Duggars invited to be keynote speakers

[Cherokee2000]

Sanity prevails!!   Thank you, AHEA, for listening to ALL of your stakeholders (and neighbours who aren't members but are still concerned).

Their press release yesterday contained this quote:

"Although early feedback from our members this summer was supportive of having the Duggars come here, recent feedback from our own members points out that their appearance here would not be in the best interest of home educators."

I'm especially happy that they've basically recanted their stance that the Josh situation was old news and didn't affect their choice of keynote speakers. They are now singing a different tune:

"As we have learned, child abuse can happen in any home and is never 'old news,'" wrote (AHEA president) van den Bosch.

"Our members so pointed out that, as the Duggars would have been giving only two talks (of the more than 40 talks available), their presence would have been only a small part of the convention and the Duggars' philosophy is not representative of AHEA as a whole."

The effects from child sexual abuse/molestation can last for years, maybe even a lifetime if not dealt with properly. The fact that a leader in the Christian home school movement now realizes this and is on the record agreeing to it, is progress!

 

[Cherokee2000]

I have to confess to living in relative proximity to this impending clusterf#ck. I'm also a home school survivor who experienced molestation by a family member when I was five years old, so importing this level of crazy really vexed me. I wound up sending an email to the people planning this event explaining my dismay as at their choice of speakers and pointing out that the Duggars were failures as educators and parents (based on their use of a cult based curriculum, the fact that few of their adult children had obtained educational credentials or appeared able to be self sufficient). I provided links, and explained how the Duggars had handled the molestation in their family and provided copies of the redacted police reports so they could see source materials for themselves. I also cc'd the editors of all the major news papers, the CBC and the Minister of Education. I don't know that it will do any good, but worth a shot. 

 

Kittikatz, kudos to you for doing such a thorough job of communicating your (our) dismay at the thought of giving these false prophets of home schooling a forum for spreading their nastiness here in Alberta!

It's what I always plan to do when I see something in the news that affects me, but my energy to do this typically declines rapidly. I usually end up doing one or two responses to an online news comment section, and the occasional post to FJ outlining my outrage, and then real life intervenes.

So I`m glad you stuck with it. And I'm also glad that AHEA had the good grace to send out decent acknowledgement letters to you and others who wrote in. And I'm thrilled that responses had the desired of effect of keeping the Duggars away from our home territory!

[Handmaiden of Dog]

I'm just really tickled that JB and Michelle do not get a fat check for spewing garbage and nonsense.  I hope that when the day they were supposed to speak comes around, JB looks at his calendar and sighs with regret.  No fawning, no leg humping, just JB stuck at home paying bills and wondering how he is ever going to manage without the good Duggar name opening all doors for him.

[Cherokee2000]

I was contiplating making the trek to Red Deer, which is only a 1.5 hour drive from my city, to see the Duggar trainwreck and in hopes of a Q&A session. However, the other part of me would never want to attend any event that supports the Duggar's or what they stand for, I'm also not into being preached. I'm actually relieved now that I do not need to make this decision to go or not.

 

Yes, I know of that little voice inside that says "Wouldn't it be neat to go there and call the Duggars on all their lies?" But I refuse to let even once cent of my money support Duggar Inc.

Are you in Edmonton or Calgary? I'm in Edmonton and I love going to Red Deer for conferences. Red Deer is just a small centre, but being exactly halfway between two good-sized cities, they host a lot of provincial and even national/international conferences.

[EmCatlyn]

I'm just really tickled that JB and Michelle do not get a fat check for spewing garbage and nonsense.  I hope that when the day they were supposed to speak comes around, JB looks at his calendar and sighs with regret.  No fawning, no leg humping, just JB stuck at home paying bills and wondering how he is ever going to manage without the good Duggar name opening all doors for him.

Are we sure they aren't getting paid something because they had a contact?  I could see the organization negotiating something to keep JB quiet.

[Cleopatra7]

Are we sure they aren't getting paid something because they had a contact?  I could see the organization negotiating something to keep JB quiet.

I could see this happening, but the fact that they got the boot before they could continue to spread their nonsense is significant. Hopefully, this is a sign that the Christian homeschooling world is no longer buying what the Duggars are selling, or at least that Duggar detractors are starting to outnumber leghumpers.

[Cherokee2000]

 Front page of CBC news. Coincidence? Hmmmm.... he took one look at that hair and said, "Not in my country."

Yes, that's what really happened!!

Mr. Justin Trudeau knows whereof he speaks. He himself has such wonderful hair that his rivals, the Conservatives, spoke about it constantly during the election campaign! I kid you not! See http://viewthevibe.com/justin-trudeaus-hair-why-do-we-care/

And singsingsing, you obviously are the go-to person for all things Justin and great hair, as one can see by looking at your avatar. Nice catch for finding the PM-elect quietly blocking the entrance of Lego-Head and Gothard-Curls to our country!

[EmCatlyn]

I could see this happening, but the fact that they got the boot before they could continue to spread their nonsense is significant. Hopefully, this is a sign that the Christian homeschooling world is no longer buying what the Duggars are selling, or at least that Duggar detractors are starting to outnumber leghumpers.

I agree.  It burns me that they might get paid anyway, but the important thing is they are not going to be speakers.

[JoyfullyUnavailable]

Are you in Edmonton or Calgary? I'm in Edmonton and I love going to Red Deer for conferences. Red Deer is just a small centre, but being exactly halfway between two good-sized cities, they host a lot of provincial and even national/international conferences.

I'm also from Edmonton. Hello neighbor.  I can't say I have ever attended a conference in Red Deer but I have been there several times, mostly to pass through to be honest. 

I would have loved to see Jim Boob's reaction to hearing that he will not be coming to Canada to speak. Sorry, eh! The gravy train isn't leaving the station this time. Hopefully this sets a precedent for future speaking engagements, though I tend to be a pessimist on this one. 

[JoyfullyUnavailable]

I agree.  It burns me that they might get paid anyway, but the important thing is they are not going to be speakers.

I would be surprised if they are still getting paid for this, or at least in the full amount. I'm assuming that if there was a contract somebody was smart enough to put in some type of ideminty clause. Even then, it would be such a pain in the butt for the Duggar's to litigate for any compensation as the would need to file the lawsuit where the cause of action took place (Alberta). I hope they didn't make a dime! I hope we get an answer to whether or not they are getting paid just for our shear  curiosity and snarking reasons.

[Flyinthesoup]

I would be surprised if they are still getting paid for this, or at least in the full amount. I'm assuming that if there was a contract somebody was smart enough to put in some type of ideminty clause. Even then, it would be such a pain in the butt for the Duggar's to litigate for any compensation as the would need to file the lawsuit where the cause of action took place (Alberta). I hope they didn't make a dime! I hope we get an answer to whether or not they are getting paid just for our shear  curiosity and snarking reasons.

I would be surprised if they receive funds, too.  The organization releases their financials in, April, so I will see if I can get my hands on that information.

[Cherokee2000]

I could see this happening, but the fact that they got the boot before they could continue to spread their nonsense is significant. Hopefully, this is a sign that the Christian homeschooling world is no longer buying what the Duggars are selling, or at least that Duggar detractors are starting to outnumber leghumpers.

In the grand scheme of things, I have no problem with the Duggars getting a portion of the agreed-upon speaker fee. After all, it was a business transaction done in good faith. If I had been booked to give a presentation at a music conference, for example, and then months later the organizers suddenly found me unsuitable to speak to their delegates, I would certainly negotiate a cancellation fee.

But you're right, Cleopatra, to focus on the good news: the Duggar message is being prevented from spreading. Most home-schoolers are above that kind of narrow-minded thinking, and it's harmful for their ideas to be presented as a viable option. 

Even the head of the AHEA ended up saying:

“The Duggars' philosophy is not representative of AHEA as a whole….. Their appearance here would not be in the best interest of home educators."