Churchhoney

The trouble for the Duggar kids is that they may have been (totally have been, really, in my opinion) raised by people who not only are Gothard believers but are maniacal brainwashing control freaks and came into tv money that's allowed them to feather the TTH nest way better than most other Gothardites (or similar cultists) can do and seem to provide their kids with even less experience, education and training and opportunity than most Gothard types do. So the Duggarlings have to get past the cult training, their parents' personal neurotic and super-intense brainwashing, the lack of confidence they've imbibed about whether than can navigate the evil real world, their lack of skills and knowledge, and the fear of losing the cushy gig they've got. It's a lot. Plus, I swear, they really can't be too bright.

I think they did do this. Ben mostly to get sex and a tv-evangelist gig, probably, and Derick maybe to get an in on some kind of "mission" organizations that are more easily accessible that some of the bigger traditional ones as well as both just liking the taste of gravy... At the same time, though, for quite a while now many in the conservative Christian community have embraced this stupid "courtship solves all your relationship problems" thing, so I'll bet that cracked belief also played a role. Their jumping quickly at courtship situation with the great Jim Bob Duggar's (gag) and supergodly supermother Michelle's (more gag) imprimaturs on it probably doesn't seem strange at all to the fairly large number of people who seem to have swallowed this hog swill. Thankfully, more people seem to be turning aside from the whole courtship thing these days. But not, of course, the idiot control-freak Duggars.

Well, maybe there's some particular Cracker Barrel item that she especially loved and Ben or somebody hoped it might tempt her to eat a little something to help get her strength back. We all have our little favorite food items that people might use this way, I think.

Or, you know, getting jobs, training, and so on, like the very very very average people that they are. .... Amazing how that's unthinkable for these people.

Yeah, I couldn't figure that out either. ... I also laugh at their white couch. As if.

Maybe the black and white thing means they've decided to consider the kid a panda and not announce his name for 100 days. Obviously by now they have to come up with some new tricks to heighten public excitement for the big announcement, and that seems to work well for the zoos. http://www.duggarfamily.com/_cache/files/73b4a7ce-c0c2-41ee-a6e5-1488b9ea76db/img-9939-photogallery.jpg

They are if you have no respect for human individuality and are desperate to exercise you own power, though. And since the Duggar kids were raised by people who completely ignored their individuality and were clearly on big fat power trips, I expect one unfortunate consequence is that they're now itching to do the same to their own kids. All without realizing any of this or having any idea that it's a problem, of course. Sad. (And Anna was raised similarly, under the Gothard regime.)

It's whichever of these offers the best chance of more TeeVee shows. God is very invested in making sure that the Duggar ministry and mission remain on primetime TeeVee, doncha know.

Maybe they can make him wear a little striped prison jumpsuit like Baby Seewald's. Actually, maybe they can start requiring all the kids and grandkids to wear those. Jana's been dressing kind of uppity lately. Being confined to black and white striped maxidresses might protect against any ideas she might be getting, too.

The main lesson learned at the SOTDRT is that learning is of no importance. Because Jesus. Heck, Jessa was even the teacher in the One Dining Room Schoolhouse.

Because they never were all that "normal" -- in the sense of "stable" and "happy," at least. They were particularly fearful, insecure, greedy and also arrogant people, Jim Bob especially. And when he smelled a cult whose precepts cater 100 percent to his fears, insecurities and overweening desire to be the ruler of a frigging little kingdom, he jumped aboard with tremendous enthusiasm. And his expectations were fulfilled.

Of course, if that's true then the baby would be uninsured unless they took steps to insure him. So Bin had better hope he has a very healthy kid, since even the medical bills for healthy kids can be pretty hefty in the early going. ... This strikes me as something that Mr. Teenage Bride may well not realize yet.

Yeah, he does. And little does he know that he's only just been hit with about a bushel of bricks, with almost all of the ton still poised above him, in the shovel, just waiting to fall.

My theory that they're all just very stupid is looking better every day.

It's probably different if your midwife has no license to practice in the state or has a sneaking suspicion she's made some horrible error. ... Or if there's somebody else on the scene who's grabbing every possible opportunity to get featured on an upcoming reality show. Just sayin.

Just be glad he isn't carrying a loaded gun.

Yep, definitely a way grayer area than the we-don't-check-nothin-or-report-any-nuances-or-questions Radar story suggests. The dumb Duggars and the dumb online celeb "media" deserve each other. Sometimes others may be caught in the crossfire, though, and that might be the case here.

Well, between their crazytown, made-up-by-teen-molester "faith" and a lifetime spent faking every detail of their lives for "reality" tv for the Lord's greater glory, it's pretty clear that none of them has a clue where the line between fact and fiction actually lies. Either in their own enterprises or anyone else's.

Poor Jana. Does anybody really want to spend their 20s doing nothing but providing free babysitting (and mail sorting)?

Hey, maybe she could just go with that. This could be little Rocky Road Seewald. And later there could be Neapolitan and Butter Brickle.

Well, it would be weird if they weren't world's most nutso, desperate famewhores. For the Duggars, it kinda seems like par for the course. ... Like using your phone to video your kid who just fell into an orchestra pit.

I would think this if they weren't the most disgusting of 1000-percent famewhores, who need and deserve to get slapped in the face with all possible downsides of fame, information leaking and media exposure as often and as hard as possible. The idea of running your life as a series of calibrated pr events for public consumption, for money, is disgusting, especially when you bring children into it, to whom it has to be incredibly damaging. I want them to have as many media disappointments and disgruntlements as possible until something finally shocks them into stopping the madness for the next generation.

Uh-oh. That was so not my intention.

Sister (Aunt) Moms: The Next Generation

Hey, when the roll is called up yonder, Duggar photo ops will top the list of things that confer sainthood. Seriously!