Do Not Think About Polar Bears

Elaine Meinel Supkis

Bush forbids scientists or diplomats from talking about polar bears. This pretty much sums up the GOP rule of America: do not think about the big white bear in the corner of the room!

Of course, the rule really is, do not think at all.

By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent Thu Mar 8, 5:23 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Polar bears, sea ice and global warming are taboo subjects, at least in public, for some U.S. scientists attending meetings abroad, environmental groups and a top federal wildlife official said on Thursday.

Environmental activists called this scientific censorship, which they said was in line with the Bush administration's history of muzzling dissent over global climate change.

But H. Dale Hall, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said this policy was a long-standing one, meant to honor international protocols for meetings where the topics of discussion are negotiated in advance.

The matter came to light in e-mails from the Fish and Wildlife Service that were distributed by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for Biological Diversity, both environmental groups.

Listed as a "new requirement" for foreign travelers on U.S. government business, the memo says that requests for foreign travel "involving or potentially involving climate change, sea ice, and/or polar bears" require special handling, including notice of who will be the official spokesman for the trip.

They are allowed to say the words, 'polar bear' in the bathroom or on a subway but not where anyone is listening or recording them. In public, they are supposed to remain silent or they lose their jobs. This is how Bush covers everything up: everyone pretends they don't know so when it becomes obvious, they then claim they were out of the loop.

The great Russian novelist, Tolstoy, has an amusing story about all this:

All words and no play makes Jack a murderous boy. We are not talking about polar bears either. Young Tolstoy's brother told him to stand in the corner until he stopped thinking about the white bear. But Tolstoy was entrapped by fear of the unwanted thought, and so he thought of nothing else but white bears.

The futility of Bush's demands everyone be silent and not mention polar bears has brought the issue forwards, as usual. I wish all the other vital issues such as our gross negligence with balancing our books or our constant denials, we are not fighting wars for control of oil profits, were as inescapable as thinking about polar bears!

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Comments

[blues]

I think it was when Congress was laundering the Iran/Contra scandal, a group of attendees stood up and shouted "Ask about the cocaine!" They were sent to jail for a whole year.

Really this Polar Bear thing could go far! I am thinking of standing around at the courthouse with a big Polar Bear banner this Sunday. When people ask what it means, I'll tell them I'm protesting how the government prohibits discussion about polar bears.

[Elaine Meinel Supkis]

In Mass? I'll drive over and photograph it.

Actually, with all the snow and ice here, polar bears would be quite at home. It was more than -10 this morning!

[blues]

Great, but I'm sluggish about these projects. I'm always behind some big eight ball. But this could truly be the golden age of performance demonstration.

Like, you drive up to Exxon, spend ten minutes 'arraigning your purse', finally go out and insert the nozzle. — While at the same time, your henchman in a black jacket and baseball cap, with NATIONAL RESOURCE RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION in bright yellow on them, opens 'another' filler doorlet on the other side, and simultaneously 'pumps' 'gas' out into a big jar.

[Charles Higley]

Of course, let us not forget that the polar bear population is up from 8,000 to over 25,000 in the last 50 years and that 11 of 13 major colonies are just fine and that the 2 that are not are hurting from over population - they are changing their hunting habits and not letting their prey walruses come ashore.

It appears that the polar bears are at the maximum carrying capacity for their ecosystem. And such times are naturally followed by a decline in population; the boom-and-bust cycle. Basic ecology 101.

Obviously polar bears survived the '30's and 40's when it was as warm as now and they definitely survived the Medieval Warm Period when it was much warmer than now.

Polar bears drown every year as, just like sailors, they get caught in bad weather away from shore. And they move on to land when there is no ice. Actually they breed better there in the more stable environment. Anybody who thinks that they have to have ice all year round to survive again does not understand bear biology and habits.

So, what is the problem?

Let's protect them so that if they are invading your towns, eating your trash, and attacking your children, it's okay, they are protected. We'll miss little Billy, but he got eaten on the front door step.

Bush is right. There is no polar bear problem unless we interfere and start hunting them again - that would hurt them.

Learn your biology and zoogeography and you will see that Bush may have screwed up many things, but this he has right - do not waste time on the things that are not problems.

Polar bears are a political football. Even the elders of the Inuit went to the government and said that the bears are fine.

Learn, learn,
Capt Higley