by Runaway Slave | Feb 20, 2006 | Costa Rica, Essays & Articles, Human Interest, Libertarian Curmudgeon
The sign reads “Super Mercado,” but the word “super” lends a grandeur to the establishment that exists only in the mind of its owner. The whole store would fit into the frozen food section of a typical Winn Dixie. I was doing my first tour of Vicky’s (Viquez, as it is...
by Runaway Slave | Dec 28, 2005 | Essays & Articles, Human Interest, Libertarian Curmudgeon
The neighborhood is starkly splendid. Luxury homes stand cheek by jowl in proud, pretentious rows. Identical double garage doors stare down identical concrete drives. They give the street an industrial flavor. Entry doors and upstairs windows feature variations on a...
by Runaway Slave | Dec 28, 2005 | Costa Rica, Essays & Articles, Human Interest, Libertarian Curmudgeon
The noise was what I noticed first. Or I should say the blend of noises. I was behind the wheel of a microscopic blue Daihatsu, a rented machine deep into middle age. It had four-wheel drive, five on the floor and a device that looked like an aluminum sewing machine...
by Runaway Slave | Oct 12, 2005 | Essays & Articles, History, Human Interest, Libertarian Curmudgeon, Politics
Chris Columbus doesn’t get the respect he used to. America celebrates Columbus Day without enthusiasm. Celebration these days consists less of revelry than rest. Our local schools didn’t even bother to rest. They used the holiday to make up time lost to hurricanes....
by Runaway Slave | Sep 28, 2005 | Ecology, Economics, Education, Essays & Articles, Human Interest, Libertarian Curmudgeon
My sons have been home schooled all their short lives. This year they both started high school in what is as close to a real school as they have ever seen, a cooperative home school. It’s a first for our boys and a reminder for me of how woefully out of touch I am...
by Runaway Slave | Aug 24, 2005 | Essays & Articles, History, Human Interest, I.R.S., Libertarian Curmudgeon
I was in Philadelphia. I had just watched the Federal Government crush a citizen who dared oppose it. A half-dozen grey-suited federal lawyers and another in robes, federal employees all, convinced a jury that the defendant, a naïve, amateur legal scholar who quoted...
by Runaway Slave | Mar 10, 2005 | Drugs, Essays & Articles, Human Interest, Libertarian Curmudgeon, War On Drugs (WOD)
“Lord, help me to be the man my dog thinks I am.” — A Bumper Sticker Prayer Between the ages of four and ten I lived in the Golden Age of TV Dog Worship. TV heroes in my 1950’s childhood included Neil, the lovable St. Bernard in the quirky series Topper, feisty little...
by Runaway Slave | Dec 23, 2004 | Essays & Articles, History, Holidays, Human Interest, Libertarian Curmudgeon
Last week I was invited to a "Saturnalia." I had to look it up. Webster says "saturnalia" is a synonym for "orgy," which seems wildly optimistic for any soiree at which an overweight, bald geezer like me would be welcome. Either my invite...