Save the Polar Bears!

     The latest environmental battle is on over the listing of the Polar Bear as an endangered species. As usual, there may be more to the story than meets the established media's collective eye.

      Polar bears are the largest species of bear and they range across the Arctic regions of Alaska and Canada and the Arctic Ocean. There are nearly as many polar bears alive today as there have been since man has had the technology to monitor their numbers. Even today, their numbers are still only estimated. This is (under)stated in many of the stories and news articles being published currently.

      That fact leads me to wonder how they are endangered. The answer espoused by print and television articles and ads is that the bears themselves are not endangered, but their habitat is, as a result, or projected result, of global warming. The argument is that the Arctic ice pack is going to melt, making it impossible for polar bears to hunt ring seals, resulting in cannibalism, starvation, and death.

      Environmentalists are up in arms because the Bush administration has resisted the listing. But taken on face value, do you list an endangered species because it is endangered or because it may become endangered in the future? If we start listing every species that could possibly become endangered we may as well just list all species right now, including homo sapiens.

      A scientist that was quoted in a national magazine said that we have to figure out what we think the truth is and then act on that truth. I think it is much more scientifically sound to make sure that we know the truth before we make policy based on what we think is true. What we think is true is commonly known as theory or an educated guess. When one makes conclusions based on theory, those conclusions are inherently flawed. I call them scientific assumptions.

      The popular bandwagon is exciting but I would encourage people to question and research things for themselves. We no longer have the luxury of believing everything we see or hear in the media. Even some of the basic "facts" that are purported by polar bear alarmists are easily refuted by looking up polar bears in an encyclopedia. Believe it or not, for many years, man has known polar bears to be strong swimmers, able to swim for many miles at a time.

      There may come a time when polar bears become endangered by global warming and then again, they may not. The problem is not the polar bear, it's global warming. According to Al Gore, the debate on global warming is over. Once again, question and do research for yourself, don't just swallow what's put in front of you, hook, line and sinker. Look for solid, scientifically proven fact, not just educated guesses. Educate yourself on what constitutes scientific process and compare that to the studies and reports that are published in the media.

      I truly want to save the polar bears, but I want to save the rest of the species on earth as well. Unfortunately, it might take a new constitutional amendment that declares the separation of science and politics. Highly unlikely.