The movie, Ice Pirates, while seemingly a stupid but funny comedy, is in fact a prophetic masterpiece. Gradually, greedy entrepreneurs and corporations are stealing away the water of the world. Some are fighting back--see Activists Launch Global Offensive Against Water-Guzzling Multinational Companies. In the article, Vandana Shiva (Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology) says that Coca Cola and Suez Degremont "are the prime exploiters of global water resources. Suez leads in privatization of water in most countries and Coca Cola leads in having conflicts with local people over groundwater mining." Also quoted is the Polaris Institute's Tony Clarke:

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are giving a big push to privatization of water. But the money with the World Bank is public money, so it should be used for public work. People are not aware of this. We want to pressure the Bank into supporting public water utilities and respecting the human right to water.

We can fight this by protesting, or by commiting to a life of ice piracy.

The privatization of water will also help realize Frank Herbert's vision in his story, Dune. The characters live in a world where water is the rarest of resources. They wear Stillsuits, described by Herbert in the following:

It's basically a micro-sandwich - a high-efficiency filter and heat-exchange system. The skin contact layer's porous. Perspiration passes through it, having cooled the body... near-normal evaporation process. The next two layers include heat-exchange filaments and salt precipitators. Salt's reclaimed.

Motions of the body, especially breathing, and some osmotic actions provide the pumping force. Reclaimed water circulates to catchpockets from which you draw it through this tube in the clip at your back.

Urine and feces are processed in the thigh-pads. In the open desert, you wear this filter across your face, this tube in the nostrils with these plugs to insure a tight fit. Breathe in through the mouth filter, out through the nose tube. With a Fremen suit in good working order, you won't lose more than a thimblefull of moisture a day - even if you're caught in the Great Erg...

Properly suited, your forehead cap tight, all seals in order, your major water loss is through the palms of your hands.

That doesn't sound too nice. Let's just stop those bastards from stealing our water--before it's too late.