I have to apologize to you all because it’s been so long since I’ve put anything on the website. For those who are on Facebook, there is a Heather’s Homilies Facebook page. On a reasonably regular basis I post news stories there along with a short commentary of my own. I know it’s not much, but at least it lets you know I still exist.

I hope I can rely on you all to continue to be patient with me. After the last year, I’m aware that your patience must be wearing rather thin. The good news is that my body is finally back to where it was before my old chair broke down. This new one I spend most of my days (and half my nights) in is fantastic, and I still can’t believe that one of you was so kind as to pay for it for me. It literally changed my life.

I have been writing, but I’ve also been worrying a lot. I won’t bore you with the details, or the emotional effects. Suffice to say it’s making it very difficult to finish anything. The posts on the go are about abortion (two) and Iran.

 

Abortion

Most of you are in the US. If you’re elsewhere, you’re unlikely to be aware of the details of NZ politics. We’re just too small to make the news unless there’s a major natural disaster or a mass murder. Thank goodness for all the New Zealand sportspeople and teams that lead the world, or most people would never have heard of us outside the Christchurch terrorist attack.

Anyway, there are three big political debates going on here at the moment. One is about euthanasia. Legislation known as the End of Life Choices Bill is currently working its way through the political process. A second is about legalizing marijuana. And the third relates to abortion.

Abortion is still illegal in New Zealand, including when the pregnancy it the result of rape. There are circumstances where an abortion is legal, and one is when the pregnancy would seriously endanger the mental health of the mother. That criteria is interpreted very broadly by most doctors. As a result, most women have no problem getting a safe abortion at no charge in a public hospital. Anti-choice campaigners complain that the vast majority of abortions in New Zealand are carried out under the mental health of the mother criteria.

Finally, we have a government who is looking at taking abortion out of the Crimes Act. That means though that the anti-choice campaigners are coming out of the woodwork and spreading their lies in an attempt to keep abortion illegal here. They are using the same tactics as their fellows around the world, including spreading lies about late-term abortions.

So that’s the background of one abortion post.

The second abortion post is, of course, about the attempts of conservative Christians and their GOP lackeys to make abortion illegal again in the US.

 

Iran

This is obvious really. The situation in the Middle East, always simmering, is being brought to a boil the hawks in the Trump administration, led by National Security Advisor, John Bolton. There are other international players, such as Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of Israel, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman (aka MbS), who are not helping the situation.

It’s extremely worrying, not least because of Trump’s incompetence, which is even greater when it comes to foreign affairs. However, he’s also the best hope because I believe he genuinely doesn’t want a war. The problem is his lack of understanding might have effects he doesn’t foresee.

 

Tweets

To make up for not doing a proper post, here are a few tweets for your enjoyment. I haven’t separated them out into categories as usual as there aren’t enough. It’s just a mishmash.

 

 

 

 

I don’t quite understand, but it’s cool anyway.

 

What a cool cat!

 

I love these!

 

So cute.

 

Wow!

 

No. Not after all the stories of such rides failing.

 

I’m probably supposed to think this is gross, but I think it’s fascinating.

 

I did not know they looked like this.

 

If you can’t see the very bottom of Trump’s trousers, click on the photo.

 


 

If you enjoyed reading this, please consider donating a dollar or two to help keep the site going. Thank you.