mynextmistake

That would be amazing. An instant thirteenth vote for guilty! The body language in that clip is really interesting. Josh is not only not holding Anna’s hand (which would be he natural thing to do if you are trying to impress the media with how much you care about your wife who is so pregnant she might squat down on the sidewalk and pop your baby out at any moment) but the hand next to her is actually in his pocket. Either she refused to take his hand, or he really didn’t want to take hers. I can’t imagine it was the former, so I’m guessing he didn’t want to hold hands with her. I think, on some level, Josh fundamentally hates Anna for being the constantly pregnant, clingy, creepy-eyed, vapid shackles that have kept him in the dungeon that is his life. Which isn’t fair, of course, because she didn’t make him look at CSA images, but still. I don’t think he’s ever cared a bit about her or any of their 11 billion M kids. Meanwhile Anna just keeps getting clingier and more vapid because she’s desperate to keep him. I’d feel sorry for her if she wasn’t such a dumb bitch.

Hell, he probably likes it. I don’t think marriage to Anna followed by a zillion blessings was ever what Josh wanted. I think if he’d had his druthers, Josh would gotten a job in conservative politics, dated around a bit, and eventually married some kind of lower-rent Kayleigh McEnany type who would have been happy with a couple of kids, max. But Josh needed JB and Michelle’s $$$ and fame to get anywhere close to the kind of life he wanted, and they told him that his end of the bargain was getting married to a nice Gothard-approved girl so he would have an outlet for his “urges” and would stop embarrassing the family. So he married mousy bumpkin Anna and became the reluctant father of a new kid every couple of years. For a few years he probably felt like even despite that he could still have some semblance of the life he wanted, but then he messed up the FRC job and had to come home with his tail between his legs. Being trapped back in Bumfuck, Arkansas, working on a used car lot and coming home to an exhausted wife, a passel of screaming toddlers and a house that smells like baby shit 24/7 was probably his worst nightmare. The Reber’s place is probably like paradise in comparison — no kids, no chores, Anna coming over every day to cook his meals and be joyfully available. The idea of going to jail is probably still scary, but he probably doesn’t mind his current situation a bit.

Are you an attorney? If not, what is the source of your information? True crime TV series and podcasts have made many people think prosecutorial misconduct is far more common than it is. It’s not that common. You just don’t hear about the cases where the prosecution complies with discovery requests and does everything else by the book, because those cases aren’t exciting enough to make for good media. It’s the sensational ones with a clear villain that get all the press. Perhaps this statistic will be helpful — data taken from U.S. federal courts of appeal show that fewer than 7% of criminal appeals end up in a reversal of conviction. 93+ percent of the time, someone who gets convicted stays convicted. https://www.uscourts.gov/news/2016/12/20/just-facts-us-courts-appeals

Late to the party, but Fern? I guess their ten girls are all going to end up with botanical names. These seem popular among fundies lately — Josie Bates Balka named her girls Willow and Hazel. Eliana (usually spelled with one N) means “God has answered,” so I guess that’s the biblical connection?

I think I missed something...

I haven’t seen anything suggesting they plan to remove Izzy from public school. He seemed to do well there. I believe Sam is 4 or almost 4? So he could do preK this year, if they have public preK in Arkansas.

My dog, who to be fair is possibly the stupidest dog in the history of time, once ate a psychedelic mushroom she found growing in our backyard. My husband found her with little bits of it clinging to her muzzle. The entire way to pet emergency, she stared at the backseat of the car and barked at things only she could see. Then, when we got there and I let her out of the car, she dove to the ground and covered her head with her front paws, as though she was being bombed from above. They pumped her stomach and she was fine, although it took her a loooooong time to sleep off her trip. I like that the books in the picture are age-appropriate and seem to be about topics other than Jesus. I think some Bible stories are fine for kids (we have a 70s era Noah’s Ark that Mini Mistake adores), but I think it’s great that Jill’s letting Sam read things he probably enjoys rather than forcing him to recite scripture like Jessa does with her kids.

I’m amazed that Jill let the girl who is second from the right out of the house in that skintight baseball T. Even with the frumpy jersey maxi skirt, she looks like a normal teenager! People might look at her instead of Jill! That’s just not acceptable!

Lundyn? Eek. I don’t know which explanation is more horrifying — that her parents chose that creative spelling or that they thought that was actually how “London” is spelled.

Marjorie also had ambitions beyond marrying at 18 and spending 20 years breeding for Jesus. She graduated from an actual accredited college and has a job. I always thought the courtship was something her parents pushed her into and the Josh revelations just gave her an excuse to back out that her parents couldn’t argue with.

Well, Anna’s not going to get any more pregnant than she already is!

How old is Gracie? I’d be kind of surprised if she was pregnant again this fast after having such a miserable pregnancy last time. They’re attending a normal SBC church, not a Gothard fundie one, so birth control might be on the table. I’ve always wondered if Gothard made exceptions for maternal health. I had severe HG with Mini Mistake and that, coupled with some other pregnancy/birth complications, is the reason she’s an only. My OB basically said I should stop at one or “we might not be as lucky next time.” Does anyone know if this would be allowed under Gothard rules?

Anna is already 33, so a 5-7 year sentence could at least spell an end to the baby train. Her mom only had nine kids, and she herself doesn’t seem to be super fertile like Kendra. With the exception of M1 and M2, who were only 20 months apart, she’s had a kid every two years, which is pretty normal spacing even for non-fundie couples (they just generally stop after 2 or 3). If Josh isn’t out until she’s 39 or 40, there would probably only be one other kid at the most.

I wonder if any of the Duggars *truly* believe that Josh was set up, or whether that’s just what they need to tell themselves to sleep at night. The fact is that this behavior didn’t come from left field — it’s not like Joe (no shade on Joe, I just chose him at random) was caught with CSA images on his computer and everyone was like “wow, I never saw that coming.” Josh has a history of molesting underage girls. It is not in any way unbelievable that he would be caught with these images. It’s not even that surprising. So for all their talk of Satan and Jesus and forgiveness and repentance, does anyone think JB or MIchelle truly believe that prayer was enough to fix Josh? They both seem worldly enough that they would realize that’s not how this works. So do most of the older kids and their spouses. They (especially JB and MIchelle) might be claiming they think he was set up to save face, but I very much doubt any of them believe it. Anna might have actually talked herself into believing he was set up, because believing the reality would make it necessary for her to acknowledge that her husband is a monster and that she’s a shitty mother, but she’s the only one I think might truly believe Josh is being framed.

Abbie looks pregnant, but that might just be the cut of her top.

Several months ago I saw a summary of a Facebook live or something where someone asked the Duggar sisters who was “the most.” IIRC, they said Jinger was the most devout and Joy was the most conservative. Maybe Carlin is helping her loosen up. It’s too bad she and Jill aren’t close anymore though; Joy was her first buddy and I think that relationship meant a lot to Jill.

Why is Nurie wearing a satin bridesmaid’s dress to church? And why is she trying to cradle a non-existent bump? She’s what, ten weeks? The baby’s roughly the size of a prune. She looks like she just ate a little too much at the post-service trip to Golden Corral. I’ve got a bigger bump than that and I haven’t been pregnant in 5 years.

The pass rate for first time takers of the AR Bar is 70-85% depending on year. Derick seems bright enough. If he does bar review I think he’ll probably pass. I am very interested to see what he chooses to do with his degree.

Jill looks great in that red dress. Congratulations to Derick for graduating from law school!

Thanks! I did, yes. I love writing and get basically no chance to do it at my day job (RN) so it’s fun to do these little vignettes sometimes.

“This evening’s special is our incomparable deconstructed potato terrine, which you might have seen featured on television. It’s made from diced and pressed shade-grown potatoes sautéed until crispy in a unique blend of vegetable oils, then combined with farm-to-table beef, champignon blanc mushrooms, locally-sourced onions, cream, and a proprietary blend of savory spices and oven-baked until golden brown. It’s served with homemade bread and a huge green salad, and we’re offering it for $39.99.”

Waiter: “Tonight we’re offering a lovely locally-sourced bisque made with organically preserved champignon blanc mushrooms blended with cream and a sprinkle of coarsely ground enriched salt. It’s served with classically-prepared crispy flatbread and is priced at $19.” Jeremy: I’ll take it! Chef: Slops can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom into a cup and tosses a few packages of Premium soda crackers on the saucer.

You mean besides Anna?

Were those waffle fries really worth it, Josh? Were they?

So many unintentionally hilarious moments here. My favorite “My phone rang. It was Ben. ... He convinced me to come back to the campus and pick him up.” Ben: Uh, sorry you’re heartbroken, dude, but can I still get a ride?