Lively Case Discussion #521 9/7 - 9/9/2006

[snoopy]

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I love the patriotic songs Dana is playing about America right now with the fifth anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching.  Sort of a hard time for lots of us.    This is a huge country but attack one of us and you attack us all.  We will pull together in a hurry regardless of other differences when something happens.

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I agree Anna.  I have been thinking about the anniversary a lot today.  It is so vivid in my memory what I did that day.  I worked in Tower 2 of the WTC and happened to take my vacation that week.

Thank God you're still with us San.  God Bless.

[snoopy]

Good morning all Monks!

Heading down the shore while I still can to hit the beach and water.

Wishing you all a great Saturday!

C ya'll later!

And Katz if you are out there!

I think I need to go dancing with you in Las Vegas!  WAHOO!

Have a wonderful day Jacquie!!

[snoopy]

Everybody have a great day.  I'm off to my sons 3 man basketball tournament and then to St. Louis to meet Sunny and Lisa.  WooHoo.

[Leslie]

Diario
http://www.diarioaruba.com/
Amigoe
http://www.amigoe.com/english/
BonDia
http://www.cspnv.com/
Solo di Pueblo
http://www.solodipueblo.com/
Translator:
http://papiamentu.donamaro.nl

GMA message board.
http://forums.go.com/abcnews/GMA/forum?start=0&forumID=7

[ldstlou]

Everybody have a great day.  I'm off to my sons 3 man basketball tournament and then to St. Louis to meet Sunny and Lisa.  WooHoo.

woohoo!! I am excited too Snoopy!! )

[San]

THIS IS AN OLD ARTICLE THAT MUST HAVE BEEN POSTED HERE THAT I JUST RECEIVED IN MY GOOGLE ALERTS:

Anita Van Der Sloot Vs. Beth Twitty [A Tale Of Two Moms]

By Patrick Hurley
Feb. 8, 2006

I watched the interviews with Anita and Paulus Van der Sloot these past two days on, "Good Morning America."

I tried to keep a straight face.

I was particularly intrigued by the demeanor and responses uttered by the mother of Joran Van der Sloot. She obviously has no grasp of reality when it comes to her child and who he is. In her universe, her son can do no wrong. It is only a matter of time before they award him the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the Dutch nation. With all the violence that has been suggested in the Natalee Holloway mystery, Anita the mom is convinced her son is the dove of gentleness. Convinced, yes; convincing, not....even....close. Who is she kidding here? There are only two people who buy every word she says, her husband Paulus and idiots! I can tell you who is NOT buying into her description of Joran the Angelic One....

Joran.

He knows his mother is full of Edam cheese. He knows it because he was the one gambling incessantly in the casino when mummy thought he was polishing off his cookies and milk and turning out his night light. He knows it because he was the one hustling girl after girl after girl while mummy believed he was doing his homework. He knows it because he was getting high on alcohol and who knows what else, while mummy was pasting a new tennis article about her boy in the family scrapbook. The gap between what Anita Van der Sloot believes about Joran and what Joran KNOWS about Joran can only be measured in light years.

On the other hand, we have another mom....Beth Twitty. Granted, she tried to convince the world that her daughter went to Aruba to be the designated driver and never touched anything stronger than chocolate milk. Jug, however, in an interview gently explained to her that the world was not buying THAT Natalee. So, Beth backed off and dropped the Natalee nun bit as she gallivanted around the country in search of funding for her mission and clues to her missing daughter. She is a more intense personality than Anita Van der Sloot. If you put the two of them in a mud wrestling pit, I can tell you who would win without question. Anita is ice, Beth is fire. Anita is calm and mild mannered when she speaks; Beth is a hacksaw. Anita has that mushy face that looks like she is serving an unlimited amount of cream of wheat. Beth doesn't have time for breakfast, she gnaws on a power bar and doesn't take prisoners.

There is one other major difference between the two mothers: One has a child who is dead. The other one has a child who is very much alive. If the roles were reversed, I don't think you would be seeing a gentler, kinder Anita. If Natalee walked into the door tomorrow, you would see a totally new Beth, too. Life is so unfair when you add tragedy to it. It changes people and makes them behave in another identity.

I sympathize with both mothers. Anita, as clueless as they come, is still believing in her son's innocence. I could accept that if we were only talking about the events that occurred around May 29, 2005. Where she lost me, (and most people who roll their eyes whenever she says the word, "Joran!") is when she gets that faraway look on her face and begins to verbalize her son's qualities as if HE were her husband and not Paulus. The gospel of Joran, according to Anita, talks about her little messiah who the world is trying to crucify. How this kid became a potential martyr for righteousness after listening to him say things like, "we had sex in between the times Natalee was passing out," is beyond me. That is not sainthood, that is sexual assault. But, the tennis star, honors student, gentle lamb, unselfish son, perfect friend and future leader of the free world has a credit card to Anita's heart and in her world. I have seen that kind of mom before during the Scott Peterson trial.

You expect a mother to believe the best about her child. That is why I can understand why her and Beth Twitty always try to put a positive light on their loved ones. But, because one is alive and the other one is not, I am having a hard time being fair here. It was not Natalee who left Joran on the beach and became the one who turned up missing; it was the other way around. Had Natalee survived that night and lied on three different occasions about where she said she was when Joran disappeared, I would be zeroing in on her in the same way I am focused on Hans Brinker with the plaid shirt.

That is why I cut Beth Twitty so much slack. That is why I tolerate her wild accusations at times and forgive her for coming across harsh or manipulative. She has a lot more at stake than her counterpart. Mrs. Van der Sloot gets to hug her baby and talk to him on the phone and keep her fantasy alive that he is God's gift to any society. Beth Twitty will never hug her Natalee or talk to her on the phone again. Anita gets to prepare Joran's room when he comes home to visit from college. Beth is only allowed to go into Natalee's room and sit on the bed and cry for a daughter who never made it to college and will never be coming home.

I feel sorry for both of them. But, when it comes to their view of their own child according to all that I have read and researched....

I only believe one of them.

The one whose daughter had the misfortune of meeting the other mom's son.
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About the author: Pat Hurley has won three Emmy awards for writing, hosting and producing television shows. He resides in Southern California.

[justinsmama]

.
I love the patriotic songs Dana is playing about America right now with the fifth anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching.  Sort of a hard time for lots of us.    This is a huge country but attack one of us and you attack us all.  We will pull together in a hurry regardless of other differences when something happens.

.

I agree Anna.  I have been thinking about the anniversary a lot today.  It is so vivid in my memory what I did that day.  I worked in Tower 2 of the WTC and happened to take my vacation that week.

Thank God you're still with us San.  God Bless.

Yes, thank God!

How about a thread in the lounge, where we can post about that day? Where we were, how we handled the horror that day and the days after, stories of friends, family and co-workers? I'll check to see if one has been started yet~ if not, I'll start one.

[justinsmama]

Started a Remembering 9/11 thread!

http://www.scaredmonkeys.net/viewtopic.php?p=46977#46977

[justinsmama]

San~ Does your email cite where it was published? Excellent article.

[Easywriter]

I heard something!

[klaasend]

I heard something!

Seriously?

Goodmorning All!

[Anna]

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Good morning. . .Easy, what did you hear?

[justinsmama]

I heard something!

Spill it!

[Anna]

.
San,
That is a very nice article.  So true.  I do hope Anita saw if but doubt that she did or would read it even if she saw it.

.
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[justinsmama]

Hi, Anna and everyone!

Going to scrounge up breakfast~ brb!

[Kat_Gram]

Excellent article San. BTW Pat Hurley also wrote the tribute to Robin Holloway.

[Anna]

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Easy,
Can you share what you heard?  Did you hear who is talking?

[Kat_Gram]

I re read what Larry Garrison said. This could be a big nothing.
It could just be someone who thinks they know things... and maybe there is someone who knows " things ' but more in the classification of gossip /rumor / etc.
Nothing that will break the case, but will bring some money and attention to that person.
I am not thinking in a negative way, but if it is going to take time to develop, then it is not a case breaker.

[Kat_Gram]

Klaasend, what is the big document you are working on. I am not trying to boss you around, I am just curious. I know how busy you are and how tedious some tasks become.

[klaasend]

Klaasend, what is the big document you are working on. I am not trying to boss you around, I am just curious. I know how busy you are and how tedious some tasks become.

14 page statement in Dutch