Search Results for: Duggar



Duggars on PEOPLE MAGAZINE!

It was bound to happen eventually: Michelle Duggar gave birth to a premie. Not just a premie, but a “micropremie,” scarcely heavier than one pound, born at 25 weeks gestation. When I was in med school and residency (late 80s, early 90s), 25 weeks was considered the lower limit of survivability, and few of these kids made it. I’m not sure what the current lower limit is, but I’ve met children who had been micropremies younger than 25 weeks.

So now we know how many kids you need to have in order to make the cover of People: 19. Not surprisingly, Michelle and Jim Bob say they would be delighted to have more, despite the scathing criticism of . . . what? On-line chat groups? Blogs? Says Michelle: “When I say we would love more children, we open ourselves up for attack.”

I picked up this issue of People because the cover hinted at reportage of the controversy. “THE DUGGARS UNDER FIRE.” “HOW MANY KIDS ARE TOO MANY?” But the story itself pussyfoots, with only a few hints of criticism. A quote from Dr. Jeffrey Richardson, a California obstetrician: “The risks of additional pregnancies start to go up dramatically after four.”

Get that? The risks to the mom. Or, perhaps, to the neonate. How about the children, who are left to raise their younger sibs or be raised by older sibs? Psychologist Michelle Gannon: “What tends to happen in such large families is that the older siblings parent the younger ones and begin to manage the family. The children, the very young ones, get their emotional and physical needs met by their siblings.” She goes on to say (wishy washy alert!!!): “Is it fair? I don’t know. Hopefully, everyone’s needs are being met.”

What do I know? I know that Michelle will have to stop some time soon.

They’re running out of J names.

D.

Duggars name #18 for Iraqi academic

I was intrigued by Michelle and Jim-Bob Duggar’s choice of name for #18: Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar. Makiya? At first I thought Jim-Bob had hit a random fantasy name generator, and I regretted that the world had not welcomed Jotil-Snebanina Warsulo Duggar (that was MY choice for the betting pool), but then it occurred to me: perhaps this fella has more on his mind than how to find the inspiration necessary for the procreation of #19 without resorting to ungodly pastimes. Perhaps he has a political agenda.

Meet Kanan Makiya, Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Brandeis University. This is an interesting guy:

Makiya has collaborated on many films for television, the most recent of which exposed for the first time the 1988 campaign of mass murder in northern Iraq known as the Anfal. The film was broadcast in the U.S. on the PBS program Frontline under the title Saddam’s Killing Fields and received the Overseas Press Club’s Edward Murrow Award in 1992.

From the Frontline interview, “Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero”:

What is your own image of evil? Have you ever had an intimate personal encounter with it? Does it have its own taste and smell and configuration? …

Evil is something that, when you see it, when you know it, it’s intimate. It’s almost sensual. That is why people who have been tortured know it by instinct. They don’t need to be told what it is, and they may have a very hard time putting it into words. … That’s the nature of the phenomenon. It’s hard to put into words. But you have to have that intimacy with it, that kind of shoulder-to-shoulder rubbing. …

In order for me to understand evil, to see something as evil, I have to be able to see myself in it somehow, and yet not be there. If I’m not able to do that, then it’s just a phenomenon. It’s just a thing — terrible, bad, whatever — [but] it’s not got that intimacy.

[Snip]

When I handled the paperwork of the Iraqi bureaucracy, as it has killed tens of thousands of its own citizens, I see evil. I look at the paperwork. I look at the squiggles of the line and I wonder about the person who wrote in his handwriting style. …

I have a register which lists 397 eliminated villages, Kurdish villages in northern Iraq. … The work is called “The Register of Eliminated Villages.” You flip the pages, beautifully scripted and done with a pencil. Then the writer of this book has covered it, folded it very neatly with a nice, great big book cover made of paper, with great big white flowers against a red background. It’s a very decorative, pretty thing. … You look at this person who has taken such immaculate care of this book, which records the destruction of 397 Kurdish villages. … You look at the book and you know you’re touching evil somehow.

So the Duggars have named #18 for a guy who quotes Hannah Arendt. I’m impressed. On the other hand, Makiya does say things that would make him very popular with those Christian Fundamentalists who think that the only thing worse than Teh Islam is Teh Gay . . .

At this point in time, in this place, at this conjuncture in our history, religion did drive those planes into those towers. In that sense, in some deep sense, some deep way, religion is responsible. … Not any religion, but Islam in particular. But you just have to change the time and the circumstance, the moment. Move back 50 years, a hundred years, whatever, and you can have an entirely different circumstance. …

I have always thought there were dark … corners in religion. I took that for granted. That’s not the surprising thing for me. … The frightening thing is rather that, in the Arab world, we have let the darkness of religion flourish. The forces that are dampening it at this moment in our history are weak, and that is frightening. …

I call bullshit. 9/11 wasn’t about religion. It was intensely political and economic — and considering the developments of the last seven years, it was horribly successful.

***

Any guesses for the name of #19? Considering #18, I’m betting on Jillian-Kristol Wolfowitz Duggar.

D.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Duggars

Michelle Duggar and family welcome Number 17.

Wendy’s August, 2007 post at Snarky Gossip still gets comments.

The reason why they have so many kids is because they don’t believe in birth control or having surgery to stop getting pregnant. It’s part of their religion. Every child is a gift from God and they should accept it with open arms.

You guys need to think before you comment. Seriously.

As an initial response, I considered picking apart the commenter’s choice of pronoun (accept it with open arms? IT?) That one little word seemed to summarize all that is wrong with the Quiverfull group’s attitude toward children. But maybe “it” was a slip, the sort of error an inexperienced writer makes when he’s eager to avoid the appearance of sexism. Maybe I was getting a little too overheated, once again, about She of the Bottomless Womb. Yeah. Overheated.

And then I had an epiphany:

America needs the Duggars.

(more…)

Michelle Duggar must have popped

Number 17, no? Or is it 18? After three, they all start blending together, don’t you think?

Welcome to all of you ‘net surfers hungry for Duggar snark. You’ll find plenty here, provided you use that little search tool — oh, here, let me do it for you.

Everything I’ve ever written about the Duggars.

I recommend that you scroll back to the earliest Duggar post and read them in chronological order. I ran out of interesting things to say about the Duggars, oh, about twelve posts ago. Professor Snape had some useful insights, but that got old after a while, too.

As for Ms. Anonymous who commented,

We all need to recognize the beauty being able to run our families however we choose to. Remember: Judge not lest you be judged !

I know, I know. Right now, I’m trying so hard not to judge that first sentence of yours.

D.

Duggar delight: Seventeen Sixteen and one in the oven

Remember the Duggars?

I can always tell when Michelle Duggar is pregnant. No, she doesn’t have to pee on a stick; I need only check my blog’s top entry pages. When Snape Hearts Michelle Duggar starts creeping up in the ratings, some sort of Duggary Goodness is a-brew; and if you’re a Duggar, goodness = fecundity.

If Shara can be trusted, Number Eighteen is on the way. Should we start the naming pool? J-names only, people. I pick “Jaggers” if it’s a boy, “Jezebel” if it’s a girl.

From Shara’s blog:

Now, I know a lot of people might think that having 18 kids is irresponsible or just plain crazy and I might have even been one of those people once. But, this is one of the happiest most well adjusted families that you will EVER meet. I would like to be one of the Duggars! Really!

How does she know this? How can Shara distinguish happiness from Stepfordian acquiescence? She went to school with Michelle. That’s right — Shara is a firsthand witness to Duggary. I wish she had given us some insight into the teen pre-Duggar Michelle, but sadly she does not.

In a recent comment to this blog, Stefanie writes,

The Duggar family inspires me quite a bit. I mean, yes they have 16 children, but look at how much patience they have with all their children, especially the little ones. More power to them! If the Lord decided that this is the lifestyle for them to live, so be it. It’s not our place to judge each other. Like the bible says “Judge not les ye be judged” and “He without sin casts the first stone”. Let the family live in peace. They are doing God’s work upon Earth. They are truly blessed with a wonderful family and I hope to see more documentaries about them in the future. God Bless Duggar Family!

Ah, where to begin. How about the fact that that particular post, aside from poking a little fun at a poorly worded email (supposedly from Jana Duggar), hardly threw “the first stone,” nor was it the least bit judgmental. But I’m more interested in Stefanie’s assertion that the Duggars are doing God’s work upon Earth.

For the sake of argument, let’s grant that God exists. Either (A) God’s ways and movements are mysterious, or (B) God’s ways and movements are revealed to the likes of Stefanie, Pat Robertson, George W. Bush, etc. If (B) is true, I would like these cognoscenti to explain to me the horror of evil, particularly evil inflicted upon the innocent and defenseless. And if they explain it by invoking God’s mysteriousness and ineffability, then (A) is true, in which case I would politely request that these folks shut the eff up about God.

***

‘Kay everyone, I’ve reached my depth for the evening. I had a bad night last night thanks to the horrors of acid reflux; it’s a minor miracle I managed to get some decent writing in today. But I did! Yay me!

One sex scene: down.

Two virgins: deflowered.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, wherein I meet some of Ellora’s cavepeople.

D.

Duggar Mania: we have a winner *and announcement*

Stephen!

He’s brilliant. Many women want to be carnal with him. And I quote: Stephen, I love you and want to have your babies. No small wonder he found inspiration in the Duggar family poster.

Stephen wins

A box of condoms and a bottle of sex lube

or

A $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble

and

this BEAUTIFUL photoshopped poster

featuring his winning entry:

Congratulations!

As for me, I’m feeling thoroughly sapped of creativity this evening. Sorry, but it happens sometimes.

As for the announcement:

Miss Snark is having another Crap-o-meter fest: Query + first page. Details here.

I think I’ll do one for my NiP.

And another announcement:

My piece on Anna Pou, MD made it to Mike’s Blog Roundup, woo-hoo! I’m already sucking up my fifteen minutes of fame.

D.

Duggar Mania

Contest! Enter now, win condoms and sex lube!

In case you missed Kate’s link the other day:

Those of you not familiar with the Duggar Phenomenon, AKA Mass Production Wombology, AKA the “Full Quiver” movement, may want to start here and then follow the links.

I thought long and hard about a better caption. Truthfully, “Vagina, It’s not a clown car” sets the bar very high (image pinched from Watertiger, the Dependable Renegade). “Free Jinger” came to mind, but that’s kind of an in-joke among us Duggarphiles. “She Who Must Conceive” — well, that only applies to Michelle and neglects all those Duggarlets.

Then I thought, hey, why should I do all the work? It’s been a looong time since we’ve had a contest, right?

So here’s the deal. Offer me an alternative caption. If it makes me laugh, I’ll put your name into a drawing. Winner gets a package of condoms and a bottle of Astroglide, woo-hoo! Or a $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, your choice.

I’ll close the contest and announce a winner on Tuesday. Have fun!

D.

PS: I count only 14 kids, but she’s had 16. Time to update that photo.

Snape hearts Michelle Duggar

The phone rang four times before I picked it up. I sat in bed, benumbed and lobotomized, feeling as though I had just had my eyelids pried open Clockwork Orange-fashion, and had been forced to watch The Sound of Music at top volume. It took me a moment to answer the operator.

“Are you there, sir? Sir?”

British accent. At some level, I knew what was coming. The cheap bastard was doing it to me again.

“Yes,” I said, shaking off my mental haze. “Yes, I guess I am here after all.”

“I have a Mr. Snape here, sir — excuse me, a Professor Snape. Do you accept the charges?”

I sighed, rolled my eyes for Karen’s benefit, pointed at the phone and mouthed the word Snape.

“Oh, all right, then. Go ahead.” (more…)

Here’s what’s up with the Duggars.

Hmm. My sitemeter stats say folks are busy this weekend digging for Duggars. I even got a hit from someone searching for “Prairie Muffin pornography,” which gave me an idea or three, all of them puerile and scatological.

You remember the Duggars. Ma Duggar popped out baby Prairie Muffin #16 (Johanna Faith Duggar. All Duggar kids have J names. Isn’t that cuuuute?) on October 12, 2005. Not even the prolific Michelle Duggar can produce a #17 this soon, can she? Unless the baby is premature. Damn. I really hope that isn’t the reason for these hits.

Nope. Pheew. I did a Google blog search on the Duggars (thanks for the idea, Blue Gal), and found this post by Work at Home Dad. Guess what: soon, we’ll have another Duggar TV special to snark upon! From Work at Home Dad,

Discovery Health Channel will be running their newest show on the Duggars, “Raising 16 Children.” Here are the air dates (all times Eastern):

March 15, 2006 at 8:00 pm and 11:00 pm
March 19, 2006 at 3:00 pm
March 26, 2006 at 9:00 pm
March 27, 2006 at 12:00 am

TLC will be running their newest show on the Duggars, “16 Children and Moving In.” Here are the air dates (all times Eastern):

March 11, 2006 at 9:00 pm
March 12, 2006 at 12:00 am
March 13, 2006 at 8:00 pm and 11:00 pm
March 19, 2006 at 1:00 pm

Get this: Karen knew about this, and she didn’t tell me.

For those of you who need to play catch up, here’s a convenient list of my Duggar & Prairie Muffin posts.

How Many is Too Many? An introduction to the Quiverfull movement in general, and the Duggars in particular, with a focus on the Duggar parenting system.

So you want to be a Prairie Muffin . . . An intensive study of the Muffin Manifesto.

Banned Books Week: the Muffin POV. And you thought book burnings were a bad thing?

I’m wondering what I can do next. Possibilities include,

Not tonight, I’m having your baby: Muffin sexual etiquette.

Cooking for 16+ Cafeteria cooking good enough to eat!

Animals do it outside. Why can’t you? Surviving with 18 family members and 2 1/2 bathrooms.

I’m raising an army of blonde white clones to ensure the primacy of the Aryan Race. And what are you doing to make the world a better place?

Suggestions welcomed.

D.

Harriet Miers has a blog, Michelle Duggar fulfills her destiny yet again, & more linkage

File this under: Damn, why didn’t I think of that first?

I’ve been pissing myself laughing for the last half hour reading the Harriet Miers blog. For you non-Americans, Harriet Miers is Dubya’s most recent pick for U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Her main qualification seems to be her near total lack of qualifications. But who knew she had a blog?

Elsewhere in the political humor realm: Jurassic Pork has hatched a great meme in today’s President Magoo post. Bush as Magoo: blindness explains a great deal. JP’s Assclowns of the Week (yesterday’s post) is a fine read, too.

Note to any newbies: I’m a Berkeley boy, and my political leanings are a bit to the left of Ted Kennedy. If you’re at the opposite end of the spectrum, don’t bother to follow those links. It’ll only piss you off.

The next ones are filed under: Hey, that ain’t funny, that’s serious!

My beloved added to her blog last night with Burning Bush (sorry, no sexual double entendres there).

Last but not least, if any of you haven’t checked out Jeff Huber’s blog Pen and Sword, today’s post is excellent: Taking Back Our Country.

***

I’m not feeling terribly creative tonight. I had to run in to the hospital at 3:30 AM to take care of an emergency, so I’m feeling a wee bit post-call. I really really hope my patient doesn’t give me a repeat performance tonight, for her sake and mine.

***

Today is Yom Kippur. There’s a Jewish concept, pikuakh nefesh, which means “to save a soul”. It’s a great loophole for doctors. It means we can work on holidays and the Sabbath if we’re saving lives, because life is more important than the law (which is to say, The Law).

If you’re a regular here, you know what a half-assed Jew I am. While I might be able to justify working on Yom Kippur, I can’t justify fressing all day. It would take a lawyer of Talmudic proportions to claim I had to eat those coconut-covered brownies to keep up my strength, right? Right.

Half-assed or full-assed, I’m aware of the holiday nonetheless, and atonement is on my mind. I’d thought about blogging on my inability to let go of grudges, which I suspect is one of my nastier sins. I may still do that some day soon. Consider it a belated Yom Kippur post. For now, I’m more focused on eating dinner, waiting the requisite three hours, and then going to sleep.

***

Have I mentioned that I’m thinking of NaNoWriMoing? I’d like to blame it on peer pressure, but to be truthful, I’d rather be writing new stuff than editing my BFN (Big Fat Novel, which sounds a whole lot less stuck-up than magnum opus).

Anyone else doing the NaNoWriMo shuffle? We ought to cheer each other on.

***

Michelle Duggar, she of the iron uterus, popped today. Remember the Duggars? Johanna Faith Duggar is number sixteen. From the Seattle Post Intelligencer article (Intelligencer. WTF kinda word is that?):

“Their children include two sets of twins, and each child has a name beginning with the letter “J”: Joshua, 17; John David, 15; Janna, 15; Jill, 14; Jessa, 12; Jinger, 11; Joseph, 10; Josiah, 9; Joy-Anna, 8; Jeremiah, 6; Jedidiah, 6; Jason, 5; James, 4; Justin, 2; Jackson Levi, 1; and now Johannah.”

Look carefully at that list: Janna, Joy-Anna, Johannah. They’re not even trying to come up with unique J names for their girls.

Reminds me of our friend Kira, who used to call her parents “parental units”. I think the Duggars need to be honest and call their daughters “reproductive unit [number]”, in which case Johanna Faith is reproductive unit 6. Oops, I mean 7. I forgot Mrs. Duggar — she’s not done yet!

D,