January 08, 2006

A LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH




January 7, 2006
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20500


Dear Mr. President:

Yesterday Mrs. Beth Holloway Twitty appeared as a guest speaker before the National Sheriff’s Association. She said that she no longer thinks Aruban authorities will again question the three main suspects in the disappearance of her daughter, Natalee. Aruba had made a categorical pledge to do just that, but, in its usual pattern, ignored its promise.

We are in the eighth month of this case. The Aruban government continues to taunt the American government and people by its inaction. As the Dutch government has been silent on the behavior of its colonial regime, we must assume that it finds this acceptable.

Meanwhile, Mr. President, where is the sense of outrage on the part of our government? The Department of State has said it does not support a tourist boycott of Aruba, even while that cause continues to gain adherents, but fails to offer alternative proposals. The phrase “liberty and justice for all” is to be found in the Pledge of Allegiance; does our government not think it includes American citizens abroad? Do they not merit concern?

The niceties of diplomacy should not outweigh our national interest. It is far past the proper time for you to urge the American public to avoid Aruba; to ask travel agents to discourage travel there; and to summon the Dutch ambassador and demand answers.

The American people will never forgive or forget this case. Let our government take the lead, however belatedly, in seeking justice, for that is no more than its proper duty.


Respectfully,
Richard R., Vermont USA


Cc: Embassy of the Netherlands, 4200 Linnean Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008
Aruba Tourism Authority, 1200 Harbor Blvd, Weehawken, NJ 07087
American Society of Travel Agents, 1101 King St., No. 200, Alexandria, VA 22314


14 comments:

Anonymous said...

This may be the STUPIDEST thing I've seen so far!!! Condi Rice met with Beth and was told there WON"T be a boycott or intervention from the state department, end of story. What about that don't you understand? Jeb Bush and his wife are frequent visitors to Aruba and said recently they will continue to be. Natalee Holloway is so YESTERDAY!!!!

Michelle Says So 2.0 said...

If this is the stupidest thing ever and Natalee is SOOO YESTERDAY, then why are you even on this blog making comments? Dumb ass people, I swear!

Anonymous said...

I've just heard about this stupid thing. Is it true that some people want to boycott a whole country because a girl went missing there? Not ALL Dutch people are criminals you know, as a matter of fact, their crime rate is musch lower than that of the US.

I hope Natalee will be found alive and well, and I think she would be ashamed if she knew that some people do stupid things because of her. I think Arubans and other Dutch will be better off without you stupid people.

Anonymous said...

"Natalee Holloway is so yesterday"?

Well, I guess I'm old-fashioned. To me, our citizens abroad are entitled to protection, and when they are the apparent or real victims of crime our government has the obligation to look after their interests.

You can produce tons of Web sites showing the wonderful bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Netherlands (not that it seems to be doing us any good at this stage), but so what? The proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes.

Perhaps the U.S. and Aruba have had a wonderful bilateral relationship ... we certainly seem to be on the receiving end of their narcotics exports ... but no longer. The boycott call is growing, and Aruba's intransigence in the Natalee case is only fueling the fire. We get contradiction after contradiction, evasion after evasion, lie after lie.

Meanwhile, Joran is still smirking. Sorry, folks, but I could care less about our glorious bilateral relationship, which I guess to Aruba means being on the receiving end of our tourist dollar. They're begging us to kick their backside, and I for one am willing to oblige.

I will continue to write letters demanding action in the case of Natalee Holloway. If Aruba gets pinched enough, perhaps it will stop the cover-up. That's THEIR problem.

What we do here is ours. And I will do what I can to move my government to take action on behalf of its own people ... which is what it was created to do.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting, anonymous ... in your first response you say "This may be the STUPIDEST (emphasis in the original) thing I've seen so far," and in your second response you say "I've just heard about this stupid thing." So I guess you posted the first time before you'd even heard about it.

Well, as I pointed out on another thread, you've indicated both that you are Canadian and that you are Aruban. Must be difficult to keep it straight....

You say the Dutch crime rate is much lower than that of the U.S. Do you care to produce your evidence? I read an e-mail to Greta van Susteren by someone who actually did some research, and came to the opposite conclusion. Wish I'd saved it.

But the crime against Natalee didn't take place in Holland but in Aruba. And as Jossy Mansur said, on a per capita basis, even IF Natalee were the only case there (forget the case of that American man found dead in a locked room recently, or the drug-related killings, or other crimes that the Aruban police can't be bothered with ... I guess they care more about their Frosted Flakes), crime in Aruba would be higher than that in the U.S.

You might improve your prose style by finding some synonyms for "stupid." It's a word that you seem to use frequently, but your constant uttering of it does nothing to prove your point. Maybe you could try rational arguments.

But then, that's "so yesterday," as your comrade in arms said. If that's your idea, then why don't you go back to your own world where anything that lasts for more than two weeks passes right out of your head?

And I appreciate your concern for Aruba and "the other Dutch" (your phrase, not mine). Aruba need not be fearful that I will visit their slimepit, for I won't. But I will continue to campaign to have its government brought to justice.

Anonymous said...

WAY TO GO RICHARD,
I myself have written letters to many Governor and State Reps also they work for us they need to do the Job

Anonymous said...

By now, what country ISNT on America's shitlist?

Anonymous said...

Bush will be out of the door of the White House if he does not believe the Bible says about the Good Shepherd looking for His precious lost little Lamb. Looking for Natalee is a 2006 theme that will save Bush's presidentcy from all his corruptions in the Republican Party. Looking for WMD was his big mistake, but searching for Natalee is never wrong. The American people are wanting Bush's truthful answer.

Anonymous said...

mrskrass--

I'm sure you're right. Anyone who hides under the label of anonymous to begin with is a gutless coward, as I've said before. Not very original, either.

Anyway, I'm sure there are some people out there who regard this whole thing as a game. I don't.

And by the way, I never called for our government to JOIN the boycott ... it's a matter of individual choice. What I AM saying is that our government should stop its dilly-dallying and start taking action in this case. This definitely includes calling in the Dutch ambassador and making it clear that we want answers.

The Arubans can't continue to spit in our faces and expect us to treat them well. At least in my view.

Perhaps someday you'll have a point of view to express. At present, your nonstop cries of "stupid," "idiot" and the like give the impression that you're a petulant sixth grader. That idea, of course, is wrong ... just a word to the wise.

Anonymous said...

I am sure the big media reporter will ask Bush about the disappearance of Natalee in that lawless Aruba before his annual State of Union before the whole nation. Are Americans safer travelling aboard under his administration? If so, why the well being of Natalee is being neglected in last six months? These are the hard questions Bush has to answer to the American people.

Anonymous said...

You don't under stand. Save the private citizen Natalee will earn votes from every loving and caring American mothers, and from their spuses and her relatives as well. It is move like a domino effect which will gain momentum. Bush wouldn't give a damn to that dingy Aruba nation if it gotten into his way of pulling up his poll numbers. Natalee has become our national symbol of representing all the American citizens and soldiers lost in lawless lands such as Aruba and Iraq. Natalee is hot. Every American people know and love Natalee for she is the honor high school student and American citizen. And Joran is a pimp and a waste of human existence. Therefore I am sure Bush will be encouraged by his cabinet to promote Natalee to boost his sagging mid life presidency.

Anonymous said...

Undoubtedly the fighting in Iraq is a more serious matter to this country and to the world in general than is the Natalee Holloway case.

So what? Does that mean that we should stand by and do nothing to the injustice in Aruba? That isn't the way this country works.

And yes, the State Department has spoken. We who advocate a VOLUNTARY boycott of Aruba are hoping to change their minds, particularly when they consider that the Aruban delegation to the U.S. made promises which they apparently never intended to keep. And if Aruba is doing anything on the case now, it certainly isn't letting the world know about it ... and that secretiveness and dishonesty is precisely why the Holloway Twitty family, who ORIGINALLY OPPOSED the notion of a boycott, changed their minds.

Dealing with Aruba on an honest basis is a losing proposition. The State Department's interest is in diplomacy. Mine is with justice. Agree or disagree with me, I intend to continue raising the issues that I see as relevant.

Anonymous said...

You damn right. The dirty word "Aruba" by the dirty and corrupt Dutch means "Aruba rub america". Because Bush is weak and lying, the Aruba gang can do this injustice to Natalee. We as American people will not tolerate this insult. Boycott to end Aruba. Diplomacy is a joke without the justice for Natalee. What if Natalee is the president's daughter, would the Secret Service stop rescuing Natalee because of that pretense of diplomacy? We are talking about the pride and dignity of our grand nation of United States of America being snubbed out by a tiny evil empire of Aruba. Isn't that the real truth?

Anonymous said...

ARUBA IS TRASH !