Yes, people make mistakes and can be forgiven. Child molestation is not a mistake. Child molestation is an abhorrent crime that dehumanizes and demoralizes victims. It's a power play, bullying, and an abuse of trust. These types of crimes should be punished by law. However, Josh Duggan has skirted his way around it. Read on...
His apology?
“It is not mine to forgive but nonetheless I do and look forward for
you to use this opportunity to work with others who have struggled with
similar or like actions and educate them on how to turn away from such
behavior. I’m sure it is the last thing you want to revisit but you can
help so many boys and girls and probably already have by making this
public statement. Be strong and don’t let the negative reaction play
over and over in your head. You have a lot of supporters, lean on them,
let their words wash over you as you all pick up and move forward.”
He barely apologizes for his actions and makes himself sound like a victim.
“Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible,
each one of our family members drew closer to God. We pray that as
people watch our lives they see that we are not a perfect family."
Never choose to go through? That's exactly what you did. And thank the good Lord you molested your sisters so your whole family could be closer to God.
“The media can be shameless & so hurtful. My family has
experienced the media’s lack of knowledge and truth trying to make
something out of a mistake & it was so incredibly hurtful to our
family. To feel as though you have truth and you’re fighting a massive
giant such as the media can be so frustrating.”
Yes, your family is hurt, especially the sisters you molested. And I'm sorry, this is the job of media, to uncover and expose, even the ugly. And lack of knowledge? They dredged up a police report buried years ago. What exactly are they lacking? And the truth is you inappropriately touched young girls, including your sisters, and are hardly repentant. You seem more apologetic about being found out than actually committing the crime.
His fans are defending him
, politicians..."he's an example of humility and redemption." Really? He spoke about it because he had to, because some journalist did their homework and dug up this ugliness. He would have gone his entire life not exposing this if it hadn't been found out.
One of his fans actually said something to the affect, "he only molested them, it's not like he raped them." O.o Okay, how about you get molested, then raped, then tell us what the difference is? Do you feel less violated? Less demoralized? Fuck me. No pun intended.
Some are comparing this to the Lena Dunham commission of molesting her sister. There's a difference. Is what she did wrong? Yes. And honestly, it did change my opinion of her the way she so flippantly spoke of it in her book. Of course, she was seven to Duggan's 14, and hers was one instant compared to repeating the offense over the course of years against 5 different girls. And Dunham doesn't shroud herself in a veil of propriety and righteousness.
Apparently, if you believe in God, all is forgiven. No need to spend time in juvee or get "real" therapy (I will talk more about that in a minute). Christians are above the law of the land? They only are accountable to religious law?
Let's talk about the parents...
His parents should have been arrested for waiting so long to report the offenses. I mean, convenient to hide the truth until the statute of limitations had run its course, right? And when Jim Bob does report it, who does he go to first? The police...oh wait, no, my mistake...the church elders. Are you fucking kidding me? Your child has just sexually violated children, YOUR OWN CHILDREN, scarring them for life, and you go to the church instead of the authorities? I'm sorry, I love my kids, but if they EVER did that, I'm sending them to the authorities, hoping they get the help they need, because for me, child abuse, in any form, needs to be dealt with.
How about setting them up for disaster? The kids, at least a few of them, definitely the molester and victims, slept in a common room. Um...14 year old boy, hormones raging, with sleeping girls. Parent Fail. Even if I trusted my kids to the ends of the earth and back, I would not put them in that situation. Boys do stupid shit, especially at an age where their libido leads the way.
Jim Bob also refused to let police interview Josh. Helpful, no? Of course he let all of his daughters go through that torture. No report was filed either. Could it be because Jim Bob knew the state trooper he'd reported it too? The trooper gave Josh a "stern talking to" and decided that the "therapy" he'd undergone was enough. Um...how about looking into that "therapy" before making that decision? Oh wait, you probably didn't care that much since you, yourself were a pedophile, now serving 56-years in prison for child pornography.
About this so called "therapy."
Jim Bob didn't want poor Joshy in a place where there were other offenders, he must be so fragile. Of course, that meant no sexual assault counseling for him. Nope. Jim Bob instead sent him to a good Christian program. But wait, there's more. For part of his "therapy," Josh ended up working for a family friend who was in the business of remodeling. No counseling for sex offenders there. No counseling at all. I bet that was helpful. The other part of the time he was at the
Basic Life Principles Training Center run by friend of the family, Bill Gothard. Their website contends that they are, ...dedicated to giving clear instruction and training on how to find success by
following God’s principles found in Scripture." I guess God's principles includes sexual grooming and groping young women. Last year Gothard resigned his post from the center after
allegations of sexual grooming and sexual harassment of over 30 young women and teens surfaced. This was the man offering his counsel to Josh Duggard. SMH.
Duggan has traveled the country bashing the LGBT community and calling them sexual deviants. He's pronounced how doing bad things to children is evil in "one of its worst forms." He blasts
Muslims for their treatment of women. He claims that marriage equality destroys the American family. He stated that his family is the epitome of conservative values. All if this is hypocrisy at its finest.
- Sexual deviant, check.
- Molesting children, check.
- Demoralizing sisters, check.
- Hiding his past from the public while maintaining the image of the "perfect American family," check. A child molester who never paid his time living under the guise of conservative values, check.
Has Josh Duggan lived a good life since? Supposedly, but how do I know? The public sees what their television show wants them to see. I've never seen an episode. A family breeding like rabbits and praising God isn't exactly my idea of good entertainment.
I do think people can rehabilitate with HELP.
I do believe in forgiveness.
However, what I don't agree with is this:
- Hiding behind Jesus to suit your own selfish needs.
- Praising the almighty dollar.
- Hiding the truth.
- Waiting until the statute of limitations runs out to report sexual assault.
- Not getting a sex offender the right kind of counseling and treatment.
- Not filing a report on a repeat sex offender, friend or not.
- Apologizing without admission.
- Acting as a role model in the public eye when you have darkened your religion and the legal system.
- Being a hypocrite.
The most frightening thing is that this is all about Josh. What about his victims? His sisters are voiceless amid this revelation. Josh got "help." Did they? Did the Duggars send their daughters to counseling? A doctor even? Probably not. It seems they've been hushed instead of standing up for themselves. Of course, this goes along with the home school teachings in
sexual assault, which focuses a lot on victim blaming and is nothing less than appalling. How refreshing it would be to see one of them speak out? Sadly, I'm sure that's against their "family values."
I don't like the idea of hiding part of who I am to please people. I would hope that I would be judged on my character, my intelligence, and my skill when being looked at for a job. Maybe that will actually be the case, but you never know. I know some people place a lot of import on appearances, and that's fine. If I have to conform to get a job, I will. I need it. But then, I may have to wonder if I really want a job where people aren't accepting. I mean, if they're not accepting of tattoos, what else do they not accept in life. Whatever happens today, I hope that if I get this job, and once they get to know me, they will realize that I'm a quality person, tattoos or not.
