I WAS, and my thoughts in some regaurds are still considered "conservative" by others. But I am actually libertarian, which is odd, since I work for the DoD. I try to recogncile this by being the best civil servant I can. But there were a number of issues that have really challenged my thinking and forced me to abandon my allegence to the republican party. Things like throwing up barriers to trade while demanding that everyone else not do so has really made me angry. I do not favor trying to protect US Companies as such. I also have renounced my membership publically here on the boards. I didn't even vote for a presidential canidate in 2004. Now, just because I don't vote republican doesn't mean I am going to vote democrat either, but had I the opportunity when I was younger I would have voted for Mike O'Pake, state legislator, from Pennsylvania.