Sweet Fellowship: Duggars and Friends (aka the Bates Family and Other Featured Families Thread)

[latetotheparty]

7 hours ago, Marigold said:

I forgot to tell you guys...

I'm on a closed FB page for homeschoolers and who pops up but Jill Rod.  Made some show off post about how she has finished preparing lesson plans for the ENTIRE year for ALL of her kids and how she feels SO GOOD to be so prepared with a new baby on the way.  Posted pictures of all her books, curriculum etc.  Then briefly mentioned their MINISTRY. 

Of course, some people gushed and she just basked in the praise by graciously answering ALL their questions so PATIENTLY. 

I imagine she posted the same post on 25 closed homeschooling pages. 

I wish you'd asked her if she'd planned an actual meal for her emaciated children. 

[louannems]

4 hours ago, Normades said:

Yes, help shouldn't be tied to pushing your religious agenda.  We have a church in my area and they offer food to the homeless once a week, which is very nice, however they must sit through a long sermon before being fed.  I find that so manipulative.  If you want to feed the hungry, great, but no strings attached.  Why not offer the food first and allow those who wish to sit through the sermon to do so?

My smallish city has lots of homeless people.  7 different churches serve dinner every night of the week.  All different denominations alternate.  Anyone at all can just show up and be served dinner, no questions asked.  And...no sermon!

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, louannems said:

My smallish city has lots of homeless people.  7 different churches serve dinner every night of the week.  All different denominations alternate.  Anyone at all can just show up and be served dinner, no questions asked.  And...no sermon!

I live in a big city that has the highest poverty rate in the country (or it did last I heard).  I also served on the board of a local church that offers showers and meals for the homeless.  At no time was anyone obligated to do anything, not say a prayer, not take a pamphlet and certainly not attend a sermon in order to use our facilities.  Never.  The church is open and there is a Mass that happens right before the meal starts, but it is open to anyone and is not a part of the charitable works.  Nor should it be.  We did find that many of our clients came early to hear Mass before eating and showering, but that was completely their choice, just as it is anyone's choice to attend church or not.  I think most of the people on the board where I served, as well as the priests and nuns who worked at the church and school, would be absolutely appalled at making poor people 'pay' for basic human needs like food and showers.

[kokapetl]

10 hours ago, Normades said:

Yes, help shouldn't be tied to pushing your religious agenda.  We have a church in my area and they offer food to the homeless once a week, which is very nice, however they must sit through a long sermon before being fed.  I find that so manipulative.  If you want to feed the hungry, great, but no strings attached.  Why not offer the food first and allow those who wish to sit through the sermon to do so?

What a bunch of scumbags. That’s not helping the homeless, that’s chumming the water.  

Edited October 3, 2017 by Kokapetl

[Westiepeach]

9 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I live in a big city that has the highest poverty rate in the country (or it did last I heard).  I also served on the board of a local church that offers showers and meals for the homeless.  At no time was anyone obligated to do anything, not say a prayer, not take a pamphlet and certainly not attend a sermon in order to use our facilities.  Never.  The church is open and there is a Mass that happens right before the meal starts, but it is open to anyone and is not a part of the charitable works.  Nor should it be.  We did find that many of our clients came early to hear Mass before eating and showering, but that was completely their choice, just as it is anyone's choice to attend church or not.  I think most of the people on the board where I served, as well as the priests and nuns who worked at the church and school, would be absolutely appalled at making poor people 'pay' for basic human needs like food and showers.

St. Augustine by chance?

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Westiepeach said:

St. Augustine by chance?

St. Malachi, but St Augustine is another great church serving the poor. My current church has a volunteer group that does the meal at St Augustine a couple times a month; providing all the food and servers.   I'm not a member of either one, BTW and its been many years since I served on the board of Malachi Center.

BTW, if anyone here travels a lot and makes a habit of collecting those little bottles of shampoo and soaps from hotels; places that offer showers or homeless shelters love to get them as donations.  It's really nice to be able to give someone their own toiletries and to let them take some with them for the road.

Edited October 3, 2017 by doodlebug

[Sew Sumi]

Duggars plane update. 

Somehow, the plane got to Punta Canta (we don't receive every alert, so I don't know how the plane got there from San Juan). It is scheduled to fly to Aguadilla in about an hour. Does anyone know about this city? 

[Lunera]

5 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Duggars plane update. 

Somehow, the plane got to Punta Canta (we don't receive every alert, so I don't know how the plane got there from San Juan). It is scheduled to fly to Aguadilla in about an hour. Does anyone know about this city? 

The CNN article I read said there are are 60,000 people there with no running water, cell service, or electricity. FEMA hasn't delivered supplies there so people have to drive hours to San Juan to get assistance. 

According to Laura's gofundme they aren't bringing supplies but a small group of EMT trained people to help with rescue and relief efforts for the stranded. 

[SMama]

If they are truly helping then good. If they start passing out tracks, hopefully someone will set them straight. Bad enough that the island got a huge dose of insults early this morning. If anyone here watched 45’s presser, I have a question. What the heck was up with the abrupt end? Husband was home on a break and we were astounded. Kelly whispered in 45’s ear, then all reporters out. 

Would like to know who these EMT trained souls are, and when have they used their training? Other than in dummies.

[Sew Sumi]

We know JD is a first responder. who knows what Laura offers? Josiah was in the States in the Pro Life chain over the weekend, Joe on his honeymoon, who's next? Jed and Jer? Well, Sinner Twin did go to ALERT. *snerk*

Lunera, can you link Laura's GFM? I tried to find it, without success.

Edited October 3, 2017 by Sew Sumi

[lascuba]

If those supposed EMTs take advantage of desperate people to preach while administering necessary aid, they, to quote Lin-Manuel Miranda, are going straight to hell. And I don't even believe in hell but I want it to exist just for those fuckers. 

I wonder why Punta Cana? It's purely a resort town, there's really nothing much else there. I'd snarkily assume they're taking a break from all the soul-saving but they won't appreciate the topless beaches.

[Sew Sumi]

The only thing I can think of w/r/t Punta Cana may be supplies? I hate that the flight software omits some trips, making one wonder how the plane made it from point X to point Y.

[Lunera]

https://www.gofundme.com/hurricanereliefpr

[BitterApple]

From Laura's post:

"They will be doing this on a volunteer basis, but there will still be expenses that this money will go toward: fuel for the planes, food, water, first aid supplies, etc. If you would like to help the victims of the hurricane, any financial support you can give will go directly to relief efforts and is greatly appreciated!! "

She's only raised about $2200 thus far. The fuel for the planes alone is going to be more than that, so why not just donate the entire amount to a legitimate charitable organization that's already established down there? That way 100% of the money goes to help victims. Am I making too much sense?
 

Edited October 3, 2017 by BitterApple

[SMama]

Wild guess but with the scant amount of planes allowed to land in San Juan it was plain logistics. If they are limiting large planes landing, they are not going to sacrifice a commercial flight over a ten seater.

[louannems]

I see Josh and Anna Duggar donated $250 to the GoFundMe account.  Josh must be doing okay at his side of the road used car lot.

[Sew Sumi]

1 hour ago, SMama said:

Wild guess but with the scant amount of planes allowed to land in San Juan it was plain logistics. If they are limiting large planes landing, they are not going to sacrifice a commercial flight over a ten seater.

They flew a four seater to PR. They blocked the ten seater from public tracking after Smuggar's "victorious" return to RU. A Sunday night service they did NOT stream. I know that since I never turned off the church's alerts for services. 

But back on track, does anyone know this town that they flew into?

[SMama]

Punta Cana is in the Dominican Republic.

[Sew Sumi]

Yes. But the flight tracker didn't issue the flight plan from San Juan to PC, only a flight back this afternoon. We don't know how long JD was in Punta Cana or why (fuel? supplies?)

[SMama]

Could be both. How on earth did they get  a four seater there is beyond me. Seems like a long flight, but Jesus  and tracts.

Edited October 3, 2017 by SMama

[Sew Sumi]

The plane got there through MS (overnight), FL, and the Bahamas (overnight) before getting to San Juan.

Edited October 3, 2017 by Sew Sumi

[SMama]

The money they spent on fuel could have been donated to actually do some good. They are definitely preaching. 

[Temperance]

49 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Yes. But the flight tracker didn't issue the flight plan from San Juan to PC, only a flight back this afternoon. We don't know how long JD was in Punta Cana or why (fuel? supplies?)

I wonder if there are some rules about landing on PR. They don't want a million private planes landing at once. It seems possible that whoever is overseeing PR doesn't want people to land whereever. They could be instructing private citizens bringing supplies to land somewhere else and wait until they have clearance to land in San Juan.

(no official knowledge; just speculating)

Edited October 3, 2017 by Temperance

[Sew Sumi]

I don't think so, since I was alerted about the landings in San Juan on Sunday and the most recent one today in a city that I have no clue about. 

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, BitterApple said:

From Laura's post:

"They will be doing this on a volunteer basis, but there will still be expenses that this money will go toward: fuel for the planes, food, water, first aid supplies, etc. If you would like to help the victims of the hurricane, any financial support you can give will go directly to relief efforts and is greatly appreciated!! "

She's only raised about $2200 thus far. The fuel for the planes alone is going to be more than that, so why not just donate the entire amount to a legitimate charitable organization that's already established down there? That way 100% of the money goes to help victims. Am I making too much sense?
 

OK, so it has now been nearly 2 weeks since the hurricane hit.  What exactly are EMT's of dubious training (I'm sorry, but JD is not my idea of a paramedic) carrying first aid equipment going to be doing there?  Even if they go to rural areas which are still isolated (fat chance); anyone who suffered an injury due to the hurricane has either died or is well on the way to recovery and no longer in need of first aid.  Has anyone in  Puerto Rico expressed a need for basic first aid services that is not being met? Is the Red Cross asking for EMT's to send down there now?

I suppose they can tend to folks who cut themselves or are otherwise injured doing repairs; but, even then, they're not qualified to do stitches and there is no indication that any of them are bringing tetanus vaccine or antibiotics or other medications that would also be needed in case of injury during this catastrophe. If they have access to a car and the roads are accessible, I suppose they can take people to hospitals and clinics, but surely there are plenty of people already there who can do that.

Even if they go someplace where other EMT's haven't been able to go in the two weeks since the hurricane ( yeah, right!), the medical needs they encounter are not ones they'll be able to meet.  People with chronic illnesses like diabetes or high blood pressure or asthma are probably needing refills on their meds which they cannot get because their doctor isn't available or cannot be reached or the local pharmacy isn't open or they don't have the cash.  EMT's cannot prescribe meds nor do they treat chronic illnesses.  And, nowhere on her list of monetary needs does Jennifer indicate they are bringing any meds, even over the counter stuff.

If they should encounter someone who perhaps has gotten sick due to lack of clean water; do they have IV fluids to provide hydration; or even electrolyte solution like Pedialyte or Gatorade?  Medications for vomiting or diarrhea?  Bottled water?  I'm sure the food and water they are asking for money to pay for is for themselves, they're not planning to hand anything out to the victims, except maybe some candy for the kids.

IMO, this is just a whole lot of Duggar-style fundie bullshit.  They are going down there to get photos of themselves standing amidst the devastation, probably putting a bandaid on a little kid's finger or hugging an old lady; so they can come back and pretend they did something necessary and worthwhile while patting themselves on the back for Jesus.  This pisses me off to no end and I think there is a very special place in hell for people who try to exploit a tragedy in this way.

Edited October 3, 2017 by doodlebug

[SMama]

They think they are bringing Jesus to all the heathens. 

[doodlebug]

2 minutes ago, SMama said:

They think they are bringing Jesus to all the heathens. 

And I hope the heathens whack them over the head with their crucifixes.

[SMama]

That I’d love to see.  ?

[Marigold]

WTF are the Duggars & Friends going to do down there?  Bring tater tot casseroles and English Bibles?

They have such delusions of grandeur. 

[latetotheparty]

41 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

OK, so it has now been nearly 2 weeks since the hurricane hit.  What exactly are EMT's of dubious training (I'm sorry, but JD is not my idea of a paramedic) carrying first aid equipment going to be doing there?  Even if they go to rural areas which are still isolated (fat chance); anyone who suffered an injury due to the hurricane has either died or is well on the way to recovery and no longer in need of first aid.  Has anyone in  Puerto Rico expressed a need for basic first aid services that is not being met? Is the Red Cross asking for EMT's to send down there now?

I suppose they can tend to folks who cut themselves or are otherwise injured doing repairs; but, even then, they're not qualified to do stitches and there is no indication that any of them are bringing tetanus vaccine or antibiotics or other medications that would also be needed in case of injury during this catastrophe. If they have access to a car and the roads are accessible, I suppose they can take people to hospitals and clinics, but surely there are plenty of people already there who can do that.

Even if they go someplace where other EMT's haven't been able to go in the two weeks since the hurricane ( yeah, right!), the medical needs they encounter are not ones they'll be able to meet.  People with chronic illnesses like diabetes or high blood pressure or asthma are probably needing refills on their meds which they cannot get because their doctor isn't available or cannot be reached or the local pharmacy isn't open or they don't have the cash.  EMT's cannot prescribe meds nor do they treat chronic illnesses.  And, nowhere on her list of monetary needs does Jennifer indicate they are bringing any meds, even over the counter stuff.

If they should encounter someone who perhaps has gotten sick due to lack of clean water; do they have IV fluids to provide hydration; or even electrolyte solution like Pedialyte or Gatorade?  Medications for vomiting or diarrhea?  Bottled water?  I'm sure the food and water they are asking for money to pay for is for themselves, they're not planning to hand anything out to the victims, except maybe some candy for the kids.

IMO, this is just a whole lot of Duggar-style fundie bullshit.  They are going down there to get photos of themselves standing amidst the devastation, probably putting a bandaid on a little kid's finger or hugging an old lady; so they can come back and pretend they did something necessary and worthwhile while patting themselves on the back for Jesus.  This pisses me off to no end and I think there is a very special place in hell for people who try to exploit a tragedy in this way.

Every word of this. So much rage. 

[ChiCricket]

4 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

But back on track, does anyone know this town that they flew into?

Aguadilla is where my sister in law lives. It's near the ocean it is (was?) A very nice town. I've visited her there many times in years past (we've got a lot of airline workers in my family, so we flew free on standby, otherwise I couldn't have afforded as many trips as we took there.)

I *think* they have a small airport there. Probably not for commercial planes though.

My sis in law couldn't get out of her very steep driveway for more than a week because of a mudslide.

       She lives about an hour away from the rest of my husband's family who live in the very rural mountainous outskirts of Lares. We STILL haven't been able to directly talk to his family in Lares. Btw, they are very Catholic..no Duggars needed, or wanted, I'm sure. 

Edited October 4, 2017 by ChiCricket

[lianau]

On 2.10.2017 at 2:42 PM, LilJen said:

The kids look MISERABLE. Where is Daddy? And the "look at what a wholesome, patriotic family we are!" and y'all have pointed out the incongruities of the expensive TV & latte versus the starved children . . . UGH.

Trying to hold the camera steady and failing ?

 

2 hours ago, Marigold said:

WTF are the Duggars & Friends going to do down there?  Bring tater tot casseroles and English Bibles?

They have such delusions of grandeur. 

It's sort of Danger America but not really . Meaning , you can save brown Mexican speaking people without being attacked by shower curtains.

[Marigold]

6 minutes ago, lianau said:

It's sort of Danger America but not really . Meaning , you can save brown Mexican speaking people without being attacked by shower curtains.

Good point. I hadn't thought of it like that!  Add in a few slivers of banana bread and it's a real Missioncation!!!! 

[Beaner]

I don't mean to snark on y'all.  All we know is JD landed a plane in Aguadilla. We have no other information. We've all seen the devastation in PR. I just can't assume that they are going there for a photo op or to pass out Jesus tracts. No one is that heartless. Not even the Duggars. Right?

[doodlebug]

3 minutes ago, Beaner said:

I don't mean to snark on y'all.  All we know is JD landed a plane in Aguadilla. We have no other information. We've all seen the devastation in PR. I just can't assume that they are going there for a photo op or to pass out Jesus tracts. No one is that heartless. Not even the Duggars. Right?

Jennifer, their friend who organized the trip and is raising money for it, has said that they are a group of EMT's going down there with first aid kits to 'help'.  She asked for donations to cover fuel for the plane and food and water for their group and first aid supplies (bandaids, neosporin?).No mention of doing anything other than that, no mention of affiliation with any known disaster relief group.  It doesn't take much to realize that the need for people with first aid training two weeks after the disaster is probably negligible and they don't seem to have the training or connections to perform any useful service down there.  That being the case, it seems obvious to me that they're doing it for their own selfish reasons and are more likely to be in the way of the real disaster relief teams than helpful.

So, we've got a group of fundies collecting money which is apparently mostly to be used for their personal needs going to PR without any connection to a charity and expecting to find people who need first aid and cannot get it otherwise almost 2 weeks after the hurricane.  This is a vanity trip so they can show off on social media and brag about how wonderful and godly they are.

[ariel]

The Duggars  & company will probably do more harm than good.  They'll get in the way of the trained professionals who know what to do to help.  Didn't the Duggs do that after a tornado a few years ago?

Edited October 4, 2017 by ariel

[ChiCricket]

32 minutes ago, ariel said:

The Duggars  & company will probably do more harm than good.  They'll get in the way of the trained professionals who know what to do to help.  Didn't the Duggs do that after a tornado a few years ago?

They can always torpedo paper towels into the crowd.

I'm sure that would be very helpful.

[Sew Sumi]

1 hour ago, ariel said:

The Duggars  & company will probably do more harm than good.  They'll get in the way of the trained professionals who know what to do to help.  Didn't the Duggs do that after a tornado a few years ago?

Yes, up in southern MO. As for this, I imagine they brought ALERT trained Jeeer along. Josiah was too busy attending pro-life events this past weekend when the plane was making its way to Hattiesburg then Florida to have flown another plane. As far as I know, those are the only two pilots, but Jeeeer is the only ALERT grad not attending abortion rallies who could have been on the plane. 

I doubt he ever bothered getting an EMT certification; he's been too busy tearing down and building up houses for his siblings of late. 

Which brings me to Joe's house. I'm sure it's a Boob rental that needed not much more than cosmetic improvements that Jeeed, Jason, etc. could work on since they're all master carpenters, doncha know. 

[Churchhoney]

15 hours ago, Marigold said:

WTF are the Duggars & Friends going to do down there?  Bring tater tot casseroles and English Bibles?

 

Off-price Dum Dums. ... Also, off-price nail polish. 

[SMama]

Lawson and Nathan Bates landed in PR about 18 hours ago (per Lawson's IG). I have more faith in them than any Duggar. Especially if they brought equipment to help clear inner island roads. 

Edited October 4, 2017 by SMama
Time of arrival.

[Lunera]

I think Lawson and Nathan are part of the EMT trained group of "friends" that Laura mentioned. The Duggar plane might have JD, Laura, Jana, Jed/Jer? Hopefully not Jill and her medical things.

[SMama]

According to @Sew Sumi the Duggars flew a four seater. I still wish they had stayed home.

[ariel]

8 minutes ago, SMama said:

According to @Sew Sumi the Duggars flew a four seater. I still wish they had stayed home.

The Duggars can't stay home.  There's lots of evil Catholics that need conversion.  What better time for that than during a natural disaster. 

[Rabbittron]

On October 2, 2017 at 2:32 PM, DangerousMinds said:

Yeah, this kind of thing makes me furious.

 They have a church here who feeds homeless before sermon

[DangerousMinds]

17 hours ago, Beaner said:

I don't mean to snark on y'all.  All we know is JD landed a plane in Aguadilla. We have no other information. We've all seen the devastation in PR. I just can't assume that they are going there for a photo op or to pass out Jesus tracts. No one is that heartless. Not even the Duggars. Right?

What else are they capable of though?

16 hours ago, ariel said:

The Duggars  & company will probably do more harm than good.  They'll get in the way of the trained professionals who know what to do to help.  Didn't the Duggs do that after a tornado a few years ago?

Did the ALERT training provide them with any useful skills at all? And why doesn't ALERT go as a group to assist in these disasters?

[ariel]

I thought ALERT was more a place boys were sent if they started to question their family's Gothard beliefs?  A boot camp kind of place to keep them towing the line?

Edited October 4, 2017 by ariel

[bythelake]

On 10/3/2017 at 3:12 PM, BitterApple said:

From Laura's post:

"They will be doing this on a volunteer basis, but there will still be expenses that this money will go toward: fuel for the planes, food, water, first aid supplies, etc. If you would like to help the victims of the hurricane, any financial support you can give will go directly to relief efforts and is greatly appreciated!! "

She's only raised about $2200 thus far. The fuel for the planes alone is going to be more than that, so why not just donate the entire amount to a legitimate charitable organization that's already established down there? That way 100% of the money goes to help victims. Am I making too much sense?
 

Another harebrained scheme by these idiots.  None of them has any sense. Even if the fuel was supplied by the Duggars, (wishful thinking), $2200. is a drop in the bucket. Laura does say she will give a full report re how the money was spent. That should be interesting.

[Aethera]

A reminder that though the Duggars are constantly bringing up politically charged issues, political discussion is not allowed at Previously.tv, unless it directly relates to episode content. It's very tempting to use their constant social media posts as a jumping off point for discussion of our own beliefs, or to bring up what politicians are saying or doing or not doing about an issue, either in seriousness or in jest, but that's against the site rules. Please, resist!

[SMama]

Why does Nathan have what looks like a keyboard on his lap on that video? It's been decades since I've been in such a small plane. Don't intend on being in one ever again, thus ignorant about tools needed during flight. 

[kokapetl]

What can they even carry in such a small plane? 20 litres of water? 

I hope their return flight isn’t reliant on fuel being available in Puerto Rico.