Wellfleet

Well, I dunno. I guess the possibility of Josh remaining "in politics" in the future is no doubt feasible, but it just seems so very unlikely. The FRC managed before him, he was active less than two years, and they'll manage again without him now. I just don't see the draw. He doesn't have the education - he's not a thinker, or an Idea Man. And he couldn't have absorbed it at home either. He's not even an orator. He just follows the script - a script he never would have been given if his oversized family hadn't had a TV show-slash-platform of their own first.

I understand that Josh doesn't have to be visible. Of course that would be fatal. But how long could the very fact of his being involved - at whatever level - be concealed? I'm guessing not long, especially with tabloids these days eager to uncover anything possible on the Duggars. And do you really think his influence and input is SO valuable that people would risk the toxic possibility of him? Has he got the only key here? There's no one else - who's not a molester - who could achieve similar results? The whole scenario just seems ridiculously implausible.

Wholeheartedly agree. I'm not any kind of political scholar whatsoever. I've just been interested in history and politics from a relatively-young age. I'd stay in Summer nights in the 60s and 70s to watch the conventions on TV with my dad, back when they still really were conventions - and I remember seeing the 20-minute standing ovation for Bobby Kennedy in 1964, when I was 8. An extraordinary moment. What I know I've learned from 45 years of reading the news magazines, and watching the TV anchors and pundits. All of which has educated my gut as well as my brain, and my gut tells me that no one individual or group is going to hire admitted child molester Josh Duggar - officially or unofficially - in any capacity at this time. And maybe never. Josh is, IMO, politically-radioactive. It might be different if he was a world-class political operative like David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel, James Baker, Michael Deever, David Gergen etc. But he is SO not of these gentlemen. He doesn't possess any kind of access or expertise that a group or person couldn't get elsewhere - with MUCH less grief and trouble if it became known to the public.

Much sympathy on the loss of your sister, SewSumi. The idea of an animal shelter in her name is a wonderful, pro-active way to not only remember her, but to do some actual, productive good as well. I hope all your memories of your sister are warm and happy ones that make you smile...

The pea-feeding, to me, was sheer, plain, out-and-out laziness - although there's no doubt there isn't any sense in this group either...

Happy - your stories are making me wish I had lived in your neighborhood when I was a kid. Even though I adored where I did live, along the southern shore of Lake Ontario in New York State - just 12 feet and a concrete breakwall away from the Lake...

So true. I bawled like a baby when the Captain, Mr Green Jeans died too. They were very much part of my everyday childhood - for years - and it was heartbreaking to lose a portion of that. Bless them all for the wonderful things they brought to kids everywhere.

Your brother was a smart kid, lookeyloo. I just took a quick look at 'Ding Dong School' Miss Frances making a peanut butter, banana and lettuce sandwich on YouTube. And she would have gotten on my last baby nerve too. Bore-ring!

No churchhoney, you didn't. Sorry, I think I grabbed the wrong quote by mistake. I hate posting a reply without having the correct quote in the first place, so people can follow along intelligently, but it looks like I'm guilty this time. Mea culpa...

I agree that Josh received severance - not that he deserved it - but that he did get it. And cannot comprehend any reason why they'd actually pay him to both work - and not work - for them either. In the first place, if that kind of news should leak, and it would seem very leakable, it would not only look bad, it'd look stupid on FRC's part. In the second place, he was hired to be the public face of FRC for a reason - he hasn't the education, skills or experience most if not all their other employees have. What on earth could he do behind-the-scenes that someone else isn't already doing? And if FRC wants entree to the Gothard group, why can't they themselves invite David Waller to lunch? Why do they need a Josh for something like that?

I don't actually remember watching "Ding Dong School" but my mother says I was absolutely enthralled by it.

Although I have no doubt this is true, I really don't think Josh will be getting himself any job in the near future. If he finds employment in the next few months, it's nearly a given - IMO at least - it will be via Boob's hyuck-hyuck good old boy connections. From Boob himself, or a friend of Boob, or a friend of a friend. Or some other family member. Maybe John-David needs help with the towing business? Or the Kellers will unearth something in Florida for him.

OMG, the Captain was my guy! I loved - loved - loved his show! Even as a college student, I would still tune in on Thanksgiving morning to see the Captain and Mr Green Jeans setting the table and getting things ready for their dinner. Right before all the big Thanksgiving parades were shown on CBS. And some of the most beloved books in my collection I learned about from the Captain - Make Way for Ducklings, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, Caps for Sale. Oh, major flashback! LOL.

You can see a LOT of old TV shows, commercials etc on YouTube, even things from 1940s television. Even old game shows which, BTW, are a hoot. I haven't checked but I'd be surprised if "You Are There" - was not there.

Love this list! But for my family it was Lassie, Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and Ed Sullivan on Sunday nights. And I went to Catholic schools so there were virtually no men anywhere. Just lay teachers who were mostly unmarried females - and nuns. Honest to goodness, habit-wearing nuns!

Oh, psych! I had completely forgotten about SRA. We didn't get it at my school until I was in 5th or 6th grade [1966-68] but I do remember going through the whole set of colors for my level quite quickly. The reading teacher had to figure out something else for me and the others that had finished at that point. We were all girls, and I think we ended up reading Gone With the Wind. I loved it but have to admit, I didn't understand ALL of it at that time. Great memories though.

Very true, and yet another example of their hypocrisy. If another family sent the wife out to earn - especially a wife of child-bearing years - it would be very wrong. In their case however, it's perfectly acceptable - because they're the the very special Duggars.

Exactly right. No, missions are certainly not supposed to be profit-making excursions for missionaries, but let's say this happens. For argument's sake, Derrick and Jill receive $100K in lunkhead, leghumper contributions for this 2015 mission trip to Honduras, but end up needing only $10K for living expenses for six months of work - and they return to AK after their stint is over. What do we think would happen to the excess funds? Not that we'd ever know what the total turned out to be or that there WERE excess funds. I think it's abundantly clear that the $$ would stay in a Dillard or Duggar account to future use. This is why I don't have one iota of concern about post-cancellation hard times for the Duggars. I think there is much more $$ there than any of us would reasonably guess right now.

On my MacBook Pro, there's nothing about subscribing or paying anything at all, although I have AdBlock which might be considering the "Gib us your dollars..." message as an ad. ?? And there's a tab or whatever labeled Merch, but if you click it, you get asked for a password. ?? I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find them selling things online in the very near future.

I think what makes people the angriest is where tax dollars should go, with charitable donations a distant second.

I see what you mean about the smile, but it's Josh's eyes I really noticed. I must say, I hope Anna actually is doing the driving, even though as a woman who's just been through childbirth, he should be driving her around instead.

This has been my own line of thinking regarding Me-chelle for a long time as well. I believe if a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist ever got a crack at her - for a sufficiently-long enough period of time - this would likely end up being a significant part of his/her findings.

Yes - so add proctology to the list of skills that PR person's going to need.

Good grief. I guess I'm just hoping the Christmas music wasn't played in the same "styling" as the wedding march was at the last two Duggar weddings...

100% agree and very well-said too, church honey. I've always had the same impression. Boob talks a good game about preparing his offspring for life of their own, but everything he does says "they'll never BE on their own..." He wants to be in charge of those kids - every last one of them - in all ways and for as long as he's physically and mentally able. He thinks of them literally as his ticket to Heaven.