# THE POLAR BEARS

Eventually, the polar bears wanted in.

They saw the squirrels represented by U.S.U. 67.

They saw Leo and the Prodigious Lions Club.

They wanted representation too.

So the polar bears sought inclusion in U.S.U. 67.

There was an immediate problem.

Floyd looked at them.

Large.

Four legs.

Fur.

Snouts.

Teeth.

Everyone else saw polar bears.

Floyd saw:

### ENORMOUS WHITE DOGS.

And somewhere in Floyd’s mind, that ancient circus memory came roaring back.

No.

Absolutely not.

Application denied.

The polar bears attempted to explain that they were bears.

Floyd remained unconvinced.

They explained that polar bears and dogs weren’t even members of the same biological family.

Floyd remained unconvinced.

They pointed out that they were substantially larger than dogs.

This made things worse.

To Floyd, that simply meant:

### BIGGER DOGS.

The polar bears objected.

Loudly.

Signs appeared.

### POLAR BEARS ARE NOT DOGS!

### EQUAL PAWS! EQUAL RIGHTS!

And perhaps the greatest protest slogan ever produced by the Ryanna Rogue Universe:

### SPECIES PROFILING IS UNBEARABLE!

The polar bears wanted membership.

Floyd wanted the giant dogs to go away.

Leo wanted everyone to behave like adults.

Nobody listened to Leo.

The situation escalated.