — thanks in large part to the university. We're the only county that voted for Gore in 2000 (and had one of highest turnouts, percentage-wise, for Nader that year) and we're one of two counties that went for Kerry in 2004. Also: The only county that opposed a state constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage.

I like living here. I like the coffee shops, the art-house movie theater, the farmer's market, the East Lawrence Neighborhood party, the music and arts scene, the thoughtful programming provided by the university and all the very smart people. I've gotten to meet or listen to Robert Caro, Samatha Power, Bill Clinton, Sherman Alexie, Madeline Albright, Salman Rushdie, Antonin Scalia, Colby Buzzell and a ton of other interesting or notorious people I'm not remembering to name right now.

And now I am the blue moderator for redblueamerica.com.

Previously, I was the managing editor for convergence at the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World, where I spearheaded the team that won the 2007 Associated Press Managing Editors online convergence award for"Mining's Legacy: A Scar on Kansas," a multimedia look at the environmental and economic devastation left behind by the mining industry. Another multimedia project, "24 Hours in Lawrence," is currently a finalist for an "Edgie" in the most innovative multimedia storytelling category.

In 2005, I won the Online News Association's award for best commentary at a medium-sized Web site for his blog, Cup O' Joel at Lawrence.com.

Prior to arriving in Lawrence, I was the city editor for The Emporia (Kan.) Gazette, the small-town Kansas newspaper made famous in the early 1900s under the Pulitzer Prize-winning stewardship of longtime editor William Allen White. White's famous editorial, "What's the Matter with Kansas?" later gave its name to the 2004 Thomas Frank book examining the dominance of Republicans in state government.

In my early career, I worked for two other Kansas newspapers: The Marion County Record and The Parsons Sun. I am a graduate of Tabor College, a Mennonite Brethren school in my hometown of Hillsboro, Kansas. I continue to live in Lawrence, with my lovely wife and her somewhat-lovely cat.