Albanyguy

Interesting. Is he trying to claim that TLC drives the agenda and that the Duggars are actors who say things that they don't really believe on the show?

It's a fundraiser held several times a year, sponsored by the Friends of the Governor's Mansion. They did hold one this afternoon. Open to the general public, tickets are around $50 per person. The proceeds go to restoring and maintaining the Mansion. The First Lady usually makes an appearance. They do a special children's tea at Christmas.

Never mind that the Bible does NOT say that the world is 6,000 years old (or any other age for that matter). This figure is based not on Scripture, but on the calculations of James Ussher, Anglican Bishop of Ireland (1581-1656), who counted back through the generations of Biblical characters to arrive at a conclusion regarding the earth's age. Since he claimed that he had been able to pinpoint the exact moment of the Creation, 6:00 PM on October 22, 4004 BC, I think we can take his scholarship with a grain of salt.

He has chosen his unhappiness and he has forced that unhappiness on his children, who did ask to live a life of poverty, hunger and ignorance. It may be that his batshit crazy wife is driving the family agenda, but he is a willing participant.

Admission was free, with passes from another museum. Freebies always take priority. They can't dress up in costumes for Halloween, because Jesus, but they can dress up in costumes to get free donuts from Krispy Kreme.

Every time one of the Duggars says "This is not an ad", I think "oh, yeah, it's an ad."

I think that's very perceptive and I think one reason she's been so offensive in her social media posts is that she's frustrated because she's NOT getting that kind of personal attention from her new in-laws. The Duggars are lazy, selfish and self-absorbed and, except for the occasional "We can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for you" birthday post, they really don't give a crap about the daughters-in-law. This is probably especially true for Lauren because she's married to Josiah, who has never been one of his parents' favorites. I think that Lauren was shocked and disappointed to realize how low her place on the Duggar pecking order really is.

Yes, I don't think he's faking anything here. He sounds sincere and it rings true. Coming to the realization that your whole life and belief system has been a lie must be incredibly painful and difficult to accept and take a long time to process. I find his statement easier to believe than the old Josh Duggar "Nothing is really my fault because Satan built a fortress in my heart and Jesus has forgiven me so now you have to forgive me, too" crap.

And they write such beautiful, sensitive letters.

And I think that's really the point. Keep her off-balance and insecure, making sure she realizes how lucky she is that he married her.

Wait, Ben & Jerry's isn't?

It's okay. Michelle decreed long ago that "feet aren't sexual" (except for that creepy old perv, Bill Gothard, of course).

Oh, boy, this will give the leghumpers a chance to whine about another member of the Duggar clan "being persecuted for his Christian beliefs"

Amy gets to announce her unborn baby's name in People? Jill and Jessa are going to be fuming over this!

I don't mind the use of "kiddo" if it's used genuinely as a term of affection (my mother used it occasionally when she wanted to strike a light, breezy note with us). But Anna has had children for over a decade and until a few weeks ago, she has never, to my knowledge, used the term to describe her children. It just sounds phony coming from her. She's obviously copying Joanna Gaines as she tries to craft a new social media image for herself. I think it's all part of an effort to become an "influencer" like her sisters-in-law and/or to get herself and Josh back on TV.

In the past, we've speculated that Josh (who clearly doesn't want more children, either) might slip off and have a secret vasectomy. Obviously, he hasn't and I think it's very unlikely that he ever would, if only because he's too much of a coward and lacks the opportunity. I think he's watched like a hawk, not allowed out in public without an accountability partner and not trusted to handle money on his own. Derick, on the other hand, could be a plausible candidate for a secret vasectomy. He has much more personal autonomy than Josh and I doubt that he'd have any qualms about deceiving Jill or breaking one of the strictest taboos of his faith. I think he's so firmly convinced of his own righteousness that he can justify any action he takes as God's will.

That's a good observation, but I doubt that Josh would have tried anything with Amy, even if he had been given the opportunity. She was never as passive and vulnerable as his sisters (no Gothard brainwashing) and I could seen him always being a little afraid of her.

He can try, but I think Jeremy and Derick will be able to fight really dirty to "protect" their wives' interests. Jeremy is a lot smarter than Josh (not that the bar is set very high) and Derick is a lot meaner. Jessa won't need Ben to fight for her; after years of pretending that what Josh did to her was "no big deal", she'll be ready to give him a little lesson in "payback".

She could get a really good song out of that.

"My wife, baby and I will be shopping at Trader Joe's from 12:30 to 1:45 PM. I am calling to beg you to respect our privacy during that period and to please, please, please not take our picture as we come out the door on the south- western side of the building and proceed to our car which will be parked in the second row from the left."

Same fake blonde hair, same heavy, greasy make-up, same raccoon eyes. As Elaine Stritch said "It's a look. It's not a good look, but it's a look."

But if Derick has the little room and Izzy and Sam have the big one, how will everyone know that Derick is more important than they are? I can just hear the wheels spinning in his mind: "I am the Master of the House, the Boss of Everyone! If I don't stake out the big room for myself, how will those sinful, manipulative little creatures learn to respect me and know their place in the pecking order?"

I can't believe that she took any kind of college course or earned any kind of college credit. If she had, we'd have heard about it when it happened.

Yes, we all (me, included) like to snark that "none of these people have jobs", but we sometimes overlook that "Counting On" is their job and they essentially work for TLC.

That's one thing she has in common with Michelle. All of the so-called "modesty" rules are really just an excuse for showing off. It's all "Look at me! Look at me!".