From the Greenpeace Staff Blog 5/8/09:

Sec. Salazar has announced he won't rescind the "polar bear special rule," which exempts global warming from protections afforded polar bears by the Endangered Species Act. If we're going to save the polar bears and stop global warming, we can't let Salazar off the hook for this travesty. Please call Sec. Salazar today and tell him how disappointed you are.

Personally, I'm more worried about Global Warming and the rule of law than the polar bears, though I don't want them to go extinct either. It really is a shame that Salazar and the rest of the Obama administration are putting the interests of Dick Cheney's cronies in Big Oil and Big Coall above their legal obligations under the Endangered Species Act and their ethical obligations to protect the planet. This is yet another example of why we need public financing of campaigns. Bought politicians are dangerous politicians.

You can do something about this.

Making a call is easy, fast, and extremely effective. Simply follow the steps below:

1) Call (202) 208-7351 between the hours of 9am and 5pm ET. If you can't call then and don't speak to a person, skip step #2 and leave the message below.

2) The phone will be answered by a staff person in Secretary Salazar's office. Tell them your name and city and state you are calling from, and then tell the staffer you are calling to leave a message with Secretary Salazar about the Endangered Species Act and polar bears. You will then be asked if you would like to use the Interior Department's comment line, politely say no, and say that you would prefer leaving your comment with the staff person you are speaking with so that he/she can give that message to the secretary directly.

3) Leave your message. Here's a sample:

"Hi, My name is ______ and I am calling from ______. I am extremely disappointed that the Secretary did not take action to strike the polar bear special rule from the Endangered Species Act. This means that polar bears are not protected from global warming, which is the primary threat to their long term survival. Please give the Secretary the message that I am calling to express my disappointment that he did not take action to protect the polar bear from global warming."

On a completely unrelated note, there is another episode of Onward Christian Dullards: Lesbian Aunt.