Hernando Today
Water Wars On The Horizon
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Published: May 17, 2008
One can hardly read a news publication or listen carefully to news broadcasts — especially the great BBC — without picking up on a growing body of evidence that the Earth is heading toward a crisis in the supply of potable water.
That is of greater concern to me than the debatable allegations of so-called "global warming." Yes, that's a separable and questionable subject; it's even more worrisome than nuclear weapons in the hands of fanatical, turbaned terrorists.
Man (the term includes women, Hillary) can survive for weeks without food, but, depending upon factors such as heat, humidity, shelter and activity, only days without water. Nothing —absolutely nothing — is capable of driving men (still includes women) to kill fellow man with more certainty that the drive to survive, which depends upon ready availability of a safe supply of water.
Should water become unavailable in some inhabited region on Earth, men will kill to protect what little of that life-fluid they have and/or to take what little others may seem to possess. Wars will break out; neighbors will kill each other. It could happen here, as well as in some God-forsaken place in Africa's Sahil Desert.
Just last year, residents of Georgia faced a real possibility of having to depend upon trucked-in, bottled water. Reportedly, Atlanta and its counties drew up contingency plans for such an unbelievable event. What do you think would have been the result of Hotlanta's residents lining up under a burning sun to buy water at $4 a gallon? Would some be tempted to steal water — even to kill for it?
Georgia is far from being the only place in the United States to be threatened by a water shortage: Florida's explosion of essentially uncontrolled growth over the past decade has strained the water supply far beyond its capabilities; so has that in Nevada, Arizona and other dry regions that have built new homes and hotels with careless abandon. All of these are time bombs with short fuses.
The problems are avoidably exacerbated by selfish, thoughtless residents who are more concerned with lush green lawns, golf courses, decorative fountains and car washes than with human survival. There are, on my short street, more than a few residents who routinely, and knowingly, water outside of their stringently allotted time. One young man reportedly told a neighbor, which telephoned him to advise that he was watering on the wrong days, and times, "I don't care: If they give me a ticket for a watering violation, my wife's banking business will fix it." Another new resident, recently purchasing a second home here, explained that they watered every day — only one day a week is allowed — because their lawn was brown, just as were others on the street.
Violations of necessary watering restrictions are routine near where I live. Some are careless, but many are intentional. How, one wonders, will they feel if and when told that domestic water needs to be shut off to all houses? Will I need to arm myself to keep them from attempting to steal the water that I wisely stored in order to survive?
This is far from a local threat or problem. Consider that far-off Turkey is the source of both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which provide life-sustaining water to nations to that country's south. Turkey has, understandably been building hydroelectric dams across both rivers. With such, they could stop the flow of fresh water to millions of persons. Would that precipitate all-out war? You can bet the farm that it would.
Another current warning of the problems to come if we don't act quickly to ameliorate the water shortage problem is evident in far-off Yemen. An estimated 17 million guns have recently flooded that Islamic nation, where professionals believe that water aquifers will dry up within as little as a decade. What do you think will happen when those millions of gun owners are dying of thirst?
This, then, is the most serious threat facing humanity today — here as well in far-away places. If we don't take immediate steps to impose effective punishment and sanctions on those who think themselves to be above compliance with modest water-use restriction, the rest of us my all-too-soon face a shut-off of domestic water to our homes, and, like Atlanta, be cueing-up to fork over $4 a gallon for drinking water.
We can avoid a major catastrophe by acting decisively now, but we almost surely will not do so. Therefore, stockpile and protect your drinking water supply while you can. Contact me for names and addresses of suppliers of 50 caliber machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Offer not open to members of the ATF.
John G. Nash produces a widely published opinion column, and also writes regularly about recreational travel. He welcomes rational comment to him at john@have-eye.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( SpringHillConcernedCitizen ) on May 17, 2008 at 6:21 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
OK, the Cabbage King lost me at "this includes women, Hillary". He could have gone the rest of his ignorant life and left this out.
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Posted by ( SpringHillConcernedCitizen ) on May 17, 2008 at 6:23 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Modest water restrictions? Lawns are dying; people are already pushed to the limit with exorbitent property taxes and escalated homeowners insurance and now they have to pay to have their lawns replaced because the city/town/county/community does not have the foresight to have another water supply.
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Posted by ( JoeF ) on May 17, 2008 at 2:07 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The County commissioners and the P&Z board, are the ones who have been APPROVING all of this county housing growth. Remember that, this fall, at election time. We need some real change, around here. Deeds done well, speak louder than words spoken well.
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Posted by ( SpringHillConcernedCitizen ) on May 19, 2008 at 9:15 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
This guy is certifiable!! ????Contact him for machine gun and rocket propelled grenade suppliers????He truly is certifiable and I think it's time Hernando Today woke up and smelled the 'cabbage' and got rid of this article, but most especially, it's author!!!!!
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Posted by ( SpringHillConcernedCitizen ) on May 19, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Does Mr. Nash truly believe that the part about the machine gun and grenade suppliers is funny? With all of the things going on in schools; with all the shootings; one would like to believe that he has more sensitivity and intelligence than to print something so suggestive. This man needs to be banned from printing the ignorant, biased rubbish that he calls articles.
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Posted by ( anonymousgus ) on May 22, 2008 at 6:45 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Don't worry, my friends. I've reported Mr. Nash's illegal solicitation to traffic in banned firearms and explosives to the very same ATF he mocks in his "column." I trust they'll be in touch with him shortly. And he'll have no room to complain about ATF's treatment of him, for this is the ATF of the fascist regime he supported for so many years.
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Posted by ( anonymousgus ) on May 22, 2008 at 6:49 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Incidentally, Mr. Nash, before the ATF hauls your sorry a.ss to the gulag, perhaps you could tell us what you propose to do about this problem? The only solution we can see in this "column" is stricter enforcement of bans on watering. I think you're going to have to get a little tougher than that, if the issue is half as drastic as you suggest.
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Posted by ( anonymousgus ) on May 22, 2008 at 6:56 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Oh, and one other thing, good sir. Prey tell why you are willing to put all your credibility behind the science that says we are running out of water around the globe, but you remain highly skeptical of the "debatable allegations of so-called global warming"? Is it because your startlingly narrow world view cannot see past Atlanta and it's water shortage to see the rapidly disappearing glacier on Kilimanjaro, or the swiftly melting glaciers in the Arctic Circle (which, by the way, prompted your own fascist government to protect the polar bears) to offer only two tangible examples? You choose to accept the science that supports your own strange ends, and reject that which does not. Hmmm....is "John Nash" actually a pseudonym for George W. Bush on his way into Iraq?
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Posted by ( por356c ) on May 22, 2008 at 9:45 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The trouble with Mr. Cabbage & Kings is that he actually believes the dribble that he writes. He is from Planet Delusional. I can’t believe, or at least I hope that he doesn’t get paid for his draconian opinions.
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