Tag Archives: Individual Liberty

Venezuela’s Discovery of Hunger

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

Nobody expects it to hit close to them – the hunger. We see pictures on television: Ethiopia, Congo, Kosovo. We dig into our pockets or open our checkbooks to help, we are good people of course. Sometimes we watch a … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Liberty, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 35 Comments

The Captive Mind – by Czeslaw Milosz: A Book Review

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

“All over the world people are now sleeping in their beds, or perhaps they are engaged in some idiotic pastime; and one might easily believe that each in his own way is doing his best to deserve destruction. But that … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

“The Burning of San Porfirio” – to read or not to read…

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Joel D. Hirst

With this post I am pleased to announce the release of my second novel The Burning of San Porfirio. The Burning was released on December 20th, perfectly timed to completely miss the holiday buying season (the Spanish version was released … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Naked And Afraid”: A lesson in spontaneous order

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Joel D. Hirst

Last night I stumbled across a program on the Discovery Channel called “Naked and Afraid”. The basic premise of this reality television series goes something like this: take two successful young people from the United States – opposite genders to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mu’tazila – Defenders of Reason in Islam

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Joel D. Hirst

At the very beginning of Islamic theological history a group of mutakalliman (the word for theologian in Islamic tradition) in Baghdad and Basra, in an attempt to defend their new religion from external detractors and internal corruption, developed “the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

“Ideal” by Ayn Rand – A Book Review

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Joel D. Hirst

“Ideal” is a short story written by Ayn Rand. She wrote the story as a response to a particularly difficult period in her life; lack of success, dwindling savings and duplicitous ‘friends’ causing despair.  As any writer would do, she … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The fall of Communism and Our Unfinished Work

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Joel D. Hirst

It was twenty-five years ago today that the cold war came to an end. Communism as a political and economic model was finally bankrupt; morally and spiritually destroyed from within as it succumbed to the inevitable results of its unworkable … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments