My Grizzly Bear Friends

While I'm on the subject of bears, I found this on CNN:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The majestic grizzly bear, once king of the Western wilderness but threatened with extinction for a third of a century, has roared back in Montana.

The finding, from a $4.8 million, five-year study of grizzly bear DNA criticized by Republican presidential candidate John McCain as pork barrel spending, could help ease restrictions on oil and gas drilling, logging and other development. How ironic...

McCain, in stump speeches and in an advertisement earlier this year, erroneously said the study cost $3 million, adding "I don't know if it was a paternity issue or criminal, but it was a waste of money."
The study was backed by Montana ranchers, farmers and Republican leaders as a step toward taking the species off the endangered species list. Since 1975, the bear has been threatened in the lower 48 states, a status that bars hunting and restricts any kind of development that could diminish the bear's population.
"If it is going to remove it from the list, it is money well spent," said former Montana Gov. Judy Martz, a Republican, McCain supporter, and backer of the research. When asked about McCain's stance, Martz said "unless you live among these issues it is pretty hard to understand what is going on."
Former Sen. Conrad Burns, the chairman of McCain's campaign in Montana, helped secure the funding. It was paid in part through add-ons to the U.S. Geological Survey budget, and a $1.1 million earmark for the Forest Service in 2004.

I guess the true irony about the whole bear issue, specifically the polar bear, is that the Alaskan government (who is suing the National government because they put the polar bear on the endangered species list), will need an earmark to study the creature in order to get it OFF the endangered list so oil drilling can be expanded. Maybe this time the earmark will not be considered pork barrel spending. The polar bear is also on another list. A list that is only looked at or maybe noted by a diabetic or someone who watches someone shoot themselves up with insulin four times a day in order to stay alive (that would be me). For some reason, the female polar bear is resistant to diabetes. Studies are needed to research this resistance and maybe someday that research can be applied to humans...