LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Readers' responses to Natalee Holloway commentary

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Mr. Rodriguez, thank you, thank you, thank you. I, as an American, share much, if not all, of your feelings regarding the Natalee Holloway media-driven madness.

I have been to this great island on four occasions and will never change my opinion of it, because of this media circus that has bombarded Aruba. I honestly believe that Beth thinks she is co-hosting her own TV reality show with Greta and others.

I live in Michigan and many of the people who discuss this remain somewhat amazed at the tremendous cost to this small island and why they do not escort Beth and all her salvage teams off the island until further notice. They are impeding the real investigative work with the media farce. 

The knee jerk response is that it would destroy tourism -- wrong. Fox news does not speak for the USA vacationers. Many here believe that Aruba must rein in this circus or it will destroy the island's economy. The media creates the impression that it speaks for the masses. It does not. 

Americans all to some degree have a business sense. They know Aruba cannot foot this bill indefinitely.

I hope your island finds a way to bring some sense to the Holloway madness. After all, it is your island.

Craig B.
Michigan, USA

Al Rodriguez talks as though he knows what it feels like to have lost a child. Until he experiences what the Holloways are currently experiencing, I would suggest he and everyone else that thinks they've had enough of Beth Holloway Twitty and the Natalee story to have some compassion. And if that fails them, then please just turn off the TV when coverage is on.

Mary Favre

I've just read the article which is well put and to the point. I will never understand with so much media on Natalee when there many missing people in the USA. 

Here's how I look at it, MONEY for one and all the people from the USA flying to Aruba have got missing people where they live .I call Beth, TWITTY BIRD -- she's sure is flying high in Aruba. She's got it in her mind she above the Aruba government.

Twitty Bird doesn't care about Aruba and the people, if it takes it to bring Aruba down, so be it to her. I believe Natalee ventured out on her own and the three young men are clueless to what happened to Natalee. If she is anything like her mom she wouldn't care at what cost it caused anyone.

GOD BLESS ARUBA. Tell Al Rodriguez I said he gets to the point. I have read many articles about Twitty Bird -- a lot of it is blah, blah, and the point never comes out.  I just click off the other articles, but this article I enjoyed reading.

Linda Dyson

If these three suspects -- Joran Van Der Sloot, Deepak Kalpoe, and his brother, Satish Kalpoe, were any kind of decent young men, they would have done the "right" thing in taking Natalee back to her hotel -- like she had requested them to. If they had done this, and left her alone, she would be very alive and well, and back at her home in Alabama, U.S.A., now -- wouldn't she? And then there wouldn't have been any reason for any "media" coverage regarding this young girl, Natalee Holloway.

The only thing that I can agree with Al Rodriguez on is that the chaperone, who was supposed to be supervising her group of students which included Natalee, should have had a list of students in her care, and she should have checked to make sure that all of the students in her care were back in their hotel rooms --at least by 1:00 A.M. each night, while they were on vacation on this island. I really have to ask the same question -- Where in the world were the chaperones who were supposed to supervise and watch out for these students while they were on vacation on this island? It would have been real helpful, also, if each of these students would have had a "Buddy" system so that they could watch out for each other while being in a foreign land.

I would hope that if Al Rodriguez has any compassion for Natalee Holloway and her family that this would outweigh his being so-o-o-o-o-o "tired" and "fed up" with this "fiasco" as he describes it!

Thank you for allowing me to express my feelings and thoughts regarding this Commentary that was expressed by Al Rodriguez.

Carol Urban
Sebastian, FL

Well said! Amen! You are one hell of a writer, and it's about damn time this Holloway fiasco comes to an end! EVERYTHING you wrote is full of wisdom! I'm so sick of seeing "Celebrity Beth Twitty" I could puke! She sure does love being in the spotlight! She should have been MORE concerned about this ridiculous trip for the simple reason of her daughter to party hardy! COUNTLESS people are suffering, dead, murdered, and missing.

Bambi Tuckey

Shame on you for printing such a terrible letter by Al Rodriguez in your paper. Beth Twitty is a grieving parent who just wants to take her daughter home, dead or alive.

Everyone should put themselves in her place. What if it was YOUR daughter?

I can only hope that this never happens to one of my children, but if ever, I would follow Beth Twitty's ways. I would not stop until my child was home or until the suspects admitted to the killing .

You have to have closure or you will always wonder. Could she have been sold to slavery? And if that's a possibility, keep her face in the news, someone, somewhere, might recognize her.

Quintin & Kim Cima

Great commentary! I could not agree more.

Thank you.

Jan Baden

Who is Al Rodriguez? In my view an opinionated lightweight who would be better to keep his opinions to himself.

I for one am interested in the fiasco in Aruba. I can identify with this poor 18-year-old woman just out of high school murdered in a fish bowl size place where the police chief was best friend with
Van der Sloot the judge.

Some thing like this really rankles most of us in the USA. This whole thing smacks of a cover up and protectionism. If it is not solved right for my money I would not go to Aruba for free. How about that Mr. Rodriguez?

Ted Denney

Pat Al on the back. Tell him, from me, that I loved his article.

The Holloway-Twittys have done a major disservice to Aruba. The country and the inhabitants have done more than enough for these free-loaders.

We know that their parenting skills are in question and this is even more evident by the fact that there is a 16 year old son working in a supermarket back in Alabama.

The best thing that could happen would be for this Twitty clan to be sent home. Maybe if they are required to pay for their room and board they will pack up and head back.

Thank you Mr. Rodriguez.

Peggy Daniels

How could you print such a horrible article about everybody being tired of Natalee Holloway's disappearance?

I sure hope Mr. Rodriguez's daughter doesn't go missing. And now I can add the Caymans to the list of countries along with Aruba that I won't visit. Keep your $11 hamburger.

Sure you have all the time in the world to count American dollars in your banks and overcharge tourists, but when people expect some decent results when a girl goes missing - they are being demanding.

Hurtful and irresponsible - I guess it only took Nat to disappear to know what the Carib countries think of Americans.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Emelia Loland
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Yes, I agree with some of your comments, the mother should have been responsible and not so naive, especially going in a car with just met kids. Aruba should also be honest, that the island, while beautiful, is not all what it is either. If Beth did not put pressure on your precious island, this issue would have never been addressed.

Your law runs like your island, a bit slow and a bit of a farce. Maybe a reality show would wake you up. Overall, the island has nothing to be proud of, those boys killed a girl and now are going to walk. Welcome tourists...

Best of luck with your next brilliant comments....

Jack Diamond

I just have an innovative, action-packed idea in order to find Natalee Holloway. I wish that there was a way that I could send this email directly to Beth herself. I have don’t know if she’s thought of this yet, but time is running out for Natalee.

Beth Holloway Twitty has appealed to everyone except the Aruban people. The people of Aruba were upset with Beth at first for trying to boycott Aruba. The people are upset still, because they are no longer and probably never will be again the ‘happy island’ that they once were.

What Americans are going to go there now? What parents are going to let their teenage daughter vacation there again? Not much, if any at all. Aruba is losing money. Aruba is upset. Aruba is losing hope too, not just Beth. I think that since the American FBI can only participate in Aruba as ‘observers only’ and can not sit in on interrogations, then Beth should appeal to the Aruban people herself to help her out.

Arubans will listen to Beth. They want this thing solved, done, and over with now, almost just as much as Beth does. They want their peaceful happy island back again. I think that she should hold a street march for Natalee with the Arubans, hold up signs, protest, demand to know the truth in public, in Aruba.

Better yet, get it on TV. What better way to get her message across then have the Arubans participate along with her, along side her? In Aruba is where it all happened. In Aruba, is where she is hopefully going to find her answers. Only in Aruba, can the government, FBI, lawyers, judges and police find her the many answers that she seeks.

My prayers and thoughts are with the Holloway friends and family at this time in their time of need.

Thank you,

Mellissa Coburn

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