“I would have to say that based on recent events it's hard not to think that. How else would outside observers view us?”

— Colin Baumchen, marketing specialist, Lawrence

“Gaining? It's had one for several years. It's a joke internationally. When I go back to Germany, I have to take a lot of ribbing and abuse. I makes us look like a scientific backwater.”

— Peter Zacharias, merchant, Hamburg, Germany

“Yeah, because they tried to ban evolution a few years ago, and I think it's stupid for them to ban any theory from being taught in school.”

— Nadya McClure, waitress, Lawrence

“I think it's easy to answer superficially, but the energy in Kansas is to hold on to the past. Eventually the past will catch up to the present and stem cell research will move forward.”

— Timothy Hughs, secondary education teacher, Belton, Mo.