Wrong Stevie, wrong

I HAVE THE GOOD FORTUNE to have some very intelligent friends, Scanner and Tony (former UN arms inspector), and they're concerned about this little piece from The National Pustule, titled "To Win, Harper Should ..."

Talk about water as the new oil and promote the idea of super-tankering or pipe-lining water from Canada to parched areas of the United States, Mexico and even perhaps to countries overseas. Less than 1% of Newfoundland's freshwater, for example, could be shipped south and yield billions of dollars annually. Ditto for Manitoba, Quebec and British Columbia, where billions of gallons now empty uselessly into oceans. It's estimated that the multi-billion dollar expenditure of any water-pipeline construction would pay for itself in a few years.

Scanner concludes

I love the "billions of gallons [of water] now empty uselessly into oceans" line. That river water couldn't possibly oxygenate fisheries or hydrate coastal basins or anything. I mean, we could get by on on 17% oxygen in the atmosphere vs. the 21% that's there now. We're practically throwing away the other 4%. We should sell it.