Selected reaction to Kansas' new science standards
Associated Press
Reactions to Kansas' new science standards, which treat evolution as a flawed and controversial theory:
"A year from now, they'll be singing the new Kansas state anthem (a little tune from the 'Wizard of Oz'): If I only had a brain." - Henry Cruz, a writer on The Bosh, an Internet gossip and entertainment news site.
"It's about time. ... Now the thinking population is getting its turn at putting in place a faith that was believed by centuries until 'The Origin of the Species' replaced it." - J. Grant Swank Jr., a writer on MichNews.com, a conservative Internet site, under the headline, "Darwin Challenged. God Praised."
"It stretches incredulity that this board of education could not have been aware of the dangerous waters in which they have dived head first." - Joel Kaplan, president of B'nai B'rith International, which said the new standards were an assault on the separation of church and state.
"Let's face it, the majority of the scientific community is pro-Darwin, is not in favor of looking at Darwinian theory critically, and so if the news media reports what the scientific community says, that's the viewpoint." - Jonathan Wells, senior fellow at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, which supports research questioning evolution.
"If we're going to bring high-tech jobs to Kansas, and to the U.S. in general, we need a work force that is knowledgeable about science. This decision does nothing to help prepare our children to compete in the world economy and that concerns me greatly." - Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, in a statement.
"The state school board in Kansas has approved science standards that include a balanced teaching of evolution that permits students to look at alternative viewpoints, including intelligent design." - The Traditional Values Coalition, on its Web site.
"Science is what it is, and religion is what it is, and no rewriting by anybody will change what is an inappropriate effort to inject religion into the classroom. Talk about unintelligent design." - The Fort Wayne, Ind., News-Sentinel, in a short editorial on its Web site.
"No longer will Darwin be taught dogmatically in Kansas public schools. Scientific evidence, not philosophical presuppositions, will now guide the presentation of the data for and against each aspect of the Darwinian theory." - the Intelligent Design Network, which argues that some features of the natural world are best explained by an intelligent cause.
"My wife and I were planning on traveling from our home in North Carolina to Yellowstone for next year's vacation; however, we will now be diverting our trip so as to avoid having to travel through Kansas at all. Your state has a real problem." - e-mail to the Kansas Department of Commerce. The agency declined to release the writer's name, citing privacy concerns.
