I am a big fan of the League of Women Voters. It does good work in the interest of furthering public policy discussion.

The Amarillo branch of the LWV is getting into the swing of things on Friday and Saturday with a two-day symposium/film festival on water. More to the point, the event will deal with the consequences of losing it.

World Water Day is Friday. It’s a United Nations-sponsored commemoration. I know what some folks around here are thinking: If the UN is involved, it’s got to be evil. Well, it isn’t. If anything, World Water Day should heighten our awareness of the absolute necessity water plays in sustaining our civilization. Without it, we’re toast. And that is especially true in a part of the world – the Texas Panhandle and the rest of the High Plains – which needs water to produce food for human beings to consume.

The local LWV event will occur at the Don Harrington Discovery Center. On Friday, they’re showing two films beginning at 7 p.m., “One Plastic Beach” and “Last Call at the Oasis.” “Last Call” is a longer film that sheds light on the global nature of the world water crisis. On Saturday, the film-viewing begins at 9:30 a.m., with “Watershed: Exploring a New Water Ethic for the New West,” and “Carbon Nation.” The program resumes at 1:30 p.m. with three films, “Playas: Reflections of Life on the Plains,” “Blue Obsession” and “Chasing Ice.”

My intent here is to call attention to the good work the League of Women Voters does in connection with many other national and international organizations. The United Nations role is important as well, given that every nation on the planet needs water to survive.

And no, this isn’t about governments that run some of these nations. It is true that not every government treats its people with the compassion we have to come to expect here. But the people who live under those governments’ authority need water every bit as much as the rest of us.

Thanks, League of Women Voters, for bringing this important issue to our attention.