Welcome to Heather’s Homilies
Reza Aslan: Lying for Islam on FGM
There was a window when Reza Aslan had my sympathy. At the end of July Fox News reporter Lauren Green interviewed him about his book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. Green’s opinion seemed to be that as a Muslim, Aslan had no right to write a book...
Netanyahu’s Fantasy
In an interview with Fareed Zakaria recently, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his commitment to a two-state solution with Palestine, but insisted that the only way it would work is if Israel had a permanent, or at least long-term, military presence...
Obama vs Reagan on Russia: The Bogus GOP Comparison
Whenever President Vladimir Putin of Russia is in the media due to his regular land-grabbing actions, the right-wing media in America take the opportunity to contrast certain aspects of his personality with President Barack Obama in an attempt to undermine Obama. They...
The Kim Dotcom Effect
On 20 September, New Zealand re-elected prime minister John Key to a third term in office, and gave his centre-right party enough votes to govern alone, which is virtually unheard of in a proportional representation system like ours. The main reason for his success is...
Scotland’s Positive Example to the World
It’s only a few hours now until voting starts in Scotland’s referendum to choose whether or not they stay part of the United Kingdom. The latest poll of decided voters is 49% pro-independence (Yes) and 51% pro-Union (No). Five percent of voters are still undecided and...
Obama vs ISIL
President Barack Obama has received much criticism, especially domestically, for his foreign policy, and it has to be said that much of that criticism is justified. However, his strategy in relation to the self-styled Islamic State is a good one, and has a far better...
To Vote or Not to Vote
New Zealand has a general election on 20 September, just a few days away. Most polls show the centre-right National Party is more likely to be able to form a government than the centre-left Labour Party, but results are close enough that they cannot be confident. So...
For Putin, a Land Bridge to Crimea is Vital
Putin's regret at the dismantling of the Soviet Union and his desire to lead Russia to a pre-eminent place in world politics is well known. It's also clear there is little he won't do to make that happen. His invasion of Ukraine on 21 August is another example of the...