Unless you live under a rock, you know by now that Josh Duggar, eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting fame, has admitted to molesting five underage girls twelve years ago. Josh’s parents hid his sexual assaults from the authorities for over a year and he never received any sort of sex offender counseling. Instead, his parents sent him to a family friend for three months to do hard labor.
The details of the case are explored in another article, which I urge any one to read to get up to date on the disgusting child molestation crimes committed by Mr. Duggar, as well as his parents’ failure to react appropriately. And on the topic on an inappropriate response, let’s focus on none-other than GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, known to pal around with the Duggar family for decades.
In response to the allegations, and Duggar’s subsequent admission of guilt (and let’s not forget the 33 page police report…), Huckabee has taken to Facebook to voice his support for Josh Duggar:
“Janet and I want to affirm our support for the Duggar family. Josh’s actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, ‘inexcusable,’ but that doesn’t mean ‘unforgivable.’ He and his family dealt with it and were honest and open about it with the victims and the authorities. 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. 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. 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.”
I will give Huckabee one thing: he made a good point about the fact that the disclosure of his child sexual abuse has unfortunately indirectly released the identities of his victims, who should not have to suffer any more than they already have. But for the record, confessing his sins and apologizing really wasn’t enough. Josh Duggar needed to be judged, by a judge. In a court of law, where he would have stood trial for his felony crimes against children.
I hope voters remember when the time comes exactly where Mike Huckabee stands on crime and child sexual abuse. He may have just hammered the last nail in his own coffin.
