I'm a philadelphia native who has served as the media's token pro-life, free market Catholic conservative in bluer than blue Boulder for 15 years. Recently I was appointed as opinion editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette, a Freedom Communication newspaper with a long conservative/libertarian editorial philosophy established by founder R.C. Hoiles.

I was politically inspired by Reagan, and adhere to a Von Mesian/Milton Friedman/Henry Hazlett socioeconomic philosophy that guides much of my work for the editorial board of the Gazette.

I was brought up by a beautiful, loving and strong woman -- a widowed, Jewish hippie who had me peddling George McGovern buttons in our liberal college town in order to raise funds for his presidential campaign. We had socialist folk singer Pete Seeger over for dinner. Later, my mother married a conservative professor after arguing with him about the Barry Goldwater poster on his office wall. He's a great man who has profoundly influenced my life.

Most of my friends are uber liberal secularists, and we try to make sport of our cavernous political and philosophical differences. My wife and I have five children. We like weird little mom & pop coffee shops, cafes and boutiques, avoiding most chain stores with the exception of Whole Foods. We heat with wood, have our own well, and are moving in the direction of solar heat. Conservative author Rod Dreher would call us "Crunchie Cons." I believe conservatives, not Al Gore, will ultimately drive the environmental movement in a positive direction, because environmental policies that genuinely help the planet make sound economic sense. Who gave us the recyclable aluminum can, after all? Conservatives at Coors Brewing, inspired by the economics of it.