Saying nice things about Kansas

I felt kinda bad for the actually thoughtful and intelligent people in that state after mocking the latest stupidity of Kansas' school board.

Yes, that latter bunch—the zealous morons pining for the dark ages—are about as much use to the rest of humanity as tits on a bull (hey, I was raised rural; I'm allowed to use this expression when it's appropriate to the subject), but that's not necessarily a reflection of everyone living within the state's borders. And I work with a guy from Lawrence, Kansas, and he's actually a great guy to have lunch with, knows shit from shinola, and doesn't, generally, stand around in the middle of Fifth Avenue chewing on a blade of grass, hands in the front pockets of his overalls or anything (or, at least, not when I've been watching).

So I thought I'd pass on the two actually nice things about Kansas I've read lately—one of which actually concerns my co-worker's home town of Lawrence.

First, from Bob Harris' otherwise somewhat nonplussed view of Kansas' scenery and citizenry (and yeah, okay, the title is actually Kansas, where the gene pool has no pump, but what can ya do?) we have this comment:

This said, I've actually enjoyed a lot of my time in the state. I spoke at KSU a bunch of times and always found the folks to be bright and open-minded. Manhattan and Lawrence are both pretty cool.

— Bob Harris, in Kansas, where the gene pool has no pump

And, from Pharyngula, the other day:

I've only briefly visited modern Kansas, but the Kansas of my imagination is a fiercely exotic ocean, a warm and savage sea richer than any place still extant. Try mentioning the magic word "Niobrara" to a paleontologist, or any enthusiast familiar with Mesozoic reptiles...their eyes will light up as it conjures visions of the world of 85 million years ago, a world well documented in the incredible fossil beds of Kansas. It's a powerful, evocative word that links us to a wealth of evidence and a complex, fascinating history.

— Pharyngula, Niobrara

There you have it. (i) Kansas does contain smart, cool people, and (ii) some pretty cool fossil beds. Both good things.