Monthly Archives: May 2016

Daughter of Fortune – A Book Review

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

I found a copy of Isabel Allende’s “Daughter of Fortune” at a little used bookstore nestled between a Peter Piper Pizza and a Payless Shoe Store in a strip mall in Colorado Springs. The sky was gray; the great Pike’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, International Affairs, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

When I Learned To Write

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

I suppose I started writing a decade ago; my debut a foray into the shadowy world of the memoir (unpublished – thank God). I wanted to talk about the suffering: war, drought, famine. Violence. Central America, the Congo, – Uganda. Not … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Liberty, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

An Entity With Earthly Allure

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

America is grappling with the predicament of this the strangest of all election years. Something old is over, something new is beginning; this requires examination. Articles, tweets, podcasts; vitriol, rage, humiliation sometimes. Sadness. Excitement. I entertain them all, unwelcome though … Continue reading →

Posted in Honor, Liberty, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

It’s Your Fault Too, Venezuela’s Collapse

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

It has become harder to go on Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo these days – my feeds are full of the most ghastly news about Venezuela. Good men forced to steal; not violent men but hungry and with families – burned … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Liberty, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 21 Comments

The Parable of the Little Boy

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

Once upon a time there was a little boy who had a big idea. The thought had occurred to him late one night, when outside only the crickets and the frogs accompanied his reverie. Roused as he had been by … Continue reading →

Posted in Liberty, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

But They Don’t Do Math

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

A few weeks ago I was engaged in an online debate with a gentleman who objected to my advocacy for Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala. Specifically, he didn’t like their focus on Austrian economics. The issue that the anonymous blogger … Continue reading →

Posted in Liberty, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 54 Comments

Focus Instead on the Pawns

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

A line of young men and women stand, dressed in white and blue and red and gold, arms stretched high while they chant – always the chanting. They have come in the hundreds, thousands – in the hundreds of thousands … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

“Weeds”: A Series Review

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

Last night my wife and I finished watching the series “Weeds“. This is of course the tale of a widow from the suburbs whose husband died leaving her with nothing, thereby forcing her to take up a life as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Review, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Of Taco Bowls and Presidents

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

There’s something funny going on in America these days. Lots of chatter, as there always is – but this year it’s got the green smell of panic to it. Bewilderment. Folks are perplexed. Of course, the collapsing of an old … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Africa And Its Wars

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

I have settled in – if settled is what it can be called. It’s funny, things no longer seem exotic; or, more accurately, my idea of ‘exotic’ seems to have changed. A new place – that is all, for now. … Continue reading →

Posted in Honor, International Affairs, Uncategorized | Tagged | 7 Comments