A Few Words on Natalee Holloway

First, to all those who think the Natalee Holloway story has received too much air time - just shut up, ok? If it was your daughter, sister, mother, girlfriend or any other loved one, there wouldn't be enough television/radio stations or websites to cover the news for you 24/7, so just get over yourself.

I get most of my news from the web. I don't watch much television. On this subject I've read everything from conspiracy theories regarding the Aruban Judge and his son, to theories that Natalee took off on her own because her very affluent life was so miserable with an abusive step-father (you guys are idiots!).

Before I give my take on this subject, I will say that we've all read about how lovely the local Aruban community has been and how helpful and full of sorrow they all are. I don't doubt that most of them are mortified by what has happened. However, anyone who has traveled outside the United States in the past few years can tell you that no matter where you go, the rest of the world judges you according to the way they feel about your government. Whether you are Republican or an Idiot....I'm sorry, did I type that out loud? I meant Democrat.....you are judged according to your affiliation with the United States Government and the part it is currently playing in world politics. Why is it, then, that we are so hesitant to hold ALL of Aruba responsible for what their government is doing in this case? Oh, that's riiiiiiiiight.......it would be politically incorrect!

I've got a clear-cut solution to this ongoing saga.......cut them off! That's right - call it "Tourism for Natalee". When you give us closure to this case - we give you back your tourism. Issue no more travel visas for Aruba and while we're at it - cut off anything we're currently selling them. This island is less than 20 miles long and 6 miles wide at it's widest point. We're talking about an island that is slightly larger than Washington, D.C. and has a population that is 1/80 the population of New York City. Tourism is their pillar. You wouldn't think they would want to mess around with the hands that feed them, but maybe the rest of the world is beginning to see how soft we've become.

It took the authorities in Aruba several weeks to give the FBI approval to review the case files, and even now, there is a motion before the court asking that the FBI be excluded from this investigation. What on earth do they have to hide? If they are doing everything they can to find the answers, why not enlist every bit of help you can get? Let's face it; the chances of Natalee being alive are about 1 in eleventy billion by now. In fact, the chances of ever retrieving a body are just about the same - but somebody knows something - in fact, I would be willing to bet that more than a few people know more than a little bit about what really happened to Natalee Holloway. I say we strong-arm the government who has been far from cooperative into resolving this case by hitting them where it hurts the most - in the cash register. Let's quit singing Kumbaya with these people and use what we've got.

My heart and prayers go out to Natalee's family, friends and community while they await closure in this case. Beth Holloway Twitty, Natalee's mother, returned home today empty handed, after two months of frustrated waiting on a government who has virtually thumbed their noses at the United States by saying this investigation is none of our business. I certainly hope that this whole, horrifying incident becomes an ugly stain on "paradise" until they quit dragging their feet and protecting their own and give the Holloway-Twitty family some dignified closure.