Reality star Michelle Duggar is out of the hospital after having an emergency c-section less than two weeks ago to save her premature 19th child. (Little Josie Duggar, who was just 1 lb., 6 oz. at birth is still in the hospital but is stable and taking breastmilk.) Michelle was spotted at a public meeting for her local Alcoholic Beverage Control board spreading her puritanical wrath. Michelle and her husband, Bob, objected to a proposed beer license for a gas station in their small town of Springdale, Arkansas. According to local reports, Michelle was crying at the board meeting over the fact that some booze might invade her town. The beer permit for the EZ-Mart was denied, but they’ll probably continue to do decent business in gas since residents will have to go out of town to get their buzz on.
Controversy looms over the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s decision to deny a beer permit for a local gas station.
The board denied the request Wednesday for the EZ Mart on Sunset Avenue in Springdale.
And for some in the area, it comes as a shock. EZ Mart thought it would get the go-ahead.
Employees at the store said initially, no public officials had objected to their request, until yesterday, when a surprise guest came into the ABC board’s meeting to testify.
“I was told the Duggars were there protesting it, and that Mrs. Duggar was up there crying. And she said that she didn’t want alcohol in her neighborhood or her town, so we got turned down for it,” said assistant manager Tomie Labeff.
Labeff said she and others were more than certain that EZ Mart would be selling beer.
“I was told the mayor wasn’t contesting it, so we were told by our general manager that we were going to get it for sure, but we were told no,” said Labeff.
40/29 News spoke to Michelle Duggar on the phone, and she said alcohol in convenience stores would bring children closer to it.“Personally, I don’t think alcohol needs to be convenient. I think it needs to be placed in a place where adults can get to it and they will have a choice to get it. But our children should not be bombarded with that. It’s so close to home,” said Duggar.
For some, it’s a let down.
“I’m kind of upset about the situation because I feel that it would be convenient to my house. I could just walk down the street instead of having to drive my car,” said Jeremy Bara.
Although that convenience store was turned down, several others in the area got the green light — including the Murphy Express on Wedington Drive in Fayetteville, where construction at the site isn’t even fully completed.
[From 4029tv.com via Radar Online]
I never understood the concept of a “dry town” or “dry county.” We had a dry town next to the one I grew up in and the people who lived there just had to do a little more planning to get their beer. Studies have shown that dry municipalities can actually be more dangerous as people are getting drunk further away from home and then driving to get back. Drunk drivers on the road are more dangerous to kids than seeing some beer at the gas station. It’s not like they’re selling it to kids under 21. Michelle Duggar isn’t known for her excellent deductive reasoning skills. She is a model of serenity and patience, although that doesn’t seem to include much tolerance of others.
Header is of Michelle Duggar and then also-pregnant daughter-in-law. All photos credit: TLC
If anybody needs a drink it’s this walking incubator. Maybe it’ll kill the bug up her self-righteous ass.
Why would anyone take these people seriously, I would not want advice from people who obsessively breed like rabbits then preach to others on how they should live their lifes.
Morality police in any shape, size, colour, sex, religion representative or non representative of any group or affiliation either atonomous, social or secular are not welcome.
That will be all.
Wow, you think she’d have other things to worry about, such as her premie in the hospital and, oh I don’t know, her other 18 kids!
If the family doesn’t drink and doesn’t associate with those who do, great for them. Seriously. But it’s a little spooky when one person’s beliefs overrule all other decisions made by a town, the business owner, etc.
If they don’t like the convenience store selling beer, guess what? THEY don’t have to shop there and expose their kids to it. If they want to make rules for the whole town, then they should run for council or mayor or something. Otherwise, stop telling other people what to do.
Oh, Michelle…what a bad move this was! I am one of those people who are disgusted by your need to breed, but was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt because you were just living your life and not hurting anyone else. NOW, however, you have apparently felt the urge to inflict your warped views on others, so don’t be surprised when the gloves come off in your town and people who you “thought” were your friends will show their true colors. Bad move, Mother Earth. You should have stayed home with your child army and left well enough alone! Like another poster said, don’t you have ENOUGH on your plate?
I don’t understand the Christians who are against alcohol…one of Jesus’miracles is turning water into wine at a wedding…A newsflash to these people, not all people who drink alcohol gets drunk…Step off the high horse. Doesn’t this women have better things to do with her time? Crying,please gag me with a spoon.
These people make me sick…
First of all they have 19 effen children???? WTF.. That is just wrong.
And now this? I say mind your own effen business lady. If you don’t want booze in your house DON’T buy any.
The problem is, these people are so afraid their children will be exposed to beer, when what they should do is just raise them to be the people they want them to be. People like this make me laugh because them more stuff you try to keep away from your children, the more they are going to want said stuff.
GET BACK TO YOUR CREEPY BABY MAKING LIFE MICHELLE DUGGAR AND LET US HAVE OUR BEER.
Love how we’re supposed to be tolerant of their weirdass lifestyle, but they have zero tolerance for others’. Bet the only reason it was voted down was because TLC was there filming the whole thing for an episode of “breeders.”
Doesn’t she have other things to worry about, like 19 kids? Oh right, the older kids are busy raising the young’uns. Excellent point on how people claim we aren’t supposed to judge them, yet they can throw their beliefs in our way of life.
MD’s actions are just creating some forbidden fruit for her offspring.
I still don’t get why the EZ-mart was denied. Because this Duggar hag pissed and cried about it? Who cares what the brainless baby factory thinks? And the Duggars have now alienated most of the town with their attitude.
If the values she’s instilled in her children are strong, then she shouldn’t worry about where beer is being sold.
I grew up going to a christian church and while I don’t believe in the religion, there are morals and values that have been instilled in me. My parents are the type to drink 2 or 3 times a year. When I was in junior high, my dad would sometimes buy wine coolers to enjoy. He’d let me have some sips and one day I wanted to see what he would do if I asked him to help me open a bottle. He did and I shared the tiny bottle with my brother. While drinking, I realized I wasn’t having any fun drinking the nasty liquid so I just stopped. My parents have never made a big deal out of drinking and so I never felt the need to binge drink while in college. I waited until I was 21 and even then rarely have alcohol. I’ve been on countless trips in high school, college where alcohol was rampant but I was never tempted.
The same goes with my brother. His senior year in high school, my dad bought a 24 can case of beer. He told my brother it was for the both of them. A year later, there were still a few cans in the fridge and I don’t think my brother even really bothered with it. He was on the football team and one of his friends once mentioned how he was always the designated driver at parties.
Point is if there isn’t such a big hype or mystery with alcohol and parents live by their values, kids will learn and follow.
I feel bad for the store owner – they probably stood to improve their profits selling beer, especially if there’s nothing else close by. Hopefully they didn’t spend a lot of money pursuing the liquor license.
I’d be curious to know how far from the Duggar’s home this store is, how often they shop there, etc. Something tells me they probably don’t go there at all.
@lin234, I agree – if parents teach their kids the right things and instill their values in them, they are equipped to deal with such things, and MOST of the time it works (there are always exceptions). I feel for her kids should they ever have to deal with or work in a real world situation, as it seems they have been very sheltered.
Maybe the town should rally for this freak to plug her vagina so she doesn’t keep overpopulating it with future nut bag religious fanatics such as herself.
I abhor this ugly freak.
I can’t stand people like this. Not only is she forcing her views on others, she is taking money out of this business owner’s pockets and that’s cruel. What a bitch. I liked this family when they were sweet and kept to themselves. But now they seem obnoxious and preachy.
I’ve long suspected that the whole living their life and leaving others alone front was just that–a front. I know people like this (I live in Texas) and they NEVER keep their noses out of other people’s business. They see themselves as morality police.
But this time she did it openly and it got reported on. I promise y’all this is NOT the first time one of them did something like this.
And I have to echo lucy2: my first thought on reading this was “doesn’t she have a VERY preemie sick baby in the hospital to be concerned about???” I mean, seriously? She has 18 other children and a micropreemie who very possibly has serious health problems (on down the road, if she survives) and she’s worried about some gas station SELLING BEER?
Lady, really. Get a grip. I’m surprised it was her and not him, but maybe they thought it would garner more sympathy coming from her (in their worldview, women don’t just make decisions like this on their own). And it worked! No beer for you!
My suburb was dry until about 7 years ago. A study was done showing how much money my city lost with people going to neighboring cities to buy beer and wine and the measure passed by 99%! And guess what? No horrible awful thing has happened. Satan hasn’t visited us. Everything is ok.
Really nice how they let a walking, talking baby machine be the voice of morality for all citizens of their town. What kind of shit is that?
Eff the Duggars.
Enonymous and similar posts, ironic much? You seem to resent being told what to do by other people, yet you’re the first mouthing off YOUR self righteous preaching about whats healthy.
Asshats.
And you know what? Im actually glad Dugar mustered up the strength to go to a town meeting about something that mattered to her. Here where I live, no one goes to districts meetings, and yet when businesses get the go ahead after the fact residents start their bitching about how their neighborhood is going to hell and there is nothing they can do. Uh, yeah, there was something you could’ve done, but chose to sit your ass home instead. Like when a skimpy bikini car wash opened two blocks from a elementary on the South Side. Or when a upscale strip club opened near a ‘family’ neighborhood and every protested after it opened. Where was the outcry during construction when they had the fricking SIGN UP SAYING strip club coming soon?!?!
Gah! I applaud this woman for having some town pride and interest in her community. Not many people could give a shat. WHICH IS WHAT THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT!!!!
Lin234-Your first sentence says it all.
Michelle doesn’t seem that confident in the effectiveness of her parenting if the thought of beer sales in her area makes her cry.
Or maybe she’s worried about Jim-Bob partaking in the evil nectar.
“Or maybe she’s worried about Jim-Bob partaking in the evil nectar.”
Good Lord! Considering how many children are the result of a few too many drinks, magine how many kids they’d have then! :O
I don’t see how one could be a member of that family and NOT drink.
“Green is Good” —hahaha! Well put my friend! 🙂
hatsumomo: I really think you are making all of that up. There are things called ZONING LAWS which forbid things like strip clubs to be anywhere NEAR residential areas.
What city and state do you live in?
Fact of the matter is, selling beer in a gas station is not anywhere near comparable to a strip club right next to a residential area or a bikini car wash two blocks from an elementary school (gimme a break with that). This gas station would NOT have been violating any zoning laws by selling beer. Apples to Cadillacs, my dear. And again, I’d be really interested to know where you live that you live that you apparently have zero zoning restrictions, LOL!
Holy cow Anastasia, that’s not always true. I lived three houses down from a strip club once. It was most definitely in a residential neighbourhood. Kids lived on the street too… one block away from a park.
@ hatsumomo – Well said. People don’t speak up and then they get pissed when things didn’t turn out how they wanted. And who are all these people who think Michelle Duggar controls her entire town? There was a vote, folks. Did it not occur to anyone else that the Duggars might live in an area where there are a lot of people with the same beliefs and values?
Tomie Labeff wasn’t at the meeting, but “was told” how the meeting went down. Save your ire for something less hearsay.
hatsumomo, I don’t see how you though I was preaching. And I do not care for your “Asshats” comment either.
Can’t blame the woman for not wanting it (anything adverse, even potentially) near her family and taking civic steps toward that. Maybe she’s being overprotective, that’s understandable.
She is a very genuinely soft person.
Well, Princess Pea, I don’t believe you either.
And again, I’ve read the original article and see NO mention of this gas station being anywhere near neighborhoods or schools. It appears to be out on a rural road, in fact.
So what do your strip clubs next to your elementary schools (eye roll) have to do with this, anyway?
I live in a dry county and it is stupid really.
All it does is ensure that kids go over state lines and bring alcohol home. They crack open a few on the way home as well.
The closest bar is an hour away, most people just car pool.
Meanwhile, our town is losing money that it could be profiting off of.
I used to drink quite a bit…but stopped when I was nineteen. Kind of sad really.
Anastasia
http://www.ksat.com/news/16296760/detail.html
I cant find an article on the strip club, but if you google it yourself or look back in WOAI.com archives, you’ll find it.
I get the points about speaking up and being involved in the community. If it were a strip club next to a school or playground, then I’d say yes, by all means speak out against it. But a convenience store selling a couple six packs of beer? I guess I just don’t see that as that big a deal that I would go protest and cry about it.
And dear, if you dont understand the finer details in it, then I have no idea how bright you are. Or claim to be.
The point being is this was a matter voted upon by the residents. Meaning, if the people of that town really wanted a beer license for that gas station, rally for it. No one piped up a word until after the fact, which is what I have a problem with. Not her. Or her family. Or her lifestyle. From the article, she was the only one who said something. anything.
and like princess pea said, how does every one on this board believe Duggar has control over her entire town? Is everyone really that stupid? I hope not. If you want action or a change in policies GO TO YOUR TOWN MEETINGS!!!!! MAKE A CHANGE!!! This is my point people! If you don’t speak up for what you want (i.e. beer in your town) then you’re not going to get it! And where was all the support for it anyway? at home nursing their hangovers?
And for the car wash here, I have no problem with it. big deal, a bunch of hos washing cars for horny men. I seriously doubt its going to corrupt kids passing by watching or offend little old ladies walking to church. Its the city, it aint New York, but to be San Antonioian, you have to have thick skin. And I also doubt the strip club is going to let kids in their doors. or serve dances in the parking lot. but then, its also not in my district.
Hey, I only mentioned it because you sounded so sure of yourself in your declaration that it doesn’t happen. Because it does. Admittedly, I live in Canada, but I don’t think we’re THAT different. Here, you can see the Playmate on the same block I used to live on. If you head north down Emond St, and then look across the road, you’ll find the park.
Both of you are crazy if you don’t realize that Michelle Duggar TV Matriarch has a BIT more pull and influence than just any old person in that town. Come ON. TLC with their vans and trucks and cameras out at their property all the time.
Please.
lucy2 gets it: this has nothing to do with strip clubs being next to schools. It’s a gas station in the middle of a rural road.
And as I said originally: so much for their image of leaving other people alone and just living their baby-hoarding life!
hatsumomo: I checked out your link and it says not ONE WORD about that car wash violating zoning laws. Not one word. I even looked at the earlier stories on it.
So people in San Antonio didn’t like it? Big deal. You made it sound as if it were right next to some houses. Sheesh.
Uh, it is next to houses. And people did protest after it opened they didn’t want it there. I subscribe to the
Express News and it was a big deal at the time. So district officials looked for tiny discrepancies to close it to please their constituents.
And another thing darlin, I never mentioned zoning laws, you did. Remember post number 23? Again, you are missing the point. Again, I cant understand why.
The issue here is that Duggar used her civil rights to establish a change in her town. And it worked. She did nothing wrong or illegal. She felt it morally wrong to have alcohol in her town. You know, like how most of us feel its morally wrong to have a strip club next door? Just like that.
I dont know, maybe there is no use in arguing with you further. I hate talking to someone like a child and apparently you have trouble comprehending the finer points of an issue. We will just have to agree to disagree.
Well, I hate talking to someone who is as hateful and nasty as you are, so I guess we’re even on that count.
You compared her speaking up on the beer issue to bikini car washes and strip clubs next to houses and schools. It was not a good comparison to begin with, THAT was my point. This gas station isn’t near churches, schools or houses.
Sure she can speak up. Anyone can. But you are truly deluded if you think a national media star doesn’t have more pull than the average Joe. This thing was all set to be passed, no problems (go read the article Radar Online got it from originally and read the comments from locals while you’re at it), and she showed up and started crying and suddenly it didn’t pass.
Way to take extra income away from the guy who owns the gas station, just because she’s AFRAID of beer being within 50 miles of her precious snowflake hoard of kids.
Hatsumomo: She used her civil rights, yes. But she used her civil rights to shove her morality on other people, just like the Mormons used their civil rights to repeal a LAW stating that gays could get married in California.
The point isn’t that people are pissed that she exercised her civil rights, it’s that she’s using them in order to take away business and a source of income for someone else who doesn’t share her personal moral beliefs.
I personally feel that it is wrong for someone to deny someone else something just because of their “morals”. No one else was at that meeting because no one else thought it was THAT big of a deal. The mayor didn’t have a problem with it. Why would a bunch of people show up to defend the right of the gas station guy to sell beer if no one thought there would be a problem with it?
Anastasia… whether you like her opinion or not, all she did was go to a town meeting and express it. She stood up for her belief, just as we all should.
As for her influence, when it’s a town vote, that means her singular vote carries no more weight than another resident, however, the fact that all those TLC trucks, vans and camera crews bring a heck of alot of business into the other businesses of the town may have made the feelings of others stronger as well. That’s America, it’s how things work.
Bottom line, Michelle Duggar exercized her rights, and that’s a good thing.
WTF?? I live in Fayetteville and work in Springdale where the Duggars live. There are all kinds of bars and liquor stores here. That includes Tontitown where their house is. These people are ridiculous!
So how many beer commercials are on during her show on TLC? What about the type of programs that are shown on television? That whole family has changed with the popularity of their show. I get a very judgemental vibe from them when ever I happen to watch their show or they are interviewed by the media.
I just read the local article and comments. While many of them were a bit nasty, as expected, there were 2 that made some interesting points. To relay what they said:
The Duggars do not live in the town of Springdale, where the convenience store is located. The store is several miles from their home.
There are several other stores closer to their home, in their town, which sell alcohol. One of those stores opened within the past year with a brand new liquor license, and they did not protest that one.
According to the article other stores in neighboring towns were recently granted licenses when this one was denied. No mention as to why this one was singled out other than her protesting it.
I’d be curious to know why they are so against this particular store, and why the state board would listen to someone who is not a resident of the town in question. If it was a general protest about all stores in the county or state or something, that would make more sense, but one store out of many does not.
@TammyK, thanks, you proved my point for me! I type too slow.
lucy2, your post lends credence to the theory that this was “staged” for a TV show.
lucy2: ok that’s weird. Coupled with what Tammy said, super weird.
Praise St. Angie!: It makes me wonder that, too.
I remember reading someone here in the comments saying how they really like the Duggars because, unlike the Gosselines, they aren’t filmed doing anything they wouldn’t normally do.
Well, I think that’s patently BS. There’s some new episode in which the kids go riding in a helicopter. The oldest son’s daughter’s family was brought to the house in a stretch limo. They wouldn’t have even had that ginormous house had TLC not paid for it!
And if this was staged for their show, well, that’s going in a whole new direction as well.
@ Praise: That was my immediate thought as well. As if they needed to deflect all the negative voices about her latest child-birth.
@ SageAdvice, You took the words right out of my head.
Something that I’m not understanding….was this, indeed, a town vote or not? The article (so far as I can be lead to believe) states that the store was about to get the go-ahead, until she shot off her mouth. So, either the town voted “yes” or it was a decision that was not subjected to a vote. If this is true, than she can voice her concerns until the cows come home but her sole opinion should not tip the decision (provided there was no vote or the vote was “yes”). If others agree with her than they should have spoken up, as well. Their silence suggests their complicity with the beer license. As long as too few said anything, however, it suggests that the license denial was primarily her doing, which isn’t right. She and the potential ones who share their beliefs don’t get the right to deny other people based on their morality, particularly if they are in the minority.
One more thing…
This is tangential, but I’m originally from TX, as well; and there are definitely zoning laws. I don’t recall the number of meters/feet, but in the city of Houston an “adult business” cannot be within a specified number of feet from a school. There’s always some controversy on the news about some titty joint being shut down because they stupidly decide to open up near a Catholic school or some similar institution.
This twit breeds like a rabbit, yet she feels compelled to complain about beer being sold in a store down the street? She is doing much more harm to her environment, by infesting it with more and more people, than an occasional beer enjoyed by a neighbor will ever do.
Let’s not just blame Ma Duggar for breeding like a rabbit (really nearly a fish at this point). In their religion, the guy makes ALL the decisions and she just “submits.” She turned her brain off years ago. It takes two to make a baby and he’s definitely the boss of her. Blame him, too.
If I had 19 children I would want an IV of beer. Seriously.
just bcz she is against alcohol doesn’t make her a bad person.Yal should be focused on the people living off welfare and spending your money on the alcohol that causes alot of accidents and kills alot of innocent people.At least the Duggar’s can say they don’t live off the government.And so what if they have a big family.God did say “be fruitful and mutiply.” Whats it to any of you as long as your money isn’t paying for their living.And so what if the older kids help out with the younger ones,kids in this day are spoiled,sefish human beins and for the most part live by the ‘getway’and not the ‘giveway’.And the Duggar kids are the opposite and will be good productive people in society.At least they will not be living off of the government because of the upbringing they’v had.We should all be looking upto there standards.Im not against drinking but Im against people judging those for what they believe in.
Wow, so much venom here. So what exactly is everyone so furious about? So they have 19 kids..their ability to care for them without government help? or the fact that they seem to be happy acually happy being a religious family?Or perhaps that Michelle stood up for something she believed in? Last I heard this was still a free country and it was still not illegal to express one’s opinion. Michelle merely expressed her right to protest. In my humble opinion the anger should be expressed toward the officials that denied the license. It seems to me that it is so much easier to hide behind a key board and spout hatred and insults at someone’s beliefs than to actually stand up for what you believe in. If you are all so angered by the fact that there will be no liquor there then why don’t you go there and protest yourselves? what?….no takers? thought so.
Did you ever think that the reason she did what she did was in the interest of other people’s children? She is confident that her own are fine and will be fine. Try and look at it with more fairness people. Whether you believe it will make a difference or that she shouldn’t have interfered, she is trying to think about the future (our children). Being close minded about people only fuels the problems we have in this country. We want to be right and it doesn’t matter if there is another way to do something. We don’t have to have an opinion on everything everyone does. Start focusing your time on meaningful pursuits, like being a positive role model to the next generation or bridging a gap between you and someone not like you.