Well, about seven years ago, I got my naval pierced.
Would that count?

Er...probably not, since it's not particularly "Crunchy" and didn't emerge from any conservative principles, I don't think. But if you give me a few minutes, I can probably think of one.

How about this: I just returned from registering my daughter at the local public high school for next year, rather than the Catholic high school or the chi-chi secular private school. Why? Because it's got an excellent core academic program (my son graduated from there with almost 40 college credits and started college as a sophomore), but also — wait for it — I appreciate its diversity.

There! I said it!

But the fact is, when I see the student body of the Catholic high school, I see a 95% caucasian student body. The public high school is actually one of the more diverse in the nation, filled, not only with African-American students, but Latinos from a number of different countries and Asians — our town has one of the largest concentration of Burmese immigrants in the country, and most of them live in our section of town.

And I like that, it's factored into the decision, and I do think it stems from what I might, if you forced me, call "conservative," primarily religious principles — the same principles that animate a great deal of the joy I find in being a part of the Catholic faith, in its universality.

Now, the decision is made easier by the fact that the "diverse" setting frames an academic program that will challenge my daughter. I'll be honest about that, and about my prioritizing that — if the situation were reversed and the Catholic school were stronger, which would trump? Probably the academics, true. But I can safely say that in this situation the "diversity" adds to the plus side for me.

Is that wrong?