The religious hatred bill shifts the cultural balance away from free speech and towards appeasement.
Category: Latest News
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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
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US States Plan Law to Restrict Anti-gay Demos
Fred Phelps and ‘God hates fags’ gang would be required to stay 300 feet away from funerals.
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Jyllands-Posten Gives In to Threats
Another victory for religious taboo.
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‘Tide of Anger’ Forces Newspaper to Submit
‘Militant groups’ make threats.
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ID is Breathtaking Inanity
Matt Ridley, Steve Jones answer Telegraph editorial (scroll down to end).
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Threats of Violence Fail to Disrupt Lahore Marathon
‘You can’t reason with these people,’ notes race co-ordinator. Crowds cheer as women and men run.
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Vatican Nervous About Inquisition Publicity
Campaigns to root out error and unorthodoxy by torturing and killing thousands not so bad.
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Iqbal Sacranie Hoist With His Own Petard
What was that he said about Kilroy-Silk in 2004? Oh yes…
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Changes in Religious Hatred Bill Urged
Peers voted to restrict to threatening words or behaviour, but ministers want to include insults and abuse.
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The Mysterious Death of Samira Munir
Anti-assimilation sentiment as oppressive pressure on those most easily controlled, girls and women.
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Bad Arguments for Theism
Lots of things are intolerable; that doesn’t make them untrue. You can’t eat a stone by believing it is cheese.
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Last-ditch Effort to Bury Religious Hatred Bill
Labour now plans to make it an offence to incite religious hatred through use of insulting or abusive words.
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Pakistani Women Run in Race Despite Pressure
MMA opposed the mixing of men and women and had urged protesters to disrupt the race.
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Bullying Women in Afghanistan
Men line up to call woman a prostitute, bitch, un-Islamic whore – for taking a driving test.
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Saul Kripke: Not ‘What Am I?’ but ‘What Is I?’
Naming and Necessity is among the most influential philosophy books of the last 50 years.
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Kofi Annan Condemns Holocaust Denial
UN Secretary General says world must challenge those who deny the Holocaust happened.
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Bastards Burn Down Schools in Afghanistan
Officials blamed Taleban for burning down newly-built schools which serve 1,000 boys and girls.
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Clive James Has not a Blog but a Website
Books go out of print but websites can be archived. Writers like that.
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Undoing Roe v Wade Bit by Bit
No need to overturn it outright if you can just make it unavailable.
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Michael Bérubé on Academic Freedom
Decisions about academic affairs should be conducted by means of peer review rather than by plebescite.