Get Used to Zero Growth, Aruba!

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20071220/D8TLBQ9G0.html

What a sham by the so-called 'professionals' the Dutch sent. The Dutch have no problem lying to the family and Americans, either. "We can prosecute without a body! We can prosecute without a body! We can prosecute without a body! Oh, no...we really can't" But I guess we shouldn't have expected the apple to fall far from the tree... why should the Netherlands care when they have status aparte to hide behind? "Not our fault. We can't help. Status aparte, sorry!"

Guess what, Aruba? The damage has been done by your own government's ineptitude and your own indifference. But if you want to keep blaming the media and the family, then go right ahead and dig your grave deeper. Show Americans what whiny, irresponsible, heartless crybabies you are. You're not the victims- Natalee Holloway, her family, and justice are.

The damage is done, Aruba. This one's gonna hurt you for a long, long time...and for choosing the almighty dollar and not justice, you deserve it. For never forcing the government you re-elected months after Natalee disappeared to a higher standard, you deserve it.

You chose to sleep with the Devil- now live with it. And pray that someone does the right thing and brings closure, or at least vengeance, to this family.

As for the boycott efforts: we're mad, we're dedicated, and nobody can stop us. And one of the men who supported the boycott formally is running for President....

Holloway Investigation Closed- But They're REALLY Sorry About This!

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20071218/D8TJVTTG0.html

They have not exhausted their resources, of course. They have not started a new kidnapping investigation. They have not turned over evidence to the FBI or included the FBI in any meaningful way. They have not included 'third parties' in the investigation that the suspects implicated (according to Mos himself). Until we get these things- the boycott marches on!

Sadly for Arubans, the gov't will not do any of these things. Here's why...

The FBI would soon see that the so-called evidence is bogus and amounts to one person's word against another's- no forensic evidence, no electronic evidence, no evidence that isn't highly suspicious if it exists at all. I bet if Dave were to ask those same FBI agents that told him Natalee was probably dead what they thought now, they would have something much different to say. These third parties Mos mentioned then conveniently forgot about are all protected by the corrupt officials as well- and they are the real keys to solving this, not the three delivery boy scapegoats. And the real culprits are way more influential than J2K. A kidnapping investigation would not only be way too close to the truth for comfort, but it will also prolong negative publicity. Think this couldn't have happened to Natalee? Let me remind you that one island over on lovely and equally crime-ridden Curacao, Amy Bradley disappeared almost 10 years ago. Funny how a girl who fell overboard a cruise ship to her death is still on the FBI's missing persons list, and has been spotted in brothels across the Caribbean since then... its funny that she is known to have been accosted by Arubans who invited her to C&Cs before she disappeared.

And we have to ask ourselves, why did the gov't think a negative economic growth in 2006 was worth the risk to protect the suspects, when they could've let Natalee's family find her, take her home, and everything would blow over and be forgotten? Folks, I urge you to look up 'Rebecca Middleton' and examine her case with this one- and look at the differences.

This in no way absolves Aruba or stops the boycott. There are other things Aruba is fully able to do according to Dutch and international conventions- such as sharing evidence with the family (possible now that the case is closed; the family simply needs to petition for access in international court). The U.S. State Department is also authorized to- and must by law- get involved if as few as 5,000 American citizens petition for this. And our boycott efforts are not dependant on Dave Holloway or Beth Reynolds in any way whatsoever.

I e-mailed all my boycott supporters and organizers, saying that it is high time we got organized and planned a long-tern boycott effort. In 15 minutes they all answered back with a resounding "Hell yeah!" So, as a start, look for my bogus Aruba Travel and Tourism blog to be up soon- and look for an official boycott website by others as well.

D-Day Letter to Aruba

I sent this to Diario Aruba as a response to Jossy Mansur's 11/30/2007 editorial. I do not expect it to be published simply because the Aruban government finds ways to make it hard on the press when it publishes anything critical:

“Hello Jossy,

Let me assure you of a few things as an American, as one who is very well-informed about the Holloway disappearance, and is a tourism professional with a degree in recreation and tourism:

First, as much as Arubans loyal to the government (among others in the world) like to think, Americans are not stupid. We know that Joe Tacopina is just another sleazy defense lawyer, and that he is paid to make guilty men look innocent. Your readers may not be aware of this, but in America lawyers are almost universally hated- especially defense attorneys. When he or his Aruban counterparts paint Joran to be some kind of innocent victim, he is only hardening our hearts against Joran and the island that sheltered him.

Second, regardless of what evidence the prosecution has or will present to the judges for a trial, Americans expect justice. I do not blame anyone but the suspects for failing to come clean and allow Dave Holloway to at least find his daughter for closure’s sake, but as a travel and tourism professional I can tell you that Aruba must provide justice for this family and for the missing girl. If it does not, the ATA may as well write the U.S. and Canada off as a loss, and start courting the Venezuelan tourists that Nels Oduber seems to hold so dearly. Sadly, the average Venezuelan have nearly as much disposable income as the average American…

This is the American attitude: we do not owe Aruba anything. We feel betrayed that we provided so much of our income to Aruban families and the government, and yet that government cannot thank us with even one prosecution. One betrayal like most Americans feel over this issue is enough to erase any number of years of safe tourism to the island. I am not saying that is fair- but that is how things are in the typical American mind. I know that Dave Holloway does not support a boycott and does not wish to harm innocent Arubans, but we do not take orders from Dave Holloway. We make our own decisions to stay away from Aruba.

Mr. Mansur, I will make a prediction: if there is no conviction handed down from Aruba’s courts regarding the missing Holloway girl, Aruba’s tourism will not return to 2005 levels for at least 10 years, and I cannot hazard a guess as to if it will ever grow much beyond that. There are many other factors that make this negative publicity even worse, such as rising fuel prices, tightening travel and restrictions in the U.S. (the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are already advertising ‘no passport fees’ on their television ads), and the very competitive nature of Caribbean tourism. In the last three issues of two prominent travel magazines, Travel Age West and Travel + Leisure, I found only two very small ads for Aruba. I see one airing of Aruba commercials on the Travel Channel per night, on most nights.

The interest just is not there anymore, and these travel and tourism outlets have no interest in advertising what travel agents aren’t selling.

Of course the Aruban government is lying about the losses to sedate the voters, but local newspapers and international groups have figures that reveal these lies for what they are. We will see how much tourism has really dropped before the next elections- I am sure the MEP’s opposition will gladly share all of the truth with voters then.

I am sorry, but the truth is Aruba must provide justice for Natalee Holloway. Americans are simply sick and tired of excuses and mistakes, and ‘Sorry, we did our best’ will not be enough ot bring us back. Honestly, I’m not sure if we ever will come back.

Your Friend,

Dan in Tx”