Barricading the Great Lakes

Being farsighted public servants, the governors of six Great Lakes states have designed a defense against a weapon that hasn’t been invented. They gathered on the 40th floor of a Milwaukee building overlooking Lake Michigan on Monday to sign a mutual defense pact against water raids by Sun Belt states. The governor of Indiana didn’t attend because Indianapolis was immobilized by an excess of a semi-solid form of water. He was snowed in.

No one has offered a scheme so far to transport Great Lakes water over the Rockies. But the governors noted that the Sun Belt has stolen their industries and workers, so can water be far behind? “There has been no effort by Sun Belters to give up their climate or by California to give up its redwoods,” said Illinois’ James R. Thompson. “That’s all right. We don’t want that. But fair is fair, and Great Lakes water is not available for export.”

Never say never, as President Reagan says, but California has plenty of other peoples’ water to go after before reaching the shores of Champlain, Marquette and Paul Bunyan. There was even the great North American Water Alliance to import Yukon water, not just to the West but all the way into the Great Lakes--probably enough to make the 40-story Milwaukee building a one-story Milwaukee building.

Actually, Illinoisans do borrow our sun when they come to Disneyland. They certainly have their share of redwood decking. For now we’ll settle for the foamy stuff in the can from the land of the sky-blue waters.