This year may not be a good one for bears in New Hampshire. And it’s probably their own fault. You see, they’re stirring around in their winter lairs already, getting pretty rambunctious as a matter of fact. I hesitate to use the “w” word, so I’ll just say they’re “awakening.”

With these more-frequent thaws we’ve been encountering, the bears have been stretching their limbs, yawning more often and thinking fondly of winter bird feeders hanging outside innocently outside frosty windowpanes.

In short, they’re “woke.” (Darn, there goes that four-letter “w” word – sorry about that.) But truth is, you just can’t stop them.

People who follow that global “w” word say that there are more “woke” bears now than ever before. And apart from the climatologists, political analysts claim that many of these bears (black, brown, polar-white, 65-plus oldsters, cubbies) have been trending Democratic in recent polls.

Now, party affiliation aside, we have a major problem here – or at least the bears do. When it comes down to it, most bears are traditionally apolitical. “Don’t screw with us,” they say, “and we’ll wear whichever silly lapel pin you give us come primary day.” That sentiment used to be OK in a simpler political universe, but wokeism is a game-changer. And both sides are to blame here in New Hampshire.

While Republicans are rousting the bears to provoke “wokeness,” local Democrats are prodding them to make sure they’re out of winter hibernation by Feb. 2 to mitigate the media buzz surrounding the appearance of the traditionally GOP-oriented groundhogs.

The situation threatens to be dire. Will anyone be a winner in a conflict like this?

Daniel Sullivan

Bennington

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