RBN # 12 - 6/19 - 6/20/05

[Lausa]

but everywhere.  When I listen to the news out of Pensacola, not a day goes by that some horrific headline doesn't appear.  They are so fantastic I really should keep a list.   It's as if Pensacola is some portal to another dimension.  But is there ever any follow-up from the media?  Rarely.

[writenow]

most teenagers from anywhere traveling to anywhere WILL leave most of their so called values on the airplane....

Good point, Lingo. And in SOME cases true, though apparently not in this case.

[WoodGuy]

I agree Native. Yes, Prof that's insane....so where would you say is "the right choice" for a vacation ??

[Professor]

When all is said and done, I think we can all agree that Mountain Brook High School made a big mistake in choosing Aruba as the site for their senior getaway trip.

I say this with all due respect for the people of Aruba. They have their own values and customs, and we, as Americans must respect that.

We can't expect everyone to hold the same values as we do.

With all due respect professor.....It is NOT Aruba´s fault, and believe me we have very high values and morals....

Speaking of which..... most teenagers from anywhere traveling to anywhere WILL leave most of their so called values on the airplane....

Now, now. Don't go accusing the victim here. You already wore that one out. I'm not saying American values are any better than yours. I'm just saying that they're different.

[NativeLingo]

When all is said and done, I think we can all agree that Mountain Brook High School made a big mistake in choosing Aruba as the site for their senior getaway trip.

I say this with all due respect for the people of Aruba. They have their own values and customs, and we, as Americans must respect that.

We can't expect everyone to hold the same values as we do.

With all due respect professor.....It is NOT Aruba´s fault, and believe me we have very high values and morals....

Speaking of which..... most teenagers from anywhere traveling to anywhere WILL leave most of their so called values on the airplane....

Sadly true, but not the case with Natalee.

I was speaking in general.......

[KerinTX]

When all is said and done, I think we can all agree that Mountain Brook High School made a big mistake in choosing Aruba as the site for their senior getaway trip.

I say this with all due respect for the people of Aruba. They have their own values and customs, and we, as Americans must respect that.

We can't expect everyone to hold the same values as we do.

With all due respect professor.....It is NOT Aruba´s fault, and believe me we have very high values and morals....

Speaking of which..... most teenagers from anywhere traveling to anywhere WILL leave most of their so called values on the airplane....

Wooooaaaahhh.. okay I MUST reply to this.

How a person/persons/country/culture or what ever you would like to insert here, chooses to raise their children, has nothing to do with what happened to Natalee PERIOD!

How many OUTSTANDING political figures in american didn't exactly have the best upbringing i.e. people who lived in the "ghetto" but rised above it all or abuse on and on. How many convicted child molestors or serial killers had wonderful sweet parents!

You can be the best parent or the worst parent but children make their choices. We can steer them, stalk them, stay on them but in the end, we can not control how they turn out.

:::::Standing up and clapping::::::

[WoodGuy]

I agree Native. Yes, Prof that's insane....so where would you say is "the right choice" for a vacation ??

[writenow]

Plus I am hoping FOM sends that cleaning fairy over here tomorrow.  :D

I get cleaning fairy next!

[chloe2]

When all is said and done, I think we can all agree that Mountain Brook High School made a big mistake in choosing Aruba as the site for their senior getaway trip.

I say this with all due respect for the people of Aruba. They have their own values and customs, and we, as Americans must respect that.

We can't expect everyone to hold the same values as we do.

Well...for one the highschool chose nothing. Parents and kids chose it. Also it's been going on for a few years, with no problems. I saw nothing scary about the island when I was thinking about going. Much less scary than other places I've been out of the country.

I'm not so sure I feel confident now...they didn't start looking soon enough, and didn't make arrests soon enough...it's not like I think that this is a common thing, it's just that it doesn't seem to be handled well. They haven't had experience with this.

Hey. You didn't know any better. No one did.

Now you do.

That's preposterous. As Nancy Drew says, it's not the island, it's whoever did this to Natalee. It could have happened in your backyard.

[unsurelok]

FBI agent on Fox stated beheading in a cemetary sounded like a known cult practice.

Aruban lawyer said it was an unfortunate coincidence.

[KerinTX]

I agree Native. Yes, Prof that's insane....so where would you say is "the right choice" for a vacation ??

How about my house? You have to give up the keys, of course.  

[Terry]

GETAGRIP.......... Hats off to you!!  

[Dallas Also]

nope..didn't work. I'll go back to cut and paste.

WoodGuy, I think it DID work.  At least, when it posts up on my screen on my computer, it worked.

[friend of monkeys]

extra set of keys??? most of us have them....um, nice try though[/quote]

i keep the extra set in my truck
 /yes/blonde

[nancy_drew]

Whew! Finally caught up...you people are PROLIFIC! :)

iquitos, BBC should be ON. Type outside the brackets - everything in the brackets is part of the quotation.

I know that arubagirl has gone to bed, but NativeLingo and maybe others may be around. From what I can gather, I know you don't receive FOX News in Aruba, but please try to understand the frustration with the new developments today - not the ones reported by FOX, but the ones coming out of Arubans:

- Elio Nicolaas, suggesting that Natalee's parents should be the ones polygraphed - he was cut off before he could verbalize his suggestion based on the theory that Natalee has run away (as many rumours we have heard, that Natalee has run away in the past, which are false)

- Mariaine Croes, giving the limited answers we have come to expect from her, and evading the question of what is PVDS's exact role within the Aruban justice system (odd?)

- Ruben Trappenberg, who imho is the poster boy for all government spokespeople (the man deserves a RAISE, he has been wonderful throughout all this!), confirming that PVDS is a judge-in-training, but losing his usual composed self, being on the defensive and stating that FOX commentators have no clue, because they don't know the facts of the case (he has a point, but then again we are used to transparency, which has its good points, just as the Dutch system has its good points as well).

We then learn that PVDS's status has changed to 'witness'. He has retained a lawyer (as have the Twittys).

Then we hear the Current Affairs reporter (Paris forgetherlastname) report that she tried to obtain information from the Public Information Officer (PIO) about the decapitation case - the PIO reportedly told her that he won't go into details about that. The reporter Paris asked about the Aruban crime statistics, and he replies that he knows she's there for the Natalee Holloway case, and that he had made an 'executive decision' to not divulge any information (that is supposed to be publically accessible???).

The bottom line is, there has been a visible shift in the past day or so. People are going on the defensive because there are no results. The 3 last people to be seen with her are in custody - they have changed their stories suggesting that they have something to hide.

Despite all the great things we have heard about Aruba and the people of Aruba, something's not right here. Please don't dismiss me as another 'cowboy' American. I am Canadian, born and raised in the Caribbean.

The longer this case goes unsolved and people are not held accountable, the worse of a PR disaster this becomes for Aruba. I think Aruba needs to hire a PR/image consultant, learn the truth, which I think authorities already know (or have a pretty good idea about) and find ways to minimize the damage. Where has the PM been hiding after saying that the case would be solved in 24 - 36 hours, over a week ago?

Blah! I hope this didn't come off as harsh. I wouldn't mean for it to come out that way. All the Arubans on this message board have been wonderful in keeping us informed and you have been amazing representatives of all the people on the island who do not deserve anything but praise in their care about Natalee's disappearance.

Dallas, get over here and read this~~~

Very nicely written!  A great synopis of the days events. And your commentary is outstanding...

Please come back and recap more often...

~Nancy

[KerinTX]

GETAGRIP.......... Hats off to you!!  

Terry!!! When you do that I have to start reading backwards. <sigh>

[sb]

OK, I have been watching the Fox replays for a while and I saw one thing that jumped out at me BIG-TIME.

That FBI profiler Candace DeLong either is clueless in the extreme (which I HIGHLY doubt) or she is hiding something.

I grew up in South Florida and I am familiar with Santeria, the "cult" she referred to. She tried to blame the killing yesterday on them. I can tell you that it is a weird mixture of animism and voodoo with some so-called Christian trappings. They are notorious for killing chickens, and sometimes dogs, but I have NEVER heard of them killing people, much less "decapitating" them. By the way, the guy was not decapitated, it was a huge throat slash, most likely the "Colombian Necktie" which has been graphically described.

Santeria is prevalent in Cuba (practcally as endemic as Haitian voodoo)but I do not believe it to be so big a deal in the other islands. (I may be wrong on this but that is what I heard). Our Aruban friends can enlarge on whether or not it has much foothold in Aruba.

I am quite confident that that was a red herring thrown out there by that lady! Now what would make her do such a thing...?

[KerinTX]

extra set of keys??? most of us have them....um, nice try though

i keep the extra set in my truck
 /yes/blonde[/quote]
:::running out to make sure all the doors are locked on cars:::

[writenow]

All I can say is Joran's and the Kalpoe brothers' mamas may not have taught them they need to walk a girl to the door at the end of the evening to make sure she gets home safely -- but I bet they sure wish they'd done that now.

we're lost, but we're making great time.

[friend of monkeys]

Here's a crazy thought.....imagine if it was some pyscho american tourist on a long vacation doing it (nat, strangled guy, other missing person)....

"strangled"? you mean partial decapitation

fox already said it is cult related .  i saw it a little while ago