Meet John Shimkus

I have to admit, despite the fact that I try to stay informed of political goings-on, I have never heard of Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL). And now that I have, I'd like to introduce you to him if you haven't made his acquaintance already.

Last March, Shimkus inferred that climate change is a myth by stating that sea levels will not rise and that God would never destroy the earth through a flood again, as stated in Genesis 8:21-22 and 9:11. Clearly, Shimkus is anti-science, but perhaps the most frightening aspect of Shimkus is that he aspires to chair the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Furthermore, he recently sent a letter to his colleagues in which he states that he is "uniquely qualified among a group of talented contenders to lead the Energy and Commerce Committee."

One could only assume that such a person is well-studied in climate change, energy production, and commerce. Of course, he has none of these credentials, but he does have a teaching certificate from Christ College in Irvine, CA. However, to be fair, he also has an MBA from Southern Illinois University.

So we have now reached a point in our political system where a Bible-thumping, climate-change denier who gets kick-backs from the oil industry with no scientific background in energy production or climate change seeks to take the wheel of our nation's energy policies.

I don't know about you, but this man makes me a wee bit nervous.