My Two Cents: The Duggars ... Again

I knew it would only get worse for the Duggars and I seem to have been correct.

A new police report has been released detailing the sexual molestation of five minor girls by Josh Duggar, and the most damning revelation is that Josh told his father, Jim Bob, not one time, as the Duggars have suggested, but on THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS that he’d been molesting his sisters — one of whom was just five years old at the time — and a family friend; and that there were at least SEVEN acts of sexual molestation.

What I find just as disgusting as Josh molesting these defenseless girls, is that even after telling his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar waited another 16 months before speaking to anyone about the crimes.

Jim Bob claims in the report that the family talked about what happened with the minors — some of whom were his own children — and since only one had any memory of the molestation ... she said she woke up to find Josh 'taking her blanket away' — so nothing was done about it because, well, if the girls don’t remember their brother sexually assaulting them, then let’s just not talk about it, and do nothing about it.

Even worse is, at that time, the Duggars did not get Josh — or his victims — any form of counseling; in fact, to this day they refuse to say if the counseling that finally did occur came as a result of a court order after the Families In Need of Services and the Arkansas Department of Human Services became involved in the case.

For covering up Josh’s crimes, Jim Bob and Michelle could have been faced six years in prison, but this didn’t happen because, by the time an official police report was taken, in 2006, the statute of limitations had run out. So, let’s be clear: Jim Bob, Michelle, and Josh all broke the law and all got away with it. Great family values, and true Christians, but then they had a TV show to protect and an agenda — anti-LGBT — to carry on.

All this comes on the heels of a new interview with Joseph Hutchens — the police officer, now in prison for possession of child pornography — who says Jim Bob Duggar lied to him saying Josh had molested one girl, one time — as though that makes it better.

Josh Duggar, for his part, and only after the first police report emerged, issued this statement:

“Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling.”

Notice he never says he molested anyone, but that he just acted ‘inexcusably;’ funny that, since molestation is a criminal offense and not an inexcusable act. Oh, but he's suffered for his crimes, y'all; he was forced to step down from his job at the virulently anti-LGBT Family Research Council, and he had to move back to Arkansas from Washington DC with his wife Anna — expecting their fourth child — and their three children. 

And as for Anna; after the story broke, she reaffirmed her support for Josh, saying that he had confessed his “past teenage mistakes” two years before he proposed to her. So, he told her that he had molested children and she went ahead and married him and had children with him because, in her mind, pedophilia is just a teenage mistake.

And then Jim Bob and Michelle released their own statement:

“Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives. When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes, and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before.”

Bad mistakes? A difficult time for the family? Young girls, children, were molested and they make it seem as though it was nothing at all. Sexual molestation of a minor is not a ‘very bad mistake,’ it’s a crime.

Of course, this is the same Jim bob Duggar who, in 2002, knowing that his son had molested several girls, including his own daughters, said incest and rape should be punishable by death. Unless, I’m guessing, you’re a Duggar and went away to Construction Camp.

And this is the same Michelle Duggar who, just last year, compared transgender individuals to 'child predators' even though she’d known for twelve years that her own sin was a sexual predator. But then, transgender is bad, and Duggars just make mistakes.

Last night Jim Bob and Michelle were interviewed by Megyn Kelly of Fox News … of course. Kelly said her aim is to get the entire story, but that details of the molestation are off-limits because, well, let’s continue to protect Josh Duggar, pedophile, for his ‘mistakes.’

Here’s some of what the Duggars spun last night …

Kelly, at one point, asked about Michelle Duggar about that robocall she made, and Kelly said she felt that it “suggested transgender people might want to go into the bathrooms of girls, locker rooms of girls, and that they may be child molesters.”

Michelle Duggar responded:

“I think that protecting young girls and not allowing young men and men in general to go into a girls’ locker room is just common sense.”

Well, let’s all get it that Michelle Duggar knows nothing about trans people except the lie the voices in her head tell. But Kelly pressed on, saying Michelle Duggar “injected child molestation into it.”

Well, then Jim Bob got his knickers twisted and said his wife used the word “pedophile” in that anti-LGBT robocall, and then explained what a pedophile is:

“Actually a pedophile is an adult that preys on children. Joshua was actually 14 and just turned 15 when he did what he did. I think the legal definition is 16 and up for an adult preying on a child. He was a child preying on a child.”

Oops, my bad. Josh Duggar is NOT a pedophile, y’all, and the Duggars want you to know that; he’s just a sexual predator and a child molester and a fondler and a fingerer and a pervert … but NOT a pedophile.

But what galls me is that when Megyn Kelly asked if the Duggars could understand the reactions of some people to the news, this is what Michelle said:

“I can understand that. But I know every one of us has done things wrong. This is more about, there’s an agenda. And there’s people that are purposing to try to bring things out and twisting them to hurt and slander.”

We’ve all done things wrong, but how many of us crept into our siblings rooms while they slept and sexually abused them? How many of us hid our child’s crimes and sent him away to Construction Camp instead of getting him help? How many of us broke the law? The Duggars did all of those things, and to continue to play the Poor Us card because now people are just being mean.

Go.Away. And that might happen, fingers crossed. The Duggars show, 19 Kids and Counting has been pulled off the network in the wake of this scandal, though TLC has not announced if they will cancel the program altogether; a spinoff, featuring some of the Duggar girls had been planned though it’s fate is also up in the air.

However, the show has been removed from Hulu, and major advertisers including General Mills, Jimmy Dean, Pure Leaf Iced Tea, Ace Hardware, David's Bridal, ConAgra Foods, Party City and Behr Paint will no longer advertise on the program, while other companies, including CVS, H&R Block, Ricola and Keurig have said they will no longer advertise on the network at all if the show returns to air. 

Look, it’s clear the Duggars aided and abetted a child molester, their own son, and waited just long enough so that no charges could be filed against him, for being a pedophile, and against them, for helping him hide his crimes. And let’s not forget their crimes as parents, when they allowed a known sexual predator back into their homes to sleep down the hall from the girls he sexually abused.

And let’s not let TLC off the hook, because, unless and until they take this show, and any spinoffs, off the air, they are also guilty of acting as though child sexual abuse is not a big deal, if the family involved brings in big ratings and big revenues.

It’s time all sides were held accountable — as much as Josh and his criminal parents can be since we actually have a statute of limitations of pedophilia in this country — and we stopped celebrating these kinds of families, and these kinds of television networks.

And it’s time we took our politicians, and religious leaders, who stand by child molesters and those who hide the crimes of child molesters, and fail to stand up for the victims. You cannot, and should not, ask to be the leader of this country while acting as though child sexual molestation is no big deal; you cannot, and should not, talk to me about God, when you stand in a pulpit and say that a few months of a building project is all the rehabilitation a pedophile need.

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Random Musings

I won’t bore you with all the details of our holiday weekend, except to say that, Oy, times have changed. It used to be, as Eddie Murphy once so famously, and badly, sang, ♫ ♪ party all the time ... party all the time ♪ ♫ but this Memorial Day weekend it went gloriously like this:

Saturday morning: cleaning out the planting beds along the front porch, and raking away any and all dried leaves or weeds upon which The Snake might be hiding. Then, after a few hours and a quick shower, it was groceries. On the way home we discussed what Carlos might be cooking for dinner—Saturday’s are his turn—and I could see he wasn’t into it so … no, I wasn’t gonna cook either … we went to one of our local, and favorite, Mexican restaurants for dinner and ice cold Negro Modelo. Yum!

Sunday: it was housecleaning and yard work, and mowing lawns and yard work and Carlos cooking dinner. Only, once again I could see he wasn’t into it, so I made a cold Potato and Arugula Salad, topped with Lemon Rosemary Salmon and a relish of Cucumber, Fresh Herbs, Tomato, Kalamata Olives and Feta Cheese … along with a pitcher of Margaritas. After dinner was all about relaxation, and watching Gone Girl OnDemand™ with Ben Affleck playing himself, smug and condescending, but Rosamond Pike was one scary bitch, and there was a flash of NPH butt, so, yeah, win-win.

Monday: clearing vines and overgrown shrubs along the fences; yes, more yard work. But the best part was seeing Carlos, knee-deep in vines and shrubs and dried leaves and thinking, “That’s where the snakes might hide.” Luckily, no slitherers. But we cleaned up the mess, trimmed a holly tree down from an incredible mass into something pretty and manageable, and the Carlos finally made one of his delicioso pastas for dinner … with more margaritas.

Like I said, who knew I would spend one of the best weekends ever doing yard work? Not me … but things change I guess and spending the weekend with my own personal Mexican Gardner, and Chef, well, was just what I needed.

Good news for Michael Sam … he’s finally gonna play football, though he’ll be playing for the Canadian Football League, and the Montreal Alouettes.

He was signed to a two-year deal, so congrats to him, as the first openly gay football player ever, who finally gets to do what he loves.

[photo source]

Okay, so the Hot Men Alert™ ...

First up, British actor Sam Reid, whom we caught in the movie Belle—which, thankfully wasn’t some Beauty and the Beast crap, but a British film based on a true story about a mixed race girl being raised by the parents of her white father in England, with a back story about slaving and slave ships. A good story, as are most British films for me, made all the better by Sam Reid.

We also watched a sci-fi/hacker/alien/Area 51 film called The Signal which was a good pick, made all the better by Brenton Thwaites, who has, at least in this film, a little Colin Farrell thing going on … and y’all know how I feel about Mr. Farrell.

Yum.

On the Duggar front comes more hypocrisy … go figure.

Back in 2002, during his campaign for the US Senate, Jim Bob Duggar said that he thought incest should be punishable by death.

I guess that was before he knew there were incestuous things happening in his own house when his son would sneak into his sister’s rooms at night and molest them, and so he probably changed his mind about it later.

Asshat.

PS  Jim Bob lost the election, so there is that silver lining.

[photo source]

Okay, so we all know Gaga will be on American Horror Story: Hotel when it debuts in October, and I’m, well, fine with that — though I’ll miss Miss Lange.

Plus, we have Matt "My-Husband-In-My-Head” Bomer appearing next season so the hotness factor will be high.

Especially when you add in fellow openly gay actor-slash-hottie Cheyenne Jackson. Plus, we'll get Angela Bassett, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Chloe Sevigny, and Wes Bentley — who’ve all appeared in seasons’ past.

But, another dreamboat has been signed on:

Max Greenfield, of Fox’s New Girl — a show I’ve never seen … Zooey Deschanel … I just can’t with her — but Max is hot, handsome, kinda nerd cute.

Sheesh, Matt, Cheyenne, Wes and Max — it’s a dark-haired dreamboat-fest!

Make room in the GOP Clown Car for a little Frothy Mix …

Yup, Rick Santorum, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and failed Presidential candidate in 2012, not to mention anti-LGBT loon, has announced that he is once again vying for the White House.

Let the crazy begin … as in when he said on GMA that not only is he against any kind of immigration reform, but he wants less legal immigration into this country; he wants less of them coming here to live with us.

Now, I loathe Santorum, and think he’s the lowest of the low, but I will give him credit because, when he was asked about this Duggar business — Josh Duggar supported him for president — Santorum became the first GOP candidate for president, and one of the few republicans in general, to say he was sickened by what happened and that his concern was only for the girls.

So, yeah, he gets minor props for that, though he’ll never be president.

And, joining him in the GOP Clown Car is Republican George Pataki, who served as Governor of New York from 1995-2006.

In announcing his bid, he made sure to tout his leadership during the September 11 attacks.

Yes, vote for Pataki because fourteen years ago he did something good.

Um, but, as Janet Jackson might say, Mr. Pataki, ♫ ♪ what have you done for me lately ♪ ♫?

[photo source]

Maybe the rains have washed away the bigots in Texas because just yesterday an anti-gay marriage amendment finally died in the Texas Senate, joining more than 20 other pieces of anti-LGBT legislation that failed to pass this year. 

The Texas GOP, knowing that they don’t have time to take up the amendment hastily introduced a non-binding resolution in opposition to marriage equality … which is basically just a letter saying We hate gays.

Oh Texas … 

[photo source]

I Didn't Say It........

Neil Patrick Harris, on falling in love with David Burtka:
"I remember being in my mid-twenties, lying in bed thinking, I’ve never taken a shower with anyone before; I’ve never had any kind of long-term relationship. I remember thinking that the rest of my life would be solo. I wasn’t weepy when I thought that--it was just a realization that I had gone this long being self-sufficient."

I know exactly what he's talking about.
i was single for quite a while before Carlos and i thought that was just how it would be; and I was feeling okay with that.
You just never know what's waiting out there for you, around a corner or across the country.

"Pastor" Ken Hutcherson, on Washington Governor Christine Gregoire:
"She might as well change her name to John Wilkes Booth because what she’s doing now is trying to put a bullet in the head of one of the greatest traditions that has ever existed and has built our society, and that is marriage between one man and one woman."

Wow.
Kenny, you sure can over-reach. Makes me wonder how, as a Black man, you felt when Blacks and Whites couldn't marry, and then marriage was redefined to make that union legal.
Did you spit and fire and brimstone then, or is it just because this is Civil Rights for gay folks that has your granny panties in a bunch?

Jim Bob Duggar, on transgender Girl Scouts: 
"Our family loves Girl Scout cookies and I don't think allowing a boy in the Girl Scouts is a good thing...If they're wanting to create a new scout program where girls and boys would join together, that might be an option. But whether somebody declares they're a boy or girl and can join either one -- it isn't even logical and it goes against the core principles the group was founded on."

Let's just make anyone who doesn't fit the mold of what society deems normal live in their own separate world, eh, Jim Bob?
But, what then might you do if society says a man and woman who have nineteen children, and counting, is different?

Hudson Taylor, on LGBT athletic coaches coming out:

"If college athletics is ever to be free of the obstacles keeping coaches closeted, we must first acknowledge the presence of LGBT coaches among college teams. Currently, the college athletic community devotes little time and few resources to identifying this population and assessing the challenges they face."

And wouldn't it be much easier for gay players to come out of the coaches came out. And easier for the coaches if gay players came out.
It's just easier. No lying or hiding or shame.

Michael Fassbender, on his habit of being nude on screen:
“From the start of my career, I’ve been naked. My first job was a commercial for SAS airlines. In the spot, I wake up in a pink room next to a beautiful blonde girl and get out of bed naked. From that point forward, it’s been in all of my contracts: He must be naked in this film.”

And this is a problem because.......?
I mean, it's true; the man good play nude golf and not need a club.
Just sayin'.

Tricia Erickson, speaking on the Voice Of Christian America radio show about Mormons:
"The political machinery of the priesthood of the Mormon Church is named the Kingdom of God and/or the Government of God, and the goal of the Mormon Church, through the Mormon Kingdom of God, is to bring the United States government, this is true, under the rule of the priesthood, the Mormon priesthood. Mormons believe that they are the only true church, all other religions are false, and their main objective is to be ready when the time comes for the millennial reign by having their leaders ready to rule or already in key places of authority and power. Their ultimate goal is better serve their agenda by being able to rule and govern before the millennium actually takes place and the Mormon Church and its corporate empire, assets and resources will be the chief element in the millennial overthrow of the United States government."

I love when people who call themselves Christians denigrate other religions, and then cry fowl when someone does the same to theirs.
Judge not, Erica.....you moronic tool.

Kate Kendell, head of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, speaking to Karen "Missus Frothy Mix" Santorum: 
"Karen, we need to talk. And by that, I mean that I need to talk and you need to listen. You love your husband--I get that. You love your faith--fine by me. But when you pretend that hate is love, that lies are truth, and that victims are oppressors, you have become insane. Your husband believes that LGBT people cannot be trusted to serve in the military, raise children, form stable relationships or be fully respected under the law. According to you, Rick may love us, but honey, his love is killing us, and we want nothing to do with this abusive relationship. Our community has endured expulsion from family, mass firings, daily epithets, assaults, harassment, humiliation, death, and suicides. We know that if your husband becomes president of our country our long suffering will only deepen and magnify. [snip] You and Rick are the haters. My community is the victim, and anyone paying attention knows the truth."

Thanks Kate for making it very clear when religious folks trot out the 'Love the sinner, hate the sin' rhetoric, they actually mean, Hate the sin, hate the sinner.'
So, effing-Christlike.

Dan Savage, on Newt and The Open Marriage:

Calista never wavered from the path of deceit and betrayal. Newt Gingrich was making an implicit promise to socially conservative voters: He did not ask his most recent ex-wife for an open marriage, and he will not ask any of his future ex-wives for an open marriage."

It was kind of sadly sick and twisted that Newt stated emphatically that he never asked for an open marriage while he was fucking the help, er, aide.
This just means that he wanted to fuck the help, and keep the wife, until she got sick, and then he divorced her and married the help.

Chris Christie, on Newt The Cheater:
"We all know the record. He was run out of the speakership of his own party, he was fined $300,000 for ethics violations. This is a guy who’s had a very difficult political career at times and has been an embarrassment to the party. The fact of the matter is I don’t need to regale the country with that entire list again except to say this. I’m not saying he will do it again in the future, but sometimes past is prologue."

Newt can atone for his marital sins, and pronounce himself forgiven. Good for him, he buys it. I don't. Once a lying hypocrite, always a lying hypocrite.
But he can never explain away his political past, and, well, history does repeat.

Cynthia Nixon, on choosing to be gay:
“I gave a speech recently, an empowerment speech to a gay audience, and it included the line ‘I’ve been straight and I’ve been gay, and gay is better.’ And they tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies that homosexuality can be a choice. And for me, it is a choice. I understand that for many people it’s not, but for me it’s a choice, and you don’t get to define my gayness for me. A certain section of our community is very concerned that it not be seen as a choice, because if it’s a choice, then we could opt out. I say it doesn’t matter if we flew here or we swam here, it matters that we are here and we are one group and let us stop trying to make a litmus test for who is considered gay and who is not. As you can tell, I am very annoyed about this issue. Why can’t it be a choice? Why is that any less legitimate? It seems we’re just ceding this point to bigots who are demanding it, and I don’t think that they should define the terms of the debate. I also feel like people think I was walking around in a cloud and didn’t realize I was gay, which I find really offensive. I find it offensive to me, but I also find it offensive to all the men I’ve been out with.”

Let me set you queer, Cyn.
A woman who was attracted to men and had sexual relations with men, and then finds herself attracted to women and having sexual relations with women, is, in fact, gay. And, narrowed down, bisexual.
I know you said you don't like the word bisexual, but you are. There's a 'B' in LGBT for a reason. And you do a great disservice to those of us who know being gay is not a choice, when you say you chose it. You were born bisexual, you didn't choose bisexual, but, beaing bisexual, you can choose which sex to whom you are attracted; I, as a gay man, cannot.

Mittsy Romney, on Newt:

“Speaker Gingrich has also been a leader,. He was a leader for four years as speaker of the House. And at the end of four years, it was proven that he was a failed leader and he had to resign in disgrace. I don’t know whether you knew that, he actually resigned after four years, in disgrace. He was investigated over an ethics panel and had to make a payment associated with that and then his fellow Republicans, 88 percent of his Republicans voted to reprimand Speaker Gingrich. He has not had a record of successful leadership.”

Which makes him only a hair bit worse as a GOP candidate for president than the flip-flopping out of touch, dog abuser, that you are, Mittsy.
But thanks for sharing.

Martin O'Malley, on his Maryland marriage equality bill:

"We have done our very best in the drafting of this bill to make very, very, very explicit the protections of religious liberty as well as the protection of rights equally under the law, and it’s my hope that that will not only allow more support in the House of Delegates but, as importantly, I hope it will allow more people throughout our state to be able to support this bill,. One does not have to be an advocate for same-sex marriage in order to support equal rights under the law.”

It's equality.
It's law.
It does not, and should not, affect churches.
Separation of church and state, people. The church can't tell the government what to do--or they shouldn't--and the government cannot do the same to churches.
Can't have it any other way.