The Duggars' Megyn Kelly Lie-a-Thon Shit Show- Part 2

[bluelady]

I watched the interview last night and read most, but not all, of the two threads. Forgive me if this has already been said.

My take on it is that JB was toeing the legal line to an extreme and trying to use it to make them seem not so bad. The whole "we're not mandated reporters". Well, yes, I guess he's right. LEGALLY I suppose they weren't required to report. But, that doesn't absolve them of their moral, ethical or parental duties to protect their children! There is a difference between not breaking the law and doing what is right.

Secondly, I can sort of understand the "Josh was curious about girls" bit where his older sisters were concerned (if we strip away the non-consensual and incestual aspects of it). The girls were closer in age to him, potentially developing and who knows how isolated they were back then. Please don't see this as me excusing his behaviour. It was so, so wrong. But, If I squint my eyes and stare really hard, I can *almost* see it. But the youngest? At 5, she should have been a complete non-sexual being to him. The fact that he preyed upon someone so far removed from pubescence bothers me. A lot. And JB saying "well, the legal definition of pedophile is 16 or above and Josh was 15.5, so not a pedophile"? Seems like semantics to me. Am I saying he's a pedophile? No. I don't know that. But I do know that in my home a teenaged boy inappropriately touching someone, let alone someone so young, would warrant more than construction work with some dude down in Little Rock.

[nelliebelle1197]

Well this essentially describes Josh perfectly! Which is why I don't give him a pass but I think its different for the girls still under JB's authority.

That is a false analogy in the context of Josh and the molestation, though.Josh was kid (I am sorry, 14 is not a young adult the way some here are claiming; it's a kid). There is evidence he asked for help. There is additional evidence his parents failed. The molestation is all on them.

The adults who stay in ATI? THAT is on them.

[jenzia1]

Things in the interview that jumped out at me include: 1) this man that went sent josh to, this guy, etc. Jim Bob must've said this 5 times in a minute or so. Is this Gothard? A Gothard-disciple? Was he instructed not to say Gothard in the interview? 2) slipped in right at the end with the "lesbian agenda" and somehow I don't think Michelle was advised to say that. I'm surprised there were no questions about that. What is the lesbian agenda? Inquiring minds want to know :lol:

[delilahdog11]

Would people stop judging the girls reactions to the moleststion: it happened to them, they were victims & are survivors, they are allowed to respond however they want. Calling them famewhores is just as bad as Michelle & Jim Bob teaching them to blame themselves. Everyone grieves and processes tragic life events in different ways and to say that their way is wrong is unfair to their unique experience with abuse.

[Idolatry]

Why are we talking about the Fox News sponsors? Head over to the Duggar sponsors page, there's still a few digging in. (I'm looking at you, Lowe's!)

News interviews all kinds of shitty people, George Zimmerman, Casey Anthony, it's news. It's literally their job. It's the news, even on Fox.

Now, sponsors on a show about a child molestor are a different story.

[TaterThotHotDish]

The whole fake controversy about the records being "leaked" is so ridiculous and it's clear that Jim Bob and Michelle are only getting advice from other cult members. To my knowledge and I'm not a lawyer, but sealed records have to actually BE records, as in court documents. A report that didn't even result in arrest doesn't sound like something that can be sealed. Had JB and Michelle done the right thing from the beginning, they could have protected their daughters and the other victim from this information becoming public because Josh would have been arrested, had an attorney, faced a judge and an actual case...that could be sealed since all were juveniles.

The whole interview was just so sick. When Jim Bob said it was "only a few seconds" and kept insisting that it was over the clothes, I wanted to launch my laptop through a window. UGH! They are doing a disservice to their family, other victims and the public in general by trying to re-define what we all know is molestation and Josh's criminal behavior. I don't give a damn about his pure heart or whatever they want to call it...that wasn't the part of him that was preying on children!

[iammine]

When arguing whether of not 14 is a "young adult" or a "child" can we please be reminded at the ages in which it is acceptable for these people to get married and start families? You can't just be a no-nothing child one second and 3-4 years later gained all the knowledge you need to be the headship patriarch of a family. Give me a break. It's one or the other.

[iammine]

Would people stop judging the girls reactions to the moleststion: it happened to them, they were victims & are survivors, they are allowed to respond however they want. Calling them famewhores is just as bad as Michelle & Jim Bob teaching them to blame themselves. Everyone grieves and processes tragic life events in different ways and to say that their way is wrong is unfair to their unique experience with abuse.

I get what you are saying- but, just to play devils advocate I think a lot of people are critiquing their responses more of less because it's clear that they have been spoon fed the same dismissive and watered down no biggie bullshit story they are trying to pawn off on the public. And it shows. Their thoughts are clearly what they are told to have. That's not to say it's not a possibility that they have moved on, but so far from what we have seen they don't seem to really be having any individual thoughts or opinions just more of the same downplaying and it's a real disservice to themselves and other victims who may be watching.... (In my opinion of course)

[delilahdog11]

I get what you are saying- but, just to play devils advocate I think a lot of people are critiquing their responses more of less because it's clear that they have been spoon fed the same dismissive and watered down no biggie bullshit story they are trying to pawn off on the public. And it shows. Their thoughts are clearly what they area told to have. That's not to say it's not a possibility that they have moved on, but so far from what we have seen they don't seem to really be having any individual thoughts or opinions just more of the same downplaying and it's a real disservice to themselves and other victims who may be watching.... (In my opinion of course)

Judge the belief system of the ATI/Quiverfull movement then not how the girls are responding. Be critical of our society's default more to blame the victim of sexual assault. There are many other thins to be critical of then the girl's response.

[Buzzard]

The actual FOIA request (written by an attorney) is here:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/ ... .yjPwDjQ0n

They go through a lot of points that I made in the first interview thread. I will re paste them here.

Here is the FOIA statute that we are dealing with:

We know that there was no court order prohibiting disclosure. How do we know that? Because the order was issued AFTER disclosure. Courts dont issue duplicative orders.

Regarding Juvenile cases:

Josh was never part of a program. He was never arrested, charged, or found to be delinquent. He fits NONE of the exceptions that would prohibit disclosure under my reading of Arkansas law.

Now, she appears to be pointing to this statute as the basis for her argument:

But again, SUBJECT OF PROCEEDINGS is the kicker. Josh was never the subject of any legal proceeding. The FINS affidavit and recommendations are not "proceedings."

and to further confirm that point...

I'm almost enjoying watching this PR stunt crumble. Had Boob taken Josh to a REAL counselor when this first happened there likely would have been only one victim, a proceeding resulting in more counseling, a program, and a sealed record. Because he didnt it came out, which prompted them to deflect by trying to be victims themselves... which is failing because the law doesnt say what they want it to say.

In the end they will be exposed as frauds AGAIN when this little "agenda" stunt blows up in their face. Unlike Boob, the state complied with the LAW when they were faced with a situation. Its unfortunate that the Duggar daughters were identifiable, but had Boob acted responsibly 12 years ago none of this would have happened. HE is responsible for the damage done to his chattel daughters. He failed them then, and he's failing them now.

There is only ONE answer to this situation. "We were young, we were scared, and we failed our children. We know now that trying to handle this ourselves was a mistake and we ask forgiveness from ALL of our children for the harm that we have caused. We encourage families in a similar situation to call (insert number Megyn keeps flashing) or their local family services agency immediately."

Thats it. No blaming, no excuses, no deflection. The truth shall set you free.

[Pandie5]

Sorry if this was posted before.

I wonder how this young woman feels now about the Duggars. This interview was before the Duggar interview and certainly before they announced Jessa and Jill's interview.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/05/28 ... onight.cnn

[pris257]

Hi. I'd say no, because we know right from wrong. Unlike the Duggar's.

I was being sarcastic. And apparently, my sarcas-to-meter is broken because that didn't come off quite as funny in writing as it did in my head. My bad.

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't michelle say in the interview that as part of their 'safety measures', no boys were allowed to babysit the girls? If that is true, why did the four older girls go with josh on a road trip to see Anna in Florida?

[Pandie5]

I had one other thought. The interview is confusing because the police report said the girl(s) told the parents. At least once. But now the parents claim is that Josh made the confession and he was crying, proving "his heart was tender". IF it is true, at 14 & 15 Josh surely had been indoctrinated into Gothard's ideas that females are to blame for these things and men can't control themselves. Could he have been trying to get his sisters in trouble & proving he WON'T get in trouble, they will? Testing out Gothard's theories? Was his heart tender because he hurt his sisters, or was he crying because his sisters made him sin. I.e. "they hurt me."

It isn't unheard of in other cultures.

My idea is crazy speculation, but I honestly believe the parents are more upset that he sinned than that he hurt his sisters. It was more upsetting to them that he violated God's law, than that he violated innocent children.

[Buzzard]

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/0 ... rs/412520/

FOX News Channel’s The Kelly File hit its highest ratings of 2015 in both total viewers and in 25-54 demographic last night, garnering 3.1 million total viewers and 866,000 in adults 25-54, up 34% and 124% in both metrics (respectively) versus last week

It was the top program for ALL basic cable on Wednesday. I honestly expected more than 3.1 million viewers considering that they pull about that audience for 19KAC weekly. Regardless, it absolutely murdered CNN and almost doubled Hannity, which is the show that followed Megyn.

[MisUndrstd]

Who is the PR guy advising the Duggars? I mean I could have advised them better than this so called PR rep that they have. First of all I would have told the Duggars to go on camera and humble themselves. Tell the American public "You're right we failed, we handled this all wrong, our daughter's safety, well being and mental health should have been the priority. We should have had Josh move out of our home immediately and into a his grandparents home, where no young children reside and then contacted legal and professional authorities to help us deal with these horrific events so that our daughter's could feel secure and safe in our home and so that Josh could have worked out his problems with people who are trained to deal with these types of crimes and who work in rehabilitating young offenders so that they don't re-offend". "We admit, we failed, we let our faith guide us, in a time when we should have had professional help". Then they should have said "We understand how this event makes us look like hypocrits to the American public. We realize that our stance on gay marriage and homosexuality is the anti-thesis to what Christian love is all about, instead of working so hard to criminalize people with alternative lifestyles we should have instead sent the message that we love all men and women despite their preferences and that even though they live lifestyles that are unlike our own, God still loves them and will not fore-sake them". At this point Michelle should have been in tears and JB should have been hanging his head in shame. JB should have been repeating "we were wrong, we were so wrong, we failed and then we tried to pretend we were the perfect family... I'll never forgive myself for what a mess we've made".

How different do think the public perception would have been about the interview if JB and Michelle would have totally humbled themselves on camera and admitted they suck?

Then at the end they should have said, "We are going to try and do what we should have done 12 yrs ago. We've talked to Josh and he has agreed to seek professional counseling to make sure what he did long ago, he will never do again. We've also discussed professional counseling with our daughter's who were victimized by Josh and we told them we will pay for them to receive counseling for any issues they have that may be still persistent in their minds and are stopping them from moving forward". Then they should have ended with "We can't erase what happened, we can't go back and do the right thing by all our children. But what we can do, is get our daughter's and Josh the help that they should have had then, we will now give them proper tools to process this crime so they can go on to establish healthy and happy relationships in their lives as they move forward. We just want the best for our children".

[iammine]

Who is the PR guy advising the Duggars? I mean I could have advised them better than this so called PR rep that they have. First of all I would have told the Duggars to go on camera and humble themselves. Tell the American public "You're right we failed, we handled this all wrong, our daughter's safety, well being and mental health should have been the priority. We should have had Josh move out of our home immediately and into a his grandparents home, where no young children reside and then contacted legal and professional authorities to help us deal with these horrific events so that our daughter's could feel secure and safe in our home and so that Josh could have worked out his problems with people who are trained to deal with these types of crimes and who work in rehabilitating young offenders so that they don't re-offend". "We admit, we failed, we let our faith guide us, in a time when we should have had professional help". Then they should have said "We understand how this event makes us look like hypocrits to the American public. We realize that our stance on gay marriage and homosexuality is the anti-thesis to what Christian love is all about, instead of working so hard to criminalize people with alternative lifestyles we should have instead sent the message that we love all men and women despite their preferences and that even though they live lifestyles that are unlike our own, God still loves them and will not fore-sake them". At this point Michelle should have been in tears and JB should have been hanging his head in shame. JB should have been repeating "we were wrong, we were so wrong, we failed and then we tried to pretend we were the perfect family... I'll never forgive myself for what a mess we've made".

How different do think the public perception would have been about the interview if JB and Michelle would have totally humbled themselves on camera and admitted they suck?

I get what you are saying- and I do think they should have been much less (or not at all) dismissive about what happened but, this isn't the time nor is it necessary for them to apologize or reform their views on LGBT. I disagree with their stance, but it is their right and one really has nothing to do with the other.

[laundry]

I have only watched 10 minutes or something on youtube (will watch more now) and I only hear this:

Jim Bob: "This, this, this" happened.

Megyn: When "this, this, this" happened what did you do/feel/think?

Jim Bob: Well actually, "THAT" happened so... (and then will he go on to answer himself, not what Megyn ask.)

[Jinderella]

My idea is crazy speculation, but I honestly believe the parents are more upset that he sinned than that he hurt his sisters. It was more upsetting to them that he violated God's law, than that he violated innocent children.

This! This was the fibe they gave during the interview!

[MisUndrstd]

@iammine

I totally get what you are saying about they shouldn't have to change their stance on what they believe. Their beliefs are their beliefs. But when they talk about forgiveness for Josh, because he committed a sex crime and they believe the Lord forgave him, would it be so hard for them to say "Hey, we don't agree with that lifestyle, but we believe to truly walk in the image of God, that we need to find it in our hearts to accept all people regardless of their lifestyle and although their lifestyle is unlike our own, we should have been less judgmental and instead sent the message that God loves all of us as his children and regardless of what we do or don't do he has forgiveness for everyone".

[Criscat]

I'm still reading this thread, but I hopped over to read the above article and WOW! is it telling when you broaden the scope and consider the 19KAC show in general and the body language of both the parents and the children. I didn't think too much more could surprise me in terms of the Duggars, but I was really sickened when my mind replayed scenes and episodes from past shows.

Just my 2 cents...back to the thread!

Reading this article made the interview a whole new level of crazy. While I could tell they were lying through their teeth, it was interesting to understand the exact cues. I think this interview backfired on them. And I think that they truly don't get what the big deal is. I just want the show to end--I don't think parading Jessa and Jill is going to garner much sympathy. Especially if Jill does those crocodile tears. We will have to see. I am not discounting they had something horrible happen to them, but I do believe they need to get REAL counseling. Sweeping it under the rug and saying it is "no big deal" says to other victims of molestation or sexual assault that it doesn't really matter. And it does.

I don't think those two can carry a spin-off. The molestation will always be then elephant in the room because they haven't dealt with it (denial). And unless they leave, they won't deal with it.

Ok. My two cents. Hopefully not too OT. Buzzard, looking forward to your recap--I'm gonna be passing that hour in the boards NOT watching since I don't have cable!

[iammine]

@iamme

I totally get what you are saying about they shouldn't have to change their stance on what they believe. Their beliefs are their beliefs. But when they talk about forgiveness for Josh, because he committed a sex crime and they believe the Lord forgave him, would it be so hard for them to say "Hey, we don't agree with that lifestyle, but we believe to truly walk in the image of God, that we need to find it in our hearts to accept all people regardless of their lifestyle and although their lifestyle is unlike our own, we should have been less judgmental and instead sent the message that God loves all of us as his children and regardless of what we do or don't do he has forgiveness for everyone".

I mean, to be blunt... Yes. If the Duggars came out now and used this opportunity to all of the sudden start blathering about Christ love for gays every single one of us would roll out eyes so hard, you'd be able to check out your own ass. It would be bizarre and probably just received as a bunch of bullshit to deflect from the issue at hand. I think it's true that instead of treating what happened like it was no biggie and we are all over reacting, I do think they should have came out the gate more humbled. But, JB/M speaking out now about getting counseling for Josh- who is a grown ass man, and their adult daughters would just be odd and more of the same, which really just brings us back to where the f*#% is josh in all of this?

[The Duggar's Mohel]

I haven't waded through all the comments so I apologize if this has been mentioned.

What troubles me the most about these interviews right now is this: The girls don't have to be interviewed at all, especially with people saying the media is making them victims all over again, why the hell would they voluntarily sit down with the media and talk about this? Why isn't Josh, the offender who's gotten off scott free doing any interviews, you know to actually show guilt, regret and contrition? Oh that's right, it would make the family look bad, he has no chance of getting a spin-off show, but the girls do. I see why Boob and J'Chelle are putting them in front of the cameras, they're using their victim daughters to garner sympathy so at least some Duggars might have a chance at staying on TV. Again it has nothing to do with forgiveness, right or wrong or Christian morality, it's all about the money.

It's in a word, grotesque!

[paganhomeschooler]

When arguing whether of not 14 is a "young adult" or a "child" can we please be reminded at the ages in which it is acceptable for these people to get married and start families? You can't just be a no-nothing child one second and 3-4 years later gained all the knowledge you need to be the headship patriarch of a family. Give me a break. It's one or the other.

EXACTLY!! And, I reiterate again, I have a 14 yo in my home right now. She KNOWS that it is wrong to touch someone in a sexual way without consent. She's not feeling up her baby brother when she reads him a story!!!!! She recently had a friend try to kiss her without her consent, and she said it didn't feel right and distanced herself from that person. Teenagers are old enough to know better. They may not make the right choice, but they do have the knowledge. My other kids are 10, 11, and 7. They ALSO know it is inappropriate to touch someone else on their genitals.

This is not an "oopsy, Josh was just a little child" moment. He was old enough to know what he was doing was wrong. Which is why, if it's to be believed, he went and confessed in tears. He knew he was wrong. How is this even an argument?!?!

[MisUndrstd]

I haven't waded through all the comments so I apologize if this has been mentioned.

What troubles me the most about these interviews right now is this: The girls don't have to be interviewed at all, especially with people saying the media is making them victims all over again, why the hell would they voluntarily sit down with the media and talk about this? Why isn't Josh, the offender who's gotten off scott free doing any interviews, you know to actually show guilt, regret and contrition? Oh that's right, it would make the family look bad, he has no chance of getting a spin-off show, but the girls do. I see why Boob and J'Chelle are putting them in front of the cameras, they're using their victim daughters to garner sympathy so at least some Duggars might have a chance at staying on TV. Again it has nothing to do with forgiveness, right or wrong or Christian morality, it's all about the money.

It's in a word, grotesque!

I wonder if Josh is in any shape to appear on television, right now. It is quite possible that this has left him ravaged mentally and rightfully so. Then I read an article last night where an unnamed source who is close to Anna said that Anna is thinking about leaving Josh and taking the kids with her to her parent's house. But who knows if that is true you can't trust articles that won't identify their source. But I bet Josh is in hiding and can't even get out of the house and is probably not eating or sleeping much. Michelle has definitely lost a lot of weight in the last few weeks. I bet Josh looks likes hell right about now. He may need to be placed into a psychiatric facility by the time this is over with.

[usmcmom]

I have been reduced to yelling at the TV for the last two nights.

For instance when Megyn was yelling that "the media is feasting on the carcass of these girls' violated privacy..." (paraphrased) I screamed "BUT YOU'RE GOING TO INTERVIEW THEM, YA DUMB DRAG QUEEN*!!!!"

Her hypocrisy has reached Duggar level. "Oh, those poor girls should be left alone because...privacy. OH, they're willing to be interviewed?? Book it!!"

*Thank you to Bethenny Frankel for one of my favorite tag lines.

*Is "Hypocrisy of Duggar Proportions" worthy of becoming a post count title?