In the Executive Branch: The Department of the Interior decided this week to list the polar bear as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, despite the fact that the number of polar bears has doubled in the last 40 years. Furthermore, the animal is already protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said, “Although the population of bears has grown from a low of about 12,000 in the late 1960s to approximately 25,000 today, our scientists advise me that computer modeling projects a significant population decline by the year 2050. This, in my judgment, makes the polar bear a threatened species—one likely to become in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future.” Are those the same “computer models” Al Gore used to predict that sea levels will rise 20 feet in the near future?
The Bush administration is capitulating completely to environmentalists with this listing, which will likely have no effect on polar bears but could have a very detrimental effect on our economy. For example, Persuading Congress to authorize drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has been difficult enough without adding a false alarm about polar bears to existing roadblocks. Besides, global warming may or may not be happening, and the same may be true of a decline in the population of polar bears, but $200 a barrel for oil may be the price we pay for rash decisions. Meanwhile, look for the Australian jellyfish to be the Gulf of Mexico’s “endangered” animal to stop drilling there too.
source: Patriot Post
Roll over and kiss the behind of those that are politically yet correct again. There are more Polar Bears than at any time in recorded history, the polar caps are in reality expanding, and the earth is cooling not warming.
Tags: climate change, Conservation, Global warming hoax, political correctness
Conservative Libertarian Outpost 
May 16, 2008 at 10:56
[…] ninme wrote an interesting post today on Faux Science and Polar bearsHere’s a quick excerptBesides, global warming may or may not be happening, and the same may be true of a decline in the population of polar bears, but $200 a barrel… […]
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May 16, 2008 at 11:01
Most climate change is a result of the orbital eccentricities of Earth and variations in the sun’s output.
Polar bears will be endangered if their population growth continues at its current rate. They will inbreed and starve. That is not to mention the increased danger to arctic human inhabitants. The last time I checked bears eat meat, and people are meat.
I see only two solutions available: legalise (or ease the limit of) polar bear hunting or let nature take its course without any human intervention whatsoever.
The former seems far more compassionate to me.
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May 17, 2008 at 09:03
I feel pretty much the same Tduffie. Having known more than a few Inuit and others that are loosely classified as Eskimo’s by the outside world I am well aware that Polar Bears are indeed man hunters. Making that statement can however be problematic at times. The bears leave no evidence so one has to rely on the words of families members that so and so disappeared last spring and all that was found was blood and bear tracks. In any case, the carrying capacity in any area is limited, and the Arctic is no different. Death by the teeth and claws of a bigger stronger bear, or a bullet? It becomes academic after all is said and done.
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May 17, 2008 at 09:19
Just another blunder by the Bush administration. I have been trying to decide what this administration has done for me and my family and country and I have finally decided to give my brain a rest!
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May 17, 2008 at 09:50
Well George… After the attacks of September eleventh, when George Bush had his war face on I thought there might be some hope. But since then, he has made mistake after mistake, after mistake.
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May 18, 2008 at 01:37
This idiotic protection given the Polor Bear will only make it more difficult to drill for oil in the artic.
The environmentalists claim that the sight of Oil Rigs will disturb Polar Bears and cause them not to den because of the activities of man, but they state this without a thread of data or evidence to bolster their arguement.
Not only does this arguement have no validity, but the environmentalists ignore data to the contrary such as the well known tendancy of Polar Bears to break into dwellings for food and to frequent trash dumps.
As Patricksperry states above the Polar Bear is a man hunter and is known to be much more of a threat than a Grizzly Bear or Brown Bear because of it’s lack of fear of man.
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