This is one time when ‘I’m sorry you were upset’ is the right response.… Read the rest
Welcome to our archive of news stories relevant to the project of fighting fashionable nonsense. The stories are drawn from the electronic pages of the world’s media. On this page, you’ll find links to those stories that have been featured on Butterflies and Wheels during the current year. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find links to separate archives of stories from previous years.
We’re always pleased to hear about news stories that you think should be featured on Butterflies and Wheels. Just send an email here, if you want to point one out to us.
A note about links
Inevitably links go out of date. We suggest, therefore, that you make hard-copies of the stories that particularly interest you.
Reading Ayaan Hirsi Ali in Birmingham 
Apr 9th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Imams and Mullahs ignore our plight, and the community labels women ‘mad’ or ‘heretic’ or ‘loose’ when they stand up for their rights.”… Read the rest
Telling the Truth About the Armenian Genocide
Apr 9th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence.’… Read the rest
Taj Hargey Takes on the ‘Muslim McCarthyists’
Apr 9th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Progressives like me are described as heretics in order to ruin our credibility.’… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre’s Missing Chapter on Matthias Rath
Apr 9th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
How Rath and Mbeki combined to block treatment by anti-retroviral drugs in South Africa.… Read the rest
Bush’s Lawless Interior Department
Apr 8th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Of all the corruption of the Bush years, none is more shocking than the scandals and cronyism at Interior.… Read the rest
The Right to ‘Defame’ Religions
Apr 8th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
An insidious blurring of categories compared to the more rigorous language of the UDHR.… Read the rest
Blair Tuts at Vatican Policy on Gays
Apr 8th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
So why did he convert?… Read the rest
Yeshiva Student Strips in Store to Protest…Uh…
Apr 8th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Guy gets naked to protest sale of foods Jewish law prohibits on Passover. It doesn’t work.… Read the rest
HRW: Rescind ‘Provider Conscience’ Rule
Apr 8th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Freedom of conscience should not be used to trample on others’ rights to life and health.… Read the rest
Vermont Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
Apr 7th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Vermont Legislature overrode Gov. Jim Douglas’s veto of a bill allowing gay couples to marry… Read the rest
Clerics Ban Women Dancers From Festival
Apr 7th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Organisers of the festival in Sindh have had to cut the 10-day festival to 3 days because of the threats. … Read the rest
Say No to State Religion in Pakistan
Apr 7th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Support the campaign to say no to state religion in Pakistan; sign the statement and wish them luck.… Read the rest
Caspar Melville Replies to Madeleine Bunting
Apr 7th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
What does she add in her latest strike against the godless heathens? Not much.… Read the rest
Texas Freedom Network Looks Ahead
Apr 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Creationists will use the flawed standards to force publishers into dumbing down instruction on evolution.… Read the rest
Spain, Universal Jurisdiction, War Crimes
Apr 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A federal court in Miami recently convicted Chuckie Taylor of torture that occurred in Liberia. … Read the rest
Kambaksh Hopes While Karzai Flails
Apr 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Kambaksh wants an Afghanistan where women have the right to live as human beings.… Read the rest
Bunting Pitches Fit About ‘New’ Atheism
Apr 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘The New Atheist debate has drowned out any other kind of conversation about religion.’ Really?… Read the rest
Bryan Appleyard Reviews Kenan Malik
Apr 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Splitting the world into ‘communities’, celebrating difference at all costs, is a counterEnlightenment strategy. … Read the rest
Karzai Says He Will Review Family Law
Apr 5th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
If there is anything in contradiction with Shariah, he will take action in close consultation with clerics.… Read the rest
