Scandal Fallout - MEGA MERGE

[antwan]

I do wish that more coverage of this story included resources for people who needed to make a report... or what to do if you think something is happening to a child you know.

VERY good point. It would be nice if a PSA were released by TLC regarding abuse. Pulling the show without accepting the social responsibility of educating the general public is not very responsible at ALL, imo.

[Luvchild]

JimBob and Michelle need to do a full evaluation of their life and affiliation with these ATI camps- my sister turned fundy and used to go to these camps- but when we attended her wedding at one of their church compound s/camps (where the preacher gave her vows of submission for an hour) - the church members' kids all reminded me of Children of the Corn - bunch of freaky people - I honestly would be so scared to be at those camps with those people- and btw my sister got out! She's semi-normal now and her kids are normal

[fabkiwi06]

I wonder if this "video" is one they've used before or if they're gonna try to record one special for this conference. I can't imagine they'd video live - too many variables and they might crack on camera.

It's gonna be interesting. Last time the Duggars came through Nashville, they were all over the news. I wonder if there will be a mention at all this time? I haven't even seen our local news stations cover Josh all that much.

[SassyPants]

I find it hard to believe the children could be anywhere in person for quite a long time. If, as other people say, they are sheltered from media, would it not be a big risk to take them out? There could be people at their appearances holding up signs, shouting questions etc.

I could be naive and waaaaaaay off base, but IMO, their fans would be far more likely to show up at any appearances...the fans seem way more invested. I can imagine more signs of support vs anti-Duggars. If you peruse some of their fan sites, or look at comments on their IGs, there are many people who are angry that this show has been pulled.

For me, a person who loathes what these parents have done, and the outcomes derived, I would not waste my time pursuing the family- so not worth my time.

[Hera]

Given how many leghumpers are coming out of the woodwork to support them, I think the Duggars will always have a place at ATI. And why not, since the group was founded by a sex predator? Josh fits right in. Maybe Josh can become the new head of ATI. :ew: :disgust:

Ding, ding, ding! I think we have a winner!

It's nice to know that poor, tempted Josh will always have employment options. /sarcasm.

[SassyPants]

Ding, ding, ding! I think we have a winner!

It's nice to know that poor, tempted Josh will always have employment options. /sarcasm.

Actually, I want him employed. He has 4, soon to be 5 dependents. He needs to be supporting those people until the youngest turns 18yo.

Maybe, just maybe, this will put an end to the "however many God wants us to have" mantra coming from all the Duggars' mouths.

[Tangy Bee]

I could be naive and waaaaaaay off base, but IMO, their fans would be far more likely to show up at any appearances...the fans seem way more invested. I can imagine more signs of support vs anti-Duggars. If you peruse some of their fan sites, or look at comments on their IGs, there are many people who are angry that this show has been pulled.

For me, a person who loathes what these parents have done, and the outcomes derived, I would not waste my time pursuing the family- so not worth my time.

I'm gonna agree with Sassy. The Duggar fan base has gone world wide. I think we may be out numbered. The show has gone on so long because of the fans and people who are curious or like to poke fun. If it had not been for Jill getting married and pregnant at rapid speed, the show might have cancelled last spring. It will take a lot of big shot conservatives to speak out against what has happened. So far...only 3. Wonder what Pastor Franklin Graham has to say about all this.

[Hera]

Actually, I want him employed. He has 4, soon to be 5 dependents. He needs to be supporting those people until the youngest turns 18yo.

Maybe, just maybe, this will put an end to the "however many God wants us to have" mantra coming from all the Duggars' mouths.

I definitely don't wish that Josh's children suffer because of his actions, but I hate it that Josh will inevitably be seen as the redeemed son and long suffering hero among these people and profit from his actions, while his victims are denied any opportunity to get educated, work, escape or even express themselves.

In all honesty, I think that taking care of Josh's kids (and all of the kids his children have without thought to the realities of raising them) is Jim Bob's job. He chose this. He raised his kids to believe that unlimited procreation is the only path to heaven. He crows about not being on the state's dime. He made all of his money off of his kids (and now his kids' kids). Since the reality is that having umpteen million kids and no TV show means you need money somehow - money that uneducated people generally cannot get - then JB needs to put his money where his mouth is and support them. Not to mention that with respects to Josh's kids, JB is the one ultimately responsible for letting Josh molest his sisters for a year and then covering it up (to further his own ambition), then marrying him off to anyone who would take him, which led to Josh and his family's current situation.

[CorruptionInc.]

I definitely don't wish that Josh's children suffer because of his actions, but I hate it that Josh will inevitably be seen as the redeemed son and long suffering hero among these people and profit from his actions, while his victims are denied any opportunity to get educated, work, escape or even express themselves.

In all honesty, I think that taking care of Josh's kids (and all of the kids his children have without thought to the realities of raising them) is Jim Bob's job. He chose this. He raised his kids to believe that unlimited procreation is the only path to heaven. He crows about not being on the state's dime. He made all of his money off of his kids (and now his kids' kids). Since the reality is that having umpteen million kids and no TV show means you need money somehow - money that uneducated people generally cannot get - then JB needs to put his money where his mouth is and support them. Not to mention that with respects to Josh's kids, JB is the one ultimately responsible for letting Josh molest his sisters for a year and then covering it up (to further his own ambition), then marrying him off to anyone who would take him, which led to Josh and his family's current situation.

Exactly. JB has to reap what he has sewn.

Not my Circus, Not my Monkeys. - Polish Proverb

[AB45377]

VERY good point. It would be nice if a PSA were released by TLC regarding abuse. Pulling the show without accepting the social responsibility of educating the general public is not very responsible at ALL, imo.

I hope this idea comes to one of the TLC employees in charge of damage control! Of course last year the Duggars had someone come to their house to discuss ALL forms of child abuse hopefully viewers learned more then they did for it.

[AB45377]

Financially speaking??? We don't want the grand-kids living with him. He has demonstrated on multiple occasions he does not keep the children s best interest in mind. He should not have minors dependent on him.

[AB45377]

[Tatar-tot]

VERY good point. It would be nice if a PSA were released by TLC regarding abuse. Pulling the show without accepting the social responsibility of educating the general public is not very responsible at ALL, imo.

This is the only way they could save face. Come on TLC get with it...When life you lemons...help the victims.

[lascuba]

Actually, I want him employed. He has 4, soon to be 5 dependents. He needs to be supporting those people until the youngest turns 18yo.

Maybe, just maybe, this will put an end to the "however many God wants us to have" mantra coming from all the Duggars' mouths.

I actually think that's a very real possibility if (and this is a big if, because humanity sucks) Josh can't eventually get himself out of this hole. He's never struck me as the type to be willing to make the kind of sacrifices his parents made for their beliefs. He won't be willing to to have 10, 11, 12 children if that means living in relative obscurity in a small 3 bedroom house and wearing nothing but used or homemade clothes for the rest of his life. Basically, if he can't be ATI royalty and bring in a great income, then he's done with quiverfull.

Something else occurred to me about TLC and why they haven't cancelled the show. I think it's more that just the show's profitability and their stupid and fanatically loyal evangelical base...TLC know about the abuse from the moment the police opened up the investigation, because Jim Bob told them. And if the cancel the show, Jim Bob will damn sure tell the world that TLC was informed about everything. That, I think, would be a hell of a lot more damaging to TLC from a PR perspective than if they continue on with the show. Right now, they can point out to how young Josh was, how the police closed the investigation without either pressing charges or involving CPS, how the court ordered all records to be destroyed so, legally, it's like it never even happened. All of that is bullshit in light of all the other details of what went down and JIm Bob's political connections, but it's still all technically accurate, and enough people like the show enough to accept it without argument. It's only a matter time for some other huge scandal to come out to distract people from TLC and the Duggars, and they know this. But if it comes out that TLC knew for a fact that Josh had molested his sisters not long after it happened, that's it. That would mean that TLC sold the Duggars as this unusual but wholesome family when they knew from the beginning that it was a lie, that their old-fashioned standards didn't do the job of preventing depravity. That's not something TLC can recover from.

[AB45377]

JimBob and Michelle need to do a full evaluation of their life and affiliation with these ATI camps- my sister turned fundy and used to go to these camps- but when we attended her wedding at one of their church compound s/camps (where the preacher gave her vows of submission for an hour) - the church members' kids all reminded me of Children of the Corn - bunch of freaky people - I honestly would be so scared to be at those camps with those people- and btw my sister got out! She's semi-normal now and her kids are normal

I think JimBob and Michelle are to gone. . . it their whole identity and they are obsessed with their identity. They are brainwashed.

[singsingsing]

I wonder if Josh is going to have a moment where he questions his entire religious system/lifestyle - like where he sits back and thinks, "They told me if I played by all the rules God would bless me, but this didn't stop me from hurting my sisters, it didn't stop me from ending up overweight, exhausted, and depressed with three kids under 6 and a 4th on the way, the sole breadwinner for my family, and now it hasn't stopped me from having my horrible secret exposed, losing my job and all of my aspirations and becoming a social pariah overnight. How can this be God's Way?" Or even, "I guess God hasn't forgiven me after all if he's still punishing me - and if God's just going to keep punishing me, what's the point of trying?"

I have no idea, but huge upheavals/shocks of this sort can sometimes be the catalyst for a person to make radical changes. This could be a catalyst for any of the Duggars, really - or none of them. I guess we'll see.

[doggie]

man this is crazy

‘Christian’ Pastor Says Josh Duggar Did Nothing Wrong If Evolution Is True

Another conservative “Christian†pastor is coming to child molester Josh Duggar’s defense, and attacking evolution in the process.

Duggar touched off a media and public firestorm after it came to light that he molested his little sisters while they slept when he was a teenager. He only avoided prosecution because his parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar covered up his crimes.

But according to creationist pastor Eric Hovind, Duggar did nothing wrong and says evolution is the reason why.

On his Facebook page, Hovind wrote that the best punishment for Duggar is to force him to do everything he had been doing before the allegations surfaced, including going back to work hating gay people at the Family Research Council.

A good punishment for Josh Duggar?

Since Josh molested girls, which could damage their trust of men, which could damage their future marriage, which could damage their future family, we should make Josh Duggar work the rest of his life to help families stay together and help them recognize how twisted the world is and how God offers instruction on how to live righteously! He should be forced to push faith, family and freedom in the public showing the Christian worldview has the answers.

We should force him to get a job at the Family Research Counsel who’s mission is “to advance faith, family and freedom in public policy and the culture from a Christian worldview.â€

That would be a great punishment!

“If evolution is true, then there is no absolute right and wrong,†Hovind said. “If evolution is true Josh should not have admitted his faults over a decade ago because what one evolved bag of molecules does to another bag of molecules just doesn’t really matter. If evolution is true there is no ultimate Judge on the bench who will hold every man, woman, and child responsible for their actions. And if evolution is true you will not give an account for every idle word you speak.â€

Hovind isn’t the only conservative “Christian†to rush to the defense of a child molester. Ever since the Duggar molestation scandal broke, conservatives have circled the wagons to make excuses for him, even going so far as to claim that what he did wasn’t molestation at all.

The wife of Texas Pastor Patrick Hurd, and a member of the Quiverfull cult that the Duggars are a part of claimed that Josh Duggar was merely “playing doctor†while his sisters were sleeping.

Meanwhile, Mike Huckabee has hypocritically stood by Josh Duggar even though he has called for child molesters to face serious consequences for their crimes “no matter who does them,†referring to such crimes as “evil†and “reprehensible.†Apparently, repenting to Jesus makes it okay for Josh Duggar to escape consequences for his own “evil†acts. And in a further attempt to cover up Duggar’s crimes, an Arkansas judge connected to Huckabee ordered his official police record destroyed.

This is some seriously messed up mental ward worthy sh*t. Almost enough to make one believe that conservatives want to make pro-child molestation one of their policy planks.

[sidehugger]

I feel like there's a good chance that we'll find out tomorrow what the show's fate is. I bet TLC exec mulled this over during the long weekend and maybe came up with some sort of decision. But this is wishful thinking.

[Toothfairy]

I agree that ATI and thumpers will always support Josh. I do hope ATI is exposed. It's a dangerous cult. I also hope JB is exposed for calling in favors. proves that this is corruption.

I think th thumpers should realize reality tv isn't reality. It's an illusion. The goal of tlc is money. The duggars sucked you into their lifestyle and you fell for an illusion. Get over your favorite TV show being cancelled. If you have to look up to reality tv stars as role models or to take affect of your life, then you need help and you failed as parents

[LilahBelle]

I feel like there's a good chance that we'll find out tomorrow what the show's fate is. I bet TLC exec mulled this over during the long weekend and maybe came up with some sort of decision. But this is wishful thinking.

I agree, and I think they will drop the entire thing. MAYBE they will change things up and focus on the other married kids, such as Jill and Jessa. Maybe they'll find another fundie family.

Maybe, after this and Honey Boo Boo, they'll start vetting their families a little better.

[Cleopatra7]

I agree, and I think they will drop the entire thing. MAYBE they will change things up and focus on the other married kids, such as Jill and Jessa. Maybe they'll find another fundie family.

Maybe, after this and Honey Boo Boo, they'll start vetting their families a little better.

I think any family that is jonesing as hard for a reality show like the Duggars and the Honey Boo Boos were is dysfunctional by definition.

[JenniferJuniper]

I agree, and I think they will drop the entire thing. MAYBE they will change things up and focus on the other married kids, such as Jill and Jessa. Maybe they'll find another fundie family.

Replacing them with a new fundie family would probably do the trick. Shiny new object for the leghumpers.

[Cheetah]

man this is crazy

‘Christian’ Pastor Says Josh Duggar Did Nothing Wrong If Evolution Is True

What an idiot. It's almost like these people are putting a big neon sign on their heads that says, "The only reason I behave well is that I'm afraid of God. Otherwise I'd be out bonking my sisters and doing all kinds of crazy sh*t."

[lascuba]

I think any family that is jonesing as hard for a reality show like the Duggars and the Honey Boo Boos were is dysfunctional by definition.

I agree. Normal, healthy people don't seek out fame via reality television, especially not by making their young children's lives a spectacle.

[antwan]

It's only a matter time for some other huge scandal to come out to distract people from TLC and the Duggars, and they know this. But if it comes out that TLC knew for a fact that Josh had molested his sisters not long after it happened, that's it. That would mean that TLC sold the Duggars as this unusual but wholesome family when they knew from the beginning that it was a lie, that their old-fashioned standards didn't do the job of preventing depravity. That's not something TLC can recover from.

I disagree. I believe TLC can and will totally recover from this. People "forgot" what Woody Allen did (which was equally as bad and much worse, too, IMO) and he continues to have a long and full career of writing and producing films to this day. We are a society and culture that removes shock value, a society that "numbs" ourselves to deviant actions and heinous crimes through overexposure in the media and desensitizing in film and television. What was entertaining to us 30 years ago is absolute doldrum today. We seem to thrive on shock value as a society, and like a drug, the high is short lived and the next "fix" is what we tend to focus on, not "yesterday's news." No, I don't think TLC will have any trouble recovering from this as a network. But I also do not think the show stands even a remote chance of surviving. And given that JB (and perhaps TLC, too) sold us all a Duggar's "bill of goods," I can't say I'm disappointed. It's as it should be, finally, -reality.