Beaver vs Polar Bear

So this year Nicole Eaton wants to replace our national animal, the industrious Beaver with the carnivorous (and endangered) Polar Bear because beavers chew up her dock every year.

Seems that Eaton’s passion on the subject shifts with the seasons.

The Conservative senator who this week called for the polar bear to replace the beaver as Canada's national animal emblem gave an equally impassioned speech last year in Parliament celebrating the flat-tailed rodent — which she now derides as a "dentally defective rat" — as the crucial player in "the founding of our country."

Senator Nicole Eaton, who on Thursday dismissed the "toothy tyrant" as a "19th-century has-been," used her speech last June to admiringly quote the famed fur-trade historian Harold Innis, saying: "The history of Canada has been profoundly influenced by the habits of an animal that fittingly occupies a prominent place on her coat of arms. The beaver . . . ."  Added Eaton, "As we dig deeper, we find that (Innis) reveals the truth about the founding of our country."

So what’s it to be next year?  Steve’s cat?

I say fight for the Beaver!  There’s more to it than meets the eye.

Manyof the magical creatures in Narnia seem quite innocent and child-like. Only Aslan and the Beavers seem to have an understanding of the world and its dangers. The Beavers are old and sensible and they become the children’s guides in Narnia.

Mrs. Beaver is a very practical animal who keeps her cool under pressure.

Mr. Beaver is also the only one to speak his mind openly in front of Aslan. He is frank about his distrust of the Witch, even when no else has the courage to speak up.

It is Mr. Beaver who provides an example of true generosity and courage.

How does the Polar Bear stack up in Narnia?

APolar Bear was one of the Beasts of Narnia. It is not known if they could talk. But if not, they were tamed by Jadis. (the very evil ice queen)

In the Disney adaption to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Polar Bears were pulling the White Witch's chariot. When Oreius the Centaur charged toward Jadis' chariot, the Polar Bears tried to claw Oreius only for him to jump out of the way.

Not very nice, not very bright, not very eloquent.

Want to make a bad situation worse? Add a bear!  Just as monkeys and penguins guaranteed to make something funnier or cuter, bears have a knack for scaring the crap out of everyone. Being the largest land-based predators in the world, with a penchant for aggressive behavior, might be a reason for that (polar bears, the largest of bear species, can weigh up to 1500 pounds and have been known to hunt walruses and beluga whales). Because of this, throwing a bear into a scene is the best way to let the audience know that our heroes have gone beyond rock bottom and are now totally screwed.

Seriously, will the damn harperites not be content until they establish a Ministry of Truth and re-write every piece of Canadian history, replace every Canadian icon and symbol, rename every Canadian street?