The regional court in Köln ruled that the “fundamental right of the child to bodily integrity outweighed the fundamental rights of the parents.”… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Sanal Edamuruku is in Helsinki 
Jun 26th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
So he is safe from indefinite detention. He and his lawyers are contesting the charges.… Read the rest
Austin Dacey on Edamaruku and religious “hurt feelings”
Jun 26th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The legal standard of intentional outrage of religious feelings lets the state determine which contestable moral and religious beliefs are more worthy of protection.… Read the rest
Dave Silverman on O’Reilly Report
Jun 26th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Host Laura Ingraham is surprised to hear that he doesn’t want to turn the US into an anti-religious nation. Really?! Yes really.… Read the rest
India: father beheads daughter
Jun 26th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A father cut off his daughter’s head and paraded it around their village after becoming enraged over her relationships with men, police in Rajasthan said.… Read the rest
Anti-Mormon “bias” unchanged since 1967
Jun 23rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
So he believes in the golden plates, so what. What could possibly go wrong?… Read the rest
CFI writes a letter to the Indonesian ambassador
Jun 23rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
To demand the immediate release of Alexander Aan, who has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for allegedly “spreading information inciting religious hatred and animosity.”… Read the rest
Conflict over science-textbook revisions in South Korea
Jun 23rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Dayk Jang, who is organizing a group of experts to counter the creationist campaign, says that many local scientists do not know how serious the battle is.… Read the rest
School principal gets death threats over goddy song
Jun 22nd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Principal Greta Hawkins ditched “God Bless the USA” for kindergarten graduation, so now she’s being called foul names on Twitter.… Read the rest
Candace Chellew-Hodge gives the SBC what-for
Jun 21st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“The SBC can’t seem to understand that these sorts of resolutions are at the very heart of the continuing violence and discrimination against gay and lesbian people.”… Read the rest
Southern Baptists resolve: gay rights are not civil rights
Jun 21st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Homosexuality does not qualify as a class meriting special protections, like race and gender.” Izzat so.… Read the rest
Uganda plans to ban 38 NGOs for “promoting homosexuality”
Jun 21st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
On Monday, police raided a gay rights conference being held at a hotel outside Kampala. Gay activists from around the region were detained for a few hours.… Read the rest
Malaysian “charged” with selling Irshad Manji book
Jun 20th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The government in the Muslim-majority country regularly bans books it considers threats to religious stability.… Read the rest
Foreign Policy lists important women who tweet
Jun 20th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Too bad it forgot the first time, and too bad about the pink tweetybird, but good to have a list.… Read the rest
Jesus explains the Vatican’s problems
Jun 20th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
With a little help from Ratzinger’s consigliere.… Read the rest
Saudi man beheaded for “sorcery”
Jun 19th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The man was found in possession of books and talismans, the state news agency said.… Read the rest
Pakistani singer Ghazala Javed murdered
Jun 19th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
She fled the Swat valley when the Taliban took over. She and her father were killed by gunmen yesterday.… Read the rest
Karachi: mob tries to lynch man accused of blasphemy
Jun 18th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Taimuria Police Station booked a man accused of desecrating a copy of the Koran, and a mob attacked the station.… Read the rest
School forbids 5th-grader to give marriage equality speech
Jun 18th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Kameron Slade won a class competition and was supposed to give his speech school-wide, but his principal wouldn’t allow it.… Read the rest
