Where in the World Is Doug Philips (Who Is a Tool)? Part 7

[Anonymousguest]

Why are they in Durango, and why didn't they take their stuff with them? Putting your stuff in storage and keeping it there while you move a couple states away and buy cheap thrift shop replacements for everything makes zero sense. 

[Palimpsest]

1 hour ago, DomWackTroll said:

What's so weird to me is that, for someone who did the fundie, SAHM thing for so long, Beall doesn't seem at all intimidated by the big, wide world.

Well, Beall is hardly typical.  She was the "do as I say, not do as I do" type.  The Queen Bee who lorded it over Doug's victims.

Indulge me in a bit of psychobabble.  Beall's present identity is still wanting to be the "perfect SAHM."  But she isn't that for her minor children.  She is running as fast as she can to escape facing the reality of her circumstances.  And I also think she is indulging in risky behavior in her attempts to outrun that reality.  

That post is full of denial.  Beall is complaining her ass off as she pretends to accept her life "after 50" - so bravely.  Fuck that!

• Beall sees change and road trips as adventure.  Well, cool if you are 21 with no dependents who might need - um - something of a stable life and an education. Sleeping in your car and living rough does not necessarily educate your minor children.  And it may put them at risk.
• Virgina is so "mature for her age"  because "she grew up with adults."  Nope, Virginia is possibly very mature for her age (she is only 11) because her life fell apart 4 years ago.  She may be holding it together and keeping silent because Beall is putting a huge burden of parentification on her.
• And what about Honor and Providence - think about them.  I don't know their interests and abilities - Beall can't be bothered to tell us.
• The Meatballers.  Beall, stop it!  The obsession with WWII veterans needs to end, because after 70+ years the vets will all be pushing up the daisies soon.  You are pursuing this for you not for them.  Encourage the Meatballers to go to college.  Liberty seems to have gumption.  Jubilee I have no idea about - another sadly ignored child.  Faith - the girl has a voice.  Encourage her to get decent professional training because her technique seems to be going down the tubes.  Warbling WWII songs and show tunes badly for Doug isn't the best use of her talent.
• Beall's two eldest sons have apparently deserted her in her neediness.  Joshua has not visited Durango.  He hitched his wagon to RC Sproul Sr.'s star.  Who can blame him.  Justice, understandably, ran for the hills and has visited Durango once. But Beall thinks she needs to preserve their childhood memories to keep them close.  Guess what, Beall.  They really may not want to dwell on those childhood memories.  They probably want to break free.

Beall - get thee to a therapist.

 

 

[DomWackTroll]

37 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

Well, Beall is hardly typical.  She was the "do as I say, not do as I do" type. 

Agreed, but everywhere she went, she went "under her husband's umbrella of protection." It almost seems bizarre that she would now take such risks, and then post about to her friends, many of whom still have the same VF beliefs they always did. Is it a cry for help? A martyring of herself? Both?

[Palimpsest]

13 minutes ago, DomWackTroll said:

Is it a cry for help? A martyring of herself? Both?

IMO, both.  She is screaming for help.  And martyring herself.

More psychobabble:  Beall is hell-bent on trying to prove that she can do without Doug.  She is putting on a big show of independence with those road-trips.  And she may not comprehend the risks she is taking.

I think she is also martyring herself for the Meatballers (who may not even want it.)  Oh, look - a reunion over there!  Gotta get on the road 'cos the Meatballers!  The (adult) girls must be there and it will be an adventure for the younger kids and so educational! 

Not so much.

If you think of the interests and enthusiasms most people have (and out-grow) between the ages of 15 and 21 - my guess is that the Meatballers would have moved on if Beall (and Doug) were not insistent on the WWII stuff.  Liberty and Jubilee may be simply indulging Beall these days.  Faith probably still wants to suck up to Doug - and she is definitely his favored daughter.  In an icky way.  She may still be interested in warbling Lili Marlene because that gives her contact with Doug.

I really pity the minor children.  Dad is absent.  Mom is on a hamster wheel of activity and denial.  And they are dragged around the country because Mom wants to keep one step ahead of depression and away from the reality of life without the Tool in a small house in Durango.

[hoipolloi]

2 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

Beall is hell-bent on trying to prove that she can do without Doug. 

And equally hell-bent on pretending everything is hunky-dory while refusing to admit that the marriage is on the rocks.

Your psychobabble rings true, @Palimpsest. Beall needs to dump Doug's phil-andering ass, stat, and work on making a decent life for herself & the kids still at home. Waiting for DPIART to stop following Lady Flo's fanny around the Riviera and start paying attention to her & the kids is futile.

Kick him to the curb & out of your life, Beall, but not before you've extracted the $$ from his wallet or from the various offshore accounts you probably know about. If ever a soon-to-be-ex spouse deserved some blackmail, it would be Doug Phillips.

[lilith]

1 hour ago, hoipolloi said:

And equally hell-bent on pretending everything is hunky-dory while refusing to admit that the marriage is on the rocks.

Your psychobabble rings true, @Palimpsest. Beall needs to dump Doug's phil-andering ass, stat, and work on making a decent life for herself & the kids still at home. Waiting for DPIART to stop following Lady Flo's fanny around the Riviera and start paying attention to her & the kids is futile.

Kick him to the curb & out of your life, Beall, but not before you've extracted the $$ from his wallet or from the various offshore accounts you probably know about. If ever a soon-to-be-ex spouse deserved some blackmail, it would be Doug Phillips.

I am absolutely baffled by how Dougie is financing his philandering frolicks with Flo (alliteration to make John Shrader proud!). I don’t even know how Beall is paying for her rental and feeding her remaining kids, let alone traveling. Even if Doug did get money somewhere untraceable it can’t be that much (maybe a few million, and if so I’m assuming they are living on interest, not being stupid enough to squander the principal), and time doesn’t seem that Joshua and Justice are in a position to help, even if they were willing. And who is supporting the adult daughters as they cosplay and lap up the attention of lonely old men in the name of service and rememberance? A nasty part of me is wondering if they expect to be remembered in the wills of some of their dear veteran friends.

9 hours ago, DomWackTroll said:

What's so weird to me is that, for someone who did the fundie, SAHM thing for so long, Beall doesn't seem at all intimidated by the big, wide world. Like, she'll just drop everything and take off in a car to Wherever, almost to the point that it seems reckless. I mean, I've never been fundie, and I'd be scared shitless to be sleeping rough in parks and stuff...???

I’m afraid that in my head you will always be BRADRICK!’s twin, and now I’m imagining him sleeping rough.....

[formergothardite]

Why are they called Meatballers? 

12 hours ago, Anonymousguest said:

Why are they in Durango, and why didn't they take their stuff with them? Putting your stuff in storage and keeping it there while you move a couple states away and buy cheap thrift shop replacements for everything makes zero sense. 

ITA. This makes no sense. especially since Beall doesn't particularly seem to like Durango. 

[Palimpsest]

Meatballers because of "Operation Meatball."  The Phillips girls fake USO involvement in veteran reunions.  (I note that they are now including Korea and Vietnam vets in their target population because there can't be many WWII era folk still around.)

It started when Doug was running those tours to Iwo Jima and stealing sand.  He never had much to do with Iwo Jima reconciliation meeting though.  It is a memorial site for Japan too.

The name is strange.  They seem to have co-opted it from the attempts to return Japanese "Good Luck" flags to the families.  They were taken as souvenirs by US servicemen.  "Meatball" flag is a derogatory term for them.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Luck_Flag

6 hours ago, lilith said:

A nasty part of me is wondering if they expect to be remembered in the wills of some of their dear veteran friends.

Well, Beall targeted them with he GoFundMe for Liberty's birthday trip.

I think the girls all have some kind of jobs these days.  One is working in a yogurt shop.

[Howl]

18 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

Why are they called Meatballers?

The website is here: Operation Meatball 

There is a Support/Donate tab that links to a gofundme page. 

[DomWackTroll]

7 hours ago, lilith said:

doesn’t seem that Joshua and Justice are in a position to help, even if they were willing. 

Your comment made me think about the possibility of a future (like, years or even decades from now) power struggle between J-Tits and Spanky, now that Sproul Sr. is dead and Spanky seems to be testing the waters with his Facebook memes. Yes, Josh is young, but he has been groomed for leadership since Day 1. 

Does anyone know who would be running Ligonier right now? I assume there's a board of directors, but I could be wrong. How much power does Vesta have? If she has the ultimate veto power, I predict leadership will eventually go to Spanky, even if it takes a long time. But they may want to put a young, fresh face out there for a while, to reinvigorate the organization, and that could cause all kinds of complications down the road. 

[Palimpsest]

27 minutes ago, DomWackTroll said:

Does anyone know who would be running Ligonier right now?

We discussed it in Spanky's thread.  It looked as though they had a plan for succession that did not include Spanky.

Someone called Chris Larson was appointed president and CEO of Ligonier Ministries.  There is a BoD and Vesta is on it.  I don't recognise the names but it may not be a rubber stamp board. https://www.ligonier.org/about/who-we-are/board-directors/  No Spanky.

They also announced the Ligonier Teaching Fellows.  https://www.ligonier.org/about/who-we-are/teaching-fellows/.  No Spanky.

I really hope Spanky does not wangle his way back into Ligonier.  Even if Vesta wants him back, with Daddy gone and unable to protect Precious, Spanky would still need to convince the board.

27 minutes ago, DomWackTroll said:

Yes, Josh is young, but he has been groomed for leadership since Day 1. 

I hope Joshua stays well away from leadership roles and lives a quiet life.  He saw what happened to Doug after all.  He's working for Veritas Press now.  I think if he had takeover ambitions at Ligonier he would have taken a job there.

[Antipatriarch]

8 hours ago, lilith said:

I am absolutely baffled by how Dougie is financing his philandering frolicks with Flo (alliteration to make John Shrader proud!). I don’t even know how Beall is paying for her rental and feeding her remaining kids, let alone traveling.

Me too, and wondering how long the status quo can last.

[Howl]

From the few things I've read, nepotism is firmly in place at Ligonier and has been for a very, very long time.   I suspect that those currently in positions of power won't let Spanky back in (why let the black sheep get a piece of the pie), although (idle speculation) Spanky may already be taken care of financially through inheritance or maybe Vesta's still advocating/interfering on his behalf.  Could depend on whether Vesta likes the new Ms. Sproul Jr.  Family dynamics, ya know?  

Taking a trip down memory lane, here's something from Ministry Watchman blog from waaaay back 2007, but still relevant today.  There are some references to VF and Doug Phillips, Jen Epstein!, Spanky's defrocking, and a sharp focus on Tim Dick, a Sproul in law.  Frank Vance is not afraid to claim that Ligonier is riddled with nepotism and corruption. 

Ligonier Ministries Recap and a Farewell From Frank Vance  Here's a tidbit: 

Quote

I also reported on the nepotistic practices of Ligonier in which godly and competent Ligonier employees, some of whom had worked for Ligonier for decades, were fired by Tim Dick to make room for his unqualified and overpaid family members. I reported that between the Sproul and Dick families they are taking in excess of $1 million dollars in Ligonier “compensation” per year.

 

[Palimpsest]

39 minutes ago, Howl said:

Taking a trip down memory lane, here's something from Ministry Watchman from waaaay back 2007, but still relevant today.

I'd rather not take a trip down the Ministry Watchman memory lane, thanks.  I went down that rabbit hole a few years ago, and am still scrubbing off the manure.

Bottom line, I don't find the Ministry Watchman a credible source for information on Ligonier.  Others may differ.

"Frank Vance" is a pseudonym, and the Ministry Watchman AKAFrank Vance, mounted a huge attack against Ligonier Ministries (and Sprouls Jr. and Sr.) for years back in the 2000s.  He also slammed Doug Phillips as a sideline (and supported Jen and Mark Epstein) and isn't keen at all on Kevin Swanson or Doug Wilson.  

That all sounds good.  Until you dive a little further into the murk and discover why he is attacking them.  Matt Chauncy called out Vance as a Kinist, and this may be an occasion when a stopped clock is right twice a day.

It seems to be jealousy.  All the above were more "successful" than Vance, and he thinks they are too damn liberal and not white supremacist enough.  

Vance MAY be Peter Kershaw (AKA TW Eston on Jen's Gems.)  They were both associated with a vile and now defunct site called "Little Geneva."  As in Geneva Bible.  Peter Kershaw wrote a book called "In Caesar's Grip," much admired by Kent Hovind.  He's this guy http://www.hushmoney.org/

So make up your own minds.

[Howl]

All part of the crazy, yes, and I'd forgotten the Frank Vance connection.  BUT, is it true that the Sprouls and their in laws were raking in $1 million/year?   And that there was a purge of long-term Ligonier employees to make way for the employment of various Sproul kin and in laws?

Actually, any further speculation/discussion should go over to the Spanky thread. 

[Hane]

@Palimpsest, thanks for  the “meatball” info. The only wartime “meatball” slang I’d heard of was “meatball surgery,” used in the novel M*A*S*H to describe trauma surgery done in war zones.

[hoipolloi]

2 hours ago, Howl said:

Actually, any further speculation/discussion should go over to the Spanky thread. 

I posted links to some of Ligonier's financials here. 

[ophelia]

I was looking up the VF Facebook page and noticed that it had been updated 4 times this year. Before there hadn't been any content since April 2017.

Who takes care of this page now? And why would they suddenly start posting again?

[Palimpsest]

14 hours ago, Hane said:

@Palimpsest, thanks for  the “meatball” info. The only wartime “meatball” slang I’d heard of was “meatball surgery,” used in the novel M*A*S*H to describe trauma surgery done in war zones.

You are welcome.  I thought it was the flag, but the Meatballers could certainly be referring to meatball surgery instead.

Or they serve meatballs to the vets as they do their cosplay.  

[DomWackTroll]

2 hours ago, ophelia said:

I was looking up the VF Facebook page and noticed that it had been updated 4 times this year. Before there hadn't been any content since April 2017.

Who takes care of this page now? And why would they suddenly start posting again?

And pushing a book by Catholic humanist Jean Vanier??? Has Phil thrown himself at the mercy of Rome under the influence of his mother, younger brother, and various nubile Frenchwomen? Could that be what Beall meant by "changes in theology" or whatever the phrase was? (Thanks for letting us know they're posting again; I hadn't even bothered to check the VF page in ages.) 

[Hane]

1 hour ago, Palimpsest said:

You are welcome.  I thought it was the flag, but the Meatballers could certainly be referring to meatball surgery instead.

Either use of “meatball” is appallingly tone deaf. (I think yours makes a lot more sense in this context, though.)

[formergothardite]

On 1/13/2018 at 8:55 AM, Howl said:

The website is here: Operation Meatball 

According to this link they don't remember who chose meatball or why they really chose it. 

Quote

And as far as where the name "Operation Meatball" comes from... well, there really isn't an answer to that. Before the 2014 trip to Normandy, we threw around the idea of giving it a name in honor of previous endeavors such as Operation Overlord, Operation Fortitude, and the like. However, somehow along the way (no one really knows who started it) we ended up with Operation Meatball. Not very dignified, but neither was the name Operation Mincemeat. 

 

[Howl]

Operation Cosplay.  As the years go by, and they move into Viet Nam vets territory, maybe we'll see short shorts and white vinyl go-go boots. 

Amazon carries the Secret Wishes Costume Go-Go boots for under $23!  And this

 

[DomWackTroll]

If "the girls" are worried about modesty in the Sixties, they should take some tips from these two beautiful ladies:

But they won't, of course. Not enough pancake makeup and blatant gender signifiers (*rolling eyes*). 

[AnnaSofia]

Faith's Instagram fashion has been known to venture lightly into 1950s/60s territory, but I'll eat my vintage marabou hat if a 1960s aesthetic is ever seriously incorporated into Operation Meatball.

I really wonder how much longer OM will stay active. When it started, I was convinced that it was just a Dougie scheme to promote his more secular attempts at being a historian/filmmaker, especially after the girls (and JT) attracted the attention of CNN/Getty Images at a few of their early appearances. Now, it seems that show has moved to Europe and gone on without them. Except, of course, for the occasional cameo by "Eva".

With the girls getting older, money getting tighter, general mores getting looser, I think there will be some serious drifting away in the near future. I imagine that's why Beall is throwing herself into it to the point of recklessness these days. Doug's in the wind, JTits and Justice have their own lives, and even though standards have always been stricter for the girls, I suspect they're finding their own ways to worm out from under Beall; and with them go the last vestiges of her identity. In another year or so, only the two youngest will be under 18, and empty nest Beall will NOT be a pretty sight.