Monthly Archives: May 2021

Night – by Elie Wiesel

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

“No, not in the twentieth century,” was the flippant answer of the Jews of Sighet in Transylvania when told of the ongoing holocaust by the Nazi German Government. “Not in the 20th century.” The century when I was born. Three … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review | Tagged | 3 Comments

The Maze by Albert Likhanov

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

This was a curious novel, by one of the Soviet Union’s most famous children’s writers. It is simple, as it is written from the POV of a young boy struggling through pretty normal problems in life unfortunately. Problems in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review | Leave a comment

My Last Night in Yerevan

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

The quiet hum of Ashtarak highway reverberates in the background; the wind rustles the trees, new leaves – excited to show them off after a long cold winter. The city, away down into the valley buzzes with life: restaurants and … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged | Leave a comment

War, Pandemic, and Depression

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

It was at the very beginning of my days of adulthood – grad school to be precise – when nineteen terrorists smashed two planes into the sides of two sky-scrapers. I was sitting in the student union at university in … Continue reading →

Posted in philosophy | Leave a comment

The Commission On Unalienable Rights

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

One of the most extraordinary things that came out of the 45th President’s Department of State was the Commission on Unalienable Rights (and its subsequent report – find it here). The commission was set up in 2019 and the final … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Liberty | Tagged | Leave a comment

On Oppression

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

Last night I was reading the Bible to my little boy – we are now in the life of Jesus – the story about when the Pharisees tried to trick him by asking him whether a good Jew should pay … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Liberty | Tagged | Leave a comment

Seek Out The Glorious

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

It has been a rough year, to say the least. Disease and ‘isolation’, those “premodern idea(s) of quarantines, closures, and measured lockdowns.” A way of thinking that is “not just premodern; (instead) turning the logic of modern medicine on its … Continue reading →

Posted in America | Tagged | Leave a comment

The First Man

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

I’ve never been a fan of Albert Camus; I didn’t really understand what all the fuss was about. I found Plague and Stranger interesting, but not particularly noteworthy. I am changing that impression for the record here. I just finished … Continue reading →

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

Burnham on England

Posted on May 1, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

As I continue to digest the far-reaching impacts of James Burnham’s magnum opus “The Managerial Revolution“, I keep stumbling upon things that require at very least a cursory reflection; an organization of thoughts as I try (like Burnham did) to … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, International Affairs | Tagged | 1 Comment