I'm J.D. Tuccille, a writer and editor based in northern Arizona. I can best be described as a political junkie with a radical-libertarian bent. My columns appear primarily online, but have also been published in newspapers including the Washington Times, the Arizona Republic and the Arizona Daily Sun. I'm also told that a piece of mine was reprinted in an Italian gun enthusiasts magazine. Who knew such a publication existed?

Media outlets including The New York Times, Salon, Wired, WorldNetDaily and the Las Vegas Review-Journal have seen fit to quote me -- either from an interview or from my columns -- as an authority on issues of the day. Controversies on which I've been cited include airport security, gun control, the war on some drugs, high-tech law-enforcement and the potential for civil liberties abuses in anti-terrorism legislation.

I've also appeared on "Catherine Crier Live," on Court TV, to discuss abusive airport security practices. And I've spoken on radio numerous times about matters including civil liberties, urban sprawl, concerns about the census and police brutality.

My projects have included:

The Internet Education Exchange (iEdx), which I served as Senior Editor. During its brief life, iEdx worked to expand the range of education options available to parents and children, so that kids aren't stuffed into institutional "one size fits all" classrooms. I'll add that allowing people to exercise their right to choose from many education options ensures that children are presented with a diversity of viewpoints -- not just the state's approved ideas.

The Henry Hazlitt Foundation's Free-market.net for which I worked as a senior editor. Before its demise in the slow economy, Hazlitt acted as a sort of meta-think-tank for libertarian and free-market groups, and was really the definitive clearinghouse for these organizations, helping them stay in touch and aware of each other's research and activities. I prepared a weekly Policy Spotlight for Free-market.net, produced a daily news feed, and managed the site's Network page.

The Civil Liberties Web site, for which I wrote a weekly column and maintained a categorized library of resources on such subjects as privacy, free speech, the right to bear arms, and reproductive rights. I also moderated a very active discussion forum and published a series of polls on topics in which readers indicated an interest. I left the Civil Liberties site in early 2003 when other projects claimed my attention, but it appears to be continuing in good hands.

Good neighbor that I am, I've also prepared, on my own time, some material on non-coercive approaches for dealing with northern Arizona's concerns about sprawl. Mind you, my county contains over 18,000 square miles and less than 8% of the population of Manhattan Island, but if people are going to be concerned about open space, there are ways to preserve it that don't crush property rights and put bureaucrats in charge.

If you're really that interested, you'll find a more personal look at yours truly here along with a few photos of my daredevil self.