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Duggar-Endorsed GOP Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee Runs To Defend Josh Duggar

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Josh Duggar’s actions as a teen are “inexcusable,” but not “unforgivable,” says conservative Christian and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. “We will run to them with our support.”

In 2012, the Duggar family endorsed far right Republican radical Rick Santorum, but when fellow Arkansas native Mike Huckabee launched his 2016 presidential campaign earlier this month, endorsement from Michelle Duggar and Jim Bob Duggar were literally at the top of Huckabee’s campaign page. 

And they still are.

Three days in to the Josh Duggar child molestation sex scandal, the silence from the right is deafening.

LOOK: After 3 Days Of Josh Duggar Child Molestation Sex Scandal, ’19 Kids’ Producers TLC Still Silent

Aside from right wing websites, almost no one with a platform – including “19 Kids and Counting” producers TLC and Discovery Communications – are saying a word. Family Research Council president Tony Perkins issued the meagerest of statements acknowledging Josh Duggar’s resignation from his anti-gay organization, but that’s about it.

Until just now.

Josh Duggar rose to power within the Republican party faster than even his now-former boss Tony Perkins, in large part because he is a celebrity and supposedly represented the Christian family values the GOP claims to espouse. He can be seen photographed arm in arm with half the 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls, but only one is speaking about him at all.

Mike Huckabee, the ordained Baptist preacher, today issued a scathing attack on the “bloodthirsty media” while thowing his full support to Josh Duggar.

RELATED: ‘I Acted Inexcusably’ – Josh Duggar Apologizes, Resigns From Family Research Council

“Janet and I want to affirm our support for the Duggar family,” Speaking for himself and his wife, Huckabee wrote late this morning on Facebook. “Josh’s actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, ‘inexcusable,’ but that doesn’t mean ‘unforgivable.'”

Huckabee claims Josh and his family “dealt with it and were honest and open about it with the victims and the authorities.”

That’s not accurate.

While Josh’s father reported the assaults to the police, reportedly he waited months or even a year to do so. And once the three-year statute of limitations was up. Josh refused to talk with the police again.

“No purpose whatsoever is served by those who are now trying to discredit Josh or his family by sensationalizing the story. Good people make mistakes and do regrettable and even disgusting things. The reason that the law protects disclosure of many actions on the part of a minor is that the society has traditionally understood something that today’s blood-thirsty media does not understand—that being a minor means that one’s judgement is not mature.”

Huckabee is totally correct there – but ignores the fact that the Duggars created a public image of themselves as a good Christian family.

“No one needs to defend Josh’s actions as a teenager, but the fact that he confessed his sins to those he harmed, sought help, and has gone forward to live a responsible and circumspect life as an adult is testament to his family’s authenticity and humility.”

Actually, again, that’s not exactly correct. The Duggars claimed they put Josh into a Christian counseling program, but Michelle Duggar admitted that all they did was send Josh to work for the summer with a family friend who remodels houses for a living.  

“Those who have enjoyed revealing this long ago sins in order to discredit the Duggar family have actually revealed their own insensitive bloodthirst, for there was no consideration of the fact that the victims wanted this to be left in the past and ultimately a judge had the information on file destroyed—not to protect Josh, but the innocent victims.”

“Janet and I love Jim Bob and Michelle and their entire family. They are no more perfect a family than any family, but their Christian witness is not marred in our eyes because following Christ is not a declaration of our perfection, but of HIS perfection. It is precisely because we are all sinners that we need His grace and His forgiveness. We have been blessed to receive God’s love and we would do no less than to extend our love and support for our friends. In fact, it is such times as this, when real friends show up and stand up. Today, Janet and I want to show up and stand up for our friends. Let others run from them. We will run to them with our support.”

No mention from Huckabee of the fact Josh Duggar went on to a career in which he – just like his mother Michelle has done – spread lies, hate, and fear about LGBT people, and for a living. That’s hardly “going forward to live a responsible and circumspect life as an adult.” 

UPDATE – 05.22.15 1:40 PM EDT:
Breaking: TLC Pulls Duggars’ ’19 Kids And Counting’ From Schedule

 

Related:

Here’s Josh Duggar Hanging With Half The GOP Presidential Candidate Field

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins Responds To Josh Duggar News

Report: Josh Duggar Investigated For Molesting Five Girls, Including Family Members, As A Teen

Josh Duggar’s Dad Reportedly Turned Him In To Cops In Sex Abuse Investigation When He Was 17

 

Image via Twitter
Hat tip: The Hill

 

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HATE CRIMES

Leaders of White Supremacist Group Terrorgram Charged, Face Up to 220 Years in Prison

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Dallas Humber and Matthew Allison, the leaders of the white supremacist terrorist group Terrorgram Collective are facing up to 220 years in prison on charges of soliciting hate crimes, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and soliciting the murder of federal officials.

The Justice Department announced Monday that Humber, 34, and Allison, 37, were arrested Friday. The pair were indicted on 15 charges. The charges include one count of conspiracy, four counts of soliciting hate crimes, three more of soliciting the murder of federal officials, three counts of doxxing federal officials, two counts of distributing information on making bombs, one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and a count of making threatening communications.

“Today’s indictment charges the defendants with leading a transnational terrorist group dedicated to attacking America’s critical infrastructure, targeting a hit list of our country’s public officials, and carrying out deadly hate crimes—all in the name of violent white supremacist ideology,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Today’s arrests are a warning that committing hate-fueled crimes in the darkest corners of the internet will not hide you, and soliciting terrorist attacks from behind a screen will not protect you.”

READ MORE: CNN Host Debunks Mike Johnson’s False Hundreds of ‘Known Terrorists’ Claim in Real Time

The Terrorgram Collective is based around the messaging app Telegram, and promotes the idea of white supremacist accelerationism, the Justice Department said. Accelerationism is an ideology that uses terrorism and political violence in hopes of speeding up a collapse of the government, which can then be replaced with a new system. In Terrorgram’s case, that new system would be a white ethnostate. In order to cause this destruction, Humber and Allison allegedly provided advice for committing crimes and disseminated a list of “high-value targets” of government officials and business leaders to be assassinated.

The Justice Department says it has linked Terrorgram with a shooting outside of an LGBTQ bar in Slovakia, a mass stabbing in Turkey near a mosque and a person who planned to attack New Jersey’s power grid. Terrorgram called those who had made attacks “Saints,” and the indictment includes a graphic explaining a five point criteria for “sainthood.” First is to “be White… obviously”; the incident must be deliberate; the motive must align with the white supremacist cause; there must be a body count, or “score,” of one or more; and the attacker must share a similar worldview to the group. Another graphic depicted the “Path to Sainthood”: Starting at “Grievance,” moving to “Violent Ideation,” to “Research and Planning”, to “Preparation,” to “Probing and breaching”, ending in “Attack.”

“Hate crimes fueled by bigotry and white supremacy, and amplified by the weaponization of digital messaging platforms, are on the rise and have no place in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Make no mistake, as hate groups turn to online platforms, the federal government is adapting and responding to protect vulnerable communities.”

The case will be heard in federal court, in the Eastern District of California.

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politics

Trump Calls for ‘Biden Comeback’ Day Before Debate With Kamala Harris

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Former President Donald Trump suggested Democrats put President Joe Biden back in play as the nominee a day before the scheduled debate with Vice President Kamala Harris by claiming Harris was doing poorly in the polls, asking “How about a Biden comeback?”

On Monday, Trump posted to his social media platform Truth Social, calling out Harris’ Saturday afternoon campaign stop at Penzeys Spices in Pittsburgh.

“Comrade Kamala Harris goes to an ultra Left Wing, Trump Hating, spice shop, which I hear has terrible, overpriced product, and calls for ‘unity.’ As people begin to realize that she is a Marxist, FAR MORE LIBERAL than Crazy Bernie Sanders, or even Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren, her poll numbers are beginning to crash. Who are they going to put in next? How about a Biden comeback?” Trump wrote.

READ MORE: Trump Late Night Rant Signals Plan to Evade Harris Debate as Rules Come Back Into Play

Penzeys Spices is a Wisconsin-based chain of spice stores that has gone viral in the past for making anti-Trump statements, according to the Tufts Daily. The store has sold a “January 6 Box” of spices which included blends named “Justice” and “Outrage.” Penzeys has also posted signs in its windows, including a “Welcome Future Fake Electors” sign at its Milwaukee location during the Republican National Convention in the city. Its website even has a page titled “About Republicans” slamming the party.

Though Trump is likely accurate in calling Penzey’s Spices “Trump Hating,” his other claims are more suspect. Harris is much closer to the center than Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Both Sanders and Warren are regarded as progressive, while Harris has been labeled a “reliable ally of the Democratic establishment” by the New York Times.

While Harris’ political momentum has stalled in the most recent polling, according to Politico, it hasn’t reversed, and the outlet reports that she’s still gaining popularity. NPR has also pointed to Harris’ previous debate performances and her past as a prosecutor as boons in Tuesday’s debate that could put her above Trump.

But regardless of whether she wins or loses the debate, it would be difficult for her to do as poorly as Biden did during his June 27 debate with Trump. Less than a month after that disastrous debate, Biden exited the race. Though Trump ultimately agreed to tomorrow’s debate with Harris, Trump made an attempt to change the venue to Fox News from ABC, and even initially pulled out before changing his mind.

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RIGHT WING IDIOCY

No, Haitian Immigrants Aren’t Eating Cats in Ohio

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cats

The latest conspiracy theory to make it out of MAGA world is that Haitian immigrants moved to Ohio to eat people’s beloved pets—from geese and ducks to even cats. It should go without saying that this is false, but considering it’s been shared by pundits like Charlie Kirk and even vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance (R-OH), it apparently needs to be said.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, Vance accused Vice President Kamala Harris of being derelict in her duties as Border Czar, citing the conspiracy theory on Monday.

“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio. Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?” Vance wrote.

READ MORE: ‘I’m Not Suicidal’: Kari Lake Pushes Hillary Clinton Murder Conspiracy Theory

Charlie Kirk made a similar tweet on Sunday, including a screenshot of an anonymized Facebook post.

“Residents of Springfield, OH are reporting that Haitians are eating their family pets, another gift of the Biden-Harris mass immigration replacement plan. Liberals will soon be lecturing Americans on why they need to be sensitive to Haitian culture and accept this as the new normal. Those idiots deserve to be condemned and mocked mercilessly. Save our pets. Secure our borders,” Kirk wrote.

X owner Elon Musk replied, taking Kirk’s post at face value, writing, “Apparently, people’s pet cats are being eaten”.

Haitians have been explicitly singled out in this case because of an influx of Haitian immigrants to Springfield, Ohio. Approximately 20,000 people have come from Haiti to Springfield, according to the New York Times. The Times reports that the new immigrants have helped the city bounce back from a decline both of businesses and population.

In 2014, Springfield launched a plan to bring businesses back to the city—leading to 8,000 new jobs by 2020. There were many new jobs, but there weren’t enough people to fill all the positions. Enter the Haitian community, who filled the positions, made new lives for themselves, and have even started opening their own businesses.

“There was a time, not too long ago, when we were a dying city, hemorrhaging people and jobs to other places. And the good Lord heard our prayers, and brought us the gift of the Haitian immigrant community,” Korge Mori, a Springfield resident, told the Times.

As for the specific claims by Vance and Kirk, the Springfield police have no reports of pet cats being taken and eaten, according to the Springfield News-Sun. While there was a recent case of a woman being accused of killing and eating a cat, that took place in Canton, Ohio. There is no evidence the woman, Allexis Telia Ferrell, is Haitian, and she has been a registered voter in Ohio for six years, according to The Daily Dot. And, as the Daily Dot points out, Canton is nowhere near Springfield.

Though it’s been a common urban legend that Haitian people eat cats, it does not appear to be based in any fact. A Google Books search of books with the subject “haiti” prints up nothing about eating cats being a part of Haitian culture. In fact, the only references are similar to ones like in the book Tropics of Haiti: Race and the Literary History of the Haitian Revolution in the Atlantic World, 1789-1865 by Marlene Daut. In this book, Daut refers to a claim of cat-eating by Edward Long, a historian who died in 1813—a claim Daut calls “bizarre.”

The idea of Haitians eating people’s pet cats is just another ugly urban legend with no basis in reality—much like similar claims against other immigrants to America. While it’s generally safest to keep your cats inside, it’s not to protect them from hungry people, but from being hit by cars.

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