November Meme: Day 16 - Your First Kiss

Day 16 - My First Kiss

My first kiss was also my first love. At fifteen years old, I felt as though I was the only girl in my class who hadn't been kissed. Even my father made a mocking comment about being "Almost-sixteen and never been kissed." It was mid-October 1996 when I started really dating Dark-Haired Boy. We'd shared a couple of pecks on the lips and cheeks, but I still hadn't had my French kiss.

One weekend afternoon we were at his house watching movies and sitting on the couch. Well, being 15 and 17, we snuggled and started to kiss. He was very aware that I'd never been kissed before, that I was nervous as hell, and that I feared being really bad at it. Thankfully, Dark-Haired Boy took it slow and before I knew it, I had my first real kiss.

And I hated it.

Yes, me of all people hated her first kiss. In fact, I was pretty much convinced that I was never ever, ever, ever going to do that again. It wasn't that he was a bad kisser -- far from it. Sure, I've had better since, but he totally wasn't bad at it, and not that I knew any better being a kissing virgin and all. It was simply that I wasn't accustomed to having someone else's tongue in my mouth and, well, I'd built up this idea of what a kiss should be like in my head, and as usual real life wasn't quite like the fantasy. About the only good thing I can say about it is that at least it wasn't as disasterous as my first attempt at sex.

Three weeks later, when he was dropping me off at home, I turned the tables, took charge, and kissed him. For some reason, I really enjoyed it then and I learned just how intimate a kiss could feel. Needless to say, I changed my mind about kissing and to this day I find I still enjoy making out quite a bit.

( The Meme )

Um, I don't think that's how this works...

I'm reading this article andI'm alternating between laughing in disbelief and wondering where I can find a few billion dollars to invest in finding another planet I can go live on to get away from this bizarro world. I'm also wondering how it is this man was elected to Congress.

U.S. Representative John Shimkus, possible future chairman of the Congressional committee that deals with energy and its attendant environmental concerns, believes that climate change should not concern us since God has already promised not to destroy the Earth.

[...]

Shimkus already serves on the committee. During a hearing in 2009, he dismissed the dangers of climate change and the warnings of the scientific community by quoting the Bible.

First, he noted God’s post-Flood promise to Noah in Genesis 8:21-22.

“Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though all inclinations of his heart are evil from childhood and never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.

“As long as the earth endures, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never cease.”

“I believe that’s the infallible word of God, and that’s the way it’s going to be for his creation,” Shimkus said.

Then he quoted Matthew 24:31.

“And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of the heavens to the other.”

“The Earth will end only when God declares it’s time to be over. Man will not destroy this Earth. This Earth will not be destroyed by a Flood,” Shimkus asserted. “I do believe that God’s word is infallible, unchanging, perfect.”

As commenters were pointing out over on Shakesville, God said he wouldn't destroy the earth; he said nothing about humans effectively crapping in their own sandboxes. Furthermore, climate change won't destroy the world, just make it nigh impossible for humans and many other species to survive. Life and the Earth will continue on in one form or another after we're gone.

I spent some of my life going to Southern Baptist churches, and so many times I heard, "God helps those who help themselves," and, "You have to meet God halfway." What Shimkus seems to be saying is that we can do whatever we want and God will just tolerate us fucking up his creation. Um, yeah, how about no? Old Testement Jehova had no problem with wiping Sodom and Gommorah off the map. He only said he wouldn't flood the entire world again.

While I suppose the matter of climate change can be considered something that is a heated debate in the scientific community, I still don't think the best approach to this or any matter of environmental and energy concern is to just leave it up to "man upstairs." I'm not Christian, but I am someone who believes there are so-called higher powers at play and I happen to believe we humans were given brains for a reason. We have science, math, and a myriad of other tools at our disposal. I'd think any god/dess would be infinitely more pleased if we used what we were given rather than rely wholly on them to save our asses in the end. Also, there's the whole issue with the fact that Shimkus is leaving all this up to a God who may or may not exist and who is not worshipped by every single American.

Between the Tea Party and remarks like this, I think we should put a generator over Thomas Jefferson's grave. He's got to be spinning enough now that he could give us a wonderful alternative energy source.