3 is enough

Just read the People article. Pretty much the same stuff that was online, but they did address Christian patriarchy, Bill Gothard, and Quiverfull. Also, the "source close to the family" said that "there's not a lot of difference between what they are doing and a cult". Finally a mainstream publication, fluffy as it is, is actually addressing what we have known for years. Oh, and they quoted Amy, who went to pray with them and gave Anna "the biggest hug on the planet". Guess we know who the "source" is. I got the cover with the heroes too. I will check the copies at the grocery store the next time I go. I have to say, having airline points that were about to expire came at a really good time. My subscription started just as Joshgate 1.0 broke. I would not have forked out the money for People if it wasn't free. Oh, and only 3 letters about the Jill and Jessa story last week. People are praying for them, and one reader said they needed peace, not more exposure.

The end of the courtship was not announced until after the show was formally cancelled. There is some speculation that that was the straw that broke the camel's back, while others think that Marjorie's family agreed to postpone the announcement until things died down after the scandal broke. Marjorie just might be the type to spill the details in the future.

People would still watch the Duggars. Maybe not leghumpers, but those who disagree with everything they stand for would enjoy seeing their downfall. Isn't the main attraction of most "reality tv" the freak factor? People watch and think, "My life might suck, but at least I am not those people". Of course the show would have to change, and show more conflict. A rehash of 19 Kids and Counting where they go on about how special they are and show the same boring stuff over and over would not work. And I doubt Jim Bob would ever agree to show the real goings-on in the TTH. But you never know. People desperate for money do desperate things, and with all those kids and grandkids to support his funds won't last forever.

The STD that Josh would really have to worry about is Chlamydia. It is very common, most people who have it have no symptoms, and if passed on to a baby in utero can cause eye infections and pneumonia. The kicker is that if it goes undiagnosed in a woman, it can cause serious, permanent damage to a woman's reproductive system, making it impossible for her to get pregnant. Anna better get tested ASAP. How ironic would it be if Josh's messing around actually stopped the baby train?

I think he thought he wanted the life at the beginning, albeit without 19 kids, and after a few years and a couple of kids the novelty wore off. Then going to Washington and meeting people outside the circle he just felt more and more trapped. I think the first Ashley Madison account was opened in 2011? So probably after Michael was born- he started to think, "oh crap, this shit is getting REAL", and he started panicking and ramped up from the porn. The signs that he wasn't totally on board with his parents' lifestyle were there: the big screen tv, the fact that he kept saying 2 or 3 kids would be fine. When the FRC came calling it must have been a dream come true. I think he really did love Anna, but in the real world she would have been his high school sweetheart, he would have outgrown her, and always remembered her fondly. But with 4 kids he could not leave. Should he have insisted on birth control? Of course. But at the end of the day, we don't know what really was going through his head, what was really going on at home when the cameras were off, or how much he parents and the cult messed him up. That doesn't excuse his cheating, and don't even get me started on the molestation, but I think this is a really screwed up individual. I always had a bit of a soft spot for Josh. His smugness, sanctimoniousness, and politics made me see red, but he is the same age as my daughter, and I couldn't help comparing their lives. While he was getting married, she was away at university, when he had 2 kids, she was starting medical school, when Joshgate I broke, she was graduating, moving in with her fiance, and getting ready to start her residency. She is getting married in the spring, they are very happy, and have no plans to start a family any time soon. I think that is the type of life Josh really wanted, and it is so sad that his parents were so indoctrinated in the cult that the possibility that any of their children wanted a different life never occurred to them.

Joy will be 18 at the end of October. She should be done with school by now, but who knows? Josiah got his GED before he was shipped off to ALERT ( or between sentences, I can't really remember.) The Duggars used to make a bit a a big deal about that, probably as FU Interwebz moments. They had parties for Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, and Josiah when they got their GEDs. Can't remember if it was on the show or just online- TLC used to have short videos in between seasons to keep the interest up. Joy may have fallen through the cracks due to the weddings, pregnancies, and Joshgate. Or maybe she never did graduate. I think she was the first of the casualties of the sharp drop in schooling when the show started. I remember seeing her reading a book that was way below grade level on camera, and there was a debate online as to whether she was that far behind or that she just grabbed the first book she saw for the cameras.

Wonder if Jim Bob gave Josh an ultimatum: Finish the program or I cut you off without a penny. I don't think Anna is in Illinois. People were speculating if JD flew her and the kids to see Priscilla, but then someone pointed out that the plane is too small for that many passengers.

Point taken. But this place is NO Betty Ford Center.

Guess that's why it costs $7500 for a 6 month stay- no professionally trained staff and no food. The "inmates" are responsible for cleaning and maintenance. Sweet scam- somebody is making a nice chunk of change . Yes! Let the national media run with this one. Or tell John Oliver and his Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Exemptions about it ;) Oh Jim Bob. Always looking for the cheapest alternative.

Oh, please, please, please, let the mainstream media pick up on the details of this sham facility. Josh "get a job" Duggar on food stamps? Oh the irony!

DD and her psychiatrist fiance are coming over for dinner tonight. Can't wait to ask him what he thinks about this latest development. phoenix62: Just further proof that there is no real therapy going on in that facility. You are so right, it really is sad.

Best comment of the day!

"Faith-based" rehab. Cause we all know how well that worked the first time... There is no hope for these idiots. None. My heart breaks for the rest of the Duggar sons, as well as Josh's two boys. How many of them will have issues as well? And the girls- they will never get the help they need. Jim Bob and Michelle are officially the worst parents ever. Hope they burn in hell for what they have done to their kids. I wish someone could swoop in, grab all the kids and send them to a deprogramming camp- Josh, Anna, Jessa and Ben included. Glad Derick and Jill are far away. Hopefully his mom can talk some sense into them. Or his step-dad, who seems to have no use for JB & M.

Where did you see this ?

Maybe Josh has been banned from using his phone and accessing the internet. But surely Jim Bob, as image-conscious as we all know him to be, would have had enough sense to shut down Josh's social media accounts? Guess he subscribes to the " there is no such thing as bad press" school of thought. And seriously? Josh is a 27 year old man. The thought that Daddy is still calling all the shots is just so wrong. Josh has done a lot of terrible things, and he is 100% responsible for his choices. But did it ever occur to Jim Bob and Michelle that maybe if he had been allowed a normal childhood and adolescence, he would not have gone down that path?

I took one for the team and went to Josh's Instagram account to see if he was dumb enough to post evidence of being in Philly back in the early spring. Did not find anything, but wow, every single post has comments calling him a disgusting pig. Why the hell does he not close the account? Or at least go private? I am just baffled. Apparently there is some sort of fundie rehab facility near Gothard headquarters. Maybe Josh went there? Guessing In Touch reached out to him for a comment before the story broke so he knew it was coming. Jim Bob probably went ballistic and sent him packing. I would bet anything they are hoping for some "exclusive interview" after rehab- the beginning of the "Josh Redemption Tour".

Well, there is the one son-in-law who left Gothard and leads a normal life, so I guess Mr. Keller is only batting .750. And then there is Suze, who is a single mom. At least 2 of the 5 daughters are ok. And Daniel left the cult too. No idea about the 2 younger sons, but I would say that the Kellers aren't exactly a shining example of a Gothard family.

Watched the video. Certainly silly and cringe-worthy, but at least they appear to be having fun and not taking themselves seriously. I guess it's a step up from running screaming through the TTH. I feel so bad for these kids. So stunted and socially awkward through no fault of their own. They do seem to be doing the best they can with the few freedoms and education they have been allowed to have.

But, but- THE FANS! He had to apologize to HIS FANS! ;P Oh yeah, and his wife too... The apology came across as a desperate attempt to save the Duggar brand. Period.

Jer and Jed will be 17 in December. Sure, the video looks juvenile, but what else do they have to do? I imagine homeschooling for them is pretty much done. It is just criminal that those kids have been denied a basic education. The twins seem to be more intelligent than most of their siblings. Such a waste of potential, but I guess when you are numbers 9 and 10 of 19 you will get lost in the shuffle. As the kids get older I just despise Jim Bob and Michelle more and more. What horrible parents they are.

JD is probably cursing his brother to hell. And I hope he has the balls to tell Jim Bob that he is 25, self-supporting, and no way are you going to take my phone and internet just because my douche of a brother couldn't keep it in his pants.

IIRC, Anna has a bachelor's degree in early childhood education from some unaccredited online Christian school, so it isn't worth much in the real world. This second scandal does prove, IMO, just how potentially disastrous the whole practice of courting, marrying young, and pumping out lots of babies ASAP really can be. Josh really, really, really, wanted sex and he married the first girl who would have him, because that was the only acceptable way for him to get what he wanted. I think he did love Anna, but instead of having a few years of couple time, she was pregnant within a few months. Safe to say their sex life probably took a bit of a hit. Then came the baby, and anyone who has had a baby knows how that changes things in the bedroom. Then ANOTHER baby, and ANOTHER- he's only 25 and has THREE little ones- Anna is tired all the time, the kids wake up at inopportune times, and he is wondering what the hell happened. Maybe she didn't exactly refuse him, but it just wasn't the same-more hurry up and finish before someone wakes up or comes wandering in. Not excusing his actions for one second- I still think he is a supreme douche bag- but I also do not think he was prepared for the reality of married life, Gothard style. I always got the impression he was never on board having a huge family- he always said 2 or 3 would be fine. But he essentially had no choice in the matter. No education and dependent on Daddy to earn a living, and having 3 kids in 4 years- he was somewhat trapped. The whole situation is just so sad, and although he is ultimately responsible for his actions, his upbringing did him no favors.

Another disturbing element no one has mentioned- the Ashley Madison accounts date back to the mold house, when they were living off the car lot profits (and TLC money, I know). I got the impression things were a bit tight financially for them back then, but he still wasted $$$ on his "secret life"? Puts me in mind of JB's disgusting waste of money on the failed senate run while his wife and kids were packed like sardines in a too-small house. Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

People and Us both have the statement on their sites. Wonder if any of the leg humpers can bring themselves to defend him now. Actually, I think there is a very real possibility that he may do something drastic. This is rock bottom.

The link is not working for me. Says the page has been taken down.