2005 Aruban Election Recount; MEP Wins (Looks a bit like 2000 Florida Recount?)

Yesterday, a recount took place in Aruba as to whether there may have been any errors in the initial counting of votes that gave the present ruling party MEP control. All parties were present today to watch the one by one hand count and although some votes were thrown out due to ink spots.

According to sources is Aruba, the recount came about as one of the smaller parties “Real Democracy,” a satellite of AVP was only 20 votes short of a seat which would have given the ‘opportunity’ to coalition with AVP, MPA and RED and win the election. A change of 20 votes one way or the other would have made the drastic difference in a MEP controlled government or a coalition one. 20 votes.

Doesn’t this sound familiar to the Presidential election of 2000 and Florida recount? By looking at some of the votes that were actually not considered, yes it does remind me a little of the chaos that was the Florida recount. For an island the size of Aruba and for what was at stake it was a pretty close comparison. However, the Aruban Parliamentary election recount does not change results, MEP retains leadership with 11 seats. As reported by Aruba Today:

Aruban Parliamentary election recount does not change results MEP retains leadership with 11 seats ORANJESTAD – On Wednesday, a recount of last week’s September 23rd election votes was made in the presence of the leaders of all of the political parties concerned. Each vote was inspected for accuracy and blemishes. Any vote that had the slightest concern was thrown out of the overall count. The recall was made on the basis of a very close win of a seat in one of the newest parties joining the political arena. Other reasons were made and quickly disproved, but the recount concession was made to reinforce the accuracy of the Aruban electoral process. As a final result, MEP lead by Prime Minister Nelson Oduber remains with 11 seats, AVP lead by Mike Eman remains with 8 seats, MPA lead by the 1st female party leader Monica Kock Arends and RED lead by Father Lampe each remain with one for a total of 21 parliament seats. President of the electoral commission Hubert Maduro told Aruba Today that the vote counting system of Aruba is virtually error free. The only votes that were discarded in the recount were most likely made by elderly or those touching candidates with a pen mark either by accident or a personal system for making a decision, but clearly making a choice with a mark filling the space required.

One does speculate if these votes had changed and the “Real Democracy” candidate had won forcing the Aruban government to formulate a coalition government how this would have changed the perception and handling of the Natalee Holloway case and the PR campaign of any potential and alleged boycott? There is a big difference between one party rule with 11 seats and having to appease a coalition who may have many other different views and ideas. With the final election results in and MEP declared the victor, we will never know that answer either.

Joshua Haight, 21 still Missing; $100,000 reward from Joe Mammana

$100,000 reward offered in case of missing Montana Tech student Joshua Haight, 21 who was last seen when he was dropped him off in downtown Lewistown on July 13.

A Philadelphia businessman known for his financial assistance in high-profile criminal investigations is providing $100,000 for information about the disappearance of a college student here.

Joe Mammana offered the money as police continue investigating the disappearance of Joshua Haight, 21. Haight was last seen when a person dropped him off in downtown Lewistown on July 13, said Capt. Dave Sanders of the Lewistown Police Department.

Mammana, who has provided reward money in the Natalee Holloway investigation in Aruba, told the Lewistown News-Argus a local clergyman requested his help.

Rest of the story

Personalized “GRN ERTH” plate and Taylor Behl

Richmond Police stated that they are searching for anyone who might have information on a stolen license plate, “GRN ERTH,” that may be connected to the case of a missing college student Taylor Behl.

The personalized “GRN ERTH” plate was stolen in Richmond around the time 17-year-old Virginia Commonwealth University freshman Taylor Behl disappeared, and “preliminary information” indicates the two events may be connected, police said.

The person it was stolen from is not connected to the case, Richmond police spokeswoman Cynthia Price said. Citing the ongoing investigation, she declined to release further details.

The teen’s car was found two weeks later, less than two miles from her dorm. Her license plates had been replaced with Ohio plates reported stolen several weeks before she disappeared.

(Full Story)

Related Posts:
Taylor Behl Missing,Follow Up on Car Being Found
Police find car of missing student, Taylor Behl

Cross posted at Scared Monkeys Missing Persons

Beth Holloway Twitty and Joe Mammana Meet with Attorneys in Philadelphia

Remember those words that Joe Mammana mentioned a couple of weeks ago?

“I just want the people of Aruba to know that Natalee Holloway’s mom, Beth Twitty and Joe Mammana are coming back to Aruba. Hell is coming with them, we did not forget Natalee Holloway”.

Philadelphia businessman, philanthropist and Philly’s Avenging Angel, Joe Mammana and Beth Holloway Twitty planned to meet with an attorney here to discuss her options in the stalled investigation of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

With help from a local businessman, the mother of an Alabama teen who disappeared on a class trip to Aruba planned to meet with an attorney here to discuss her options in the stalled investigation.

Beth Holloway Twitty, mother of Natalee Holloway, told the Philadelphia Daily News for Wednesday’s editions that “we just feel like if we just continue, that something will break.”

On her meeting with an attorney, she said, “I want to see what my options are, and how do I go about pursuing those.”

Joe Mammana, who has contributed $250,000 in reward money in Holloway’s case. He has also contributed $100,000 reward for the missing 26 year old, nine months pregnant Amanda Jones. He played a major role in the $100,000 reward increase in the Latoyia Figueroa case. Mammana also gave $50,000 to the Julia Popovich reward as well. Joe Mammana has been known for his no nonsense Sicilian approach to practical situations. As Joe has stated in the past he does not call it “reward money, he refers to it as “bounty money“.

“I don’t call it reward money,” Mammana said. “I call it bounty money. I’m a vengeful person. I don’t believe in an eye for an eye; I believe in two for one.”

Joe Mammana arranged for the meeting for Beth Twitty to got to Philadelphia to meet with an attorney, whom have not been identified.

“We’re going to hound and harass these people forever,” Mammana told the newspaper, referring to Aruban officials and “anybody else involved with this that we feel did not cooperate and help us.”

This really is an interesting mix and Mammana’s words are sure to create some worries and comments from Aruban officials. Why do I get the feeling that Joe Mammana is not going to put up with much nonsense?

Click here to discuss the Natalee Holloway Disappearance

Click here to view all of our previous Natalee Holloway Posts.

George Bushes Call for Conservation Has Some Tourist Destinations Nervous

There is fear out there by the areas of the country are concerned about President Bushes call for fuel conservation. Locations from Maine to Michigan to Myrtle Beach are fearful that the high price and difficulty getting fuel will hurt their prospects for tourism.

So the dream that a Republican President could call for conservation has led to a huge outcry by the NIMBY crowd. States like Maine that have opposed any business that is not green, now is in a panic.

The Kennebec Journal is nervous, as the state of Maine loses all of the manufacturing and professional business, they are so reliant on tourism to support the state, they are getting nervous. Even their license plates have changed from the pine tree state to vacationland.

Read More at The Travel Bloggers on this Story.

Joran Van der Sloot: “I didn’t even know her name.”

Beth Twitty made an appearance on CBS, The Early Show, and made the following references as to whether her daughter, Natalee Holloway, may have been drugged.

Natalee Holloway’s mother says that the Alabama teen may have been drugged the night she disappeared in Aruba almost four months ago.

During the CBS interview Beth Holloway Twitty recounted the night that she confronted Joran Van der Sloot as to the where abouts of her daughter.

In the interview with “A Current Affair,” van der Sloot admits he lied about the last time he saw Holloway on the night she vanished, but insists she was fine when they parted ways.

“When her parents showed up at my door with her picture, I didn’t even know who Natalee Holloway was,” he said. “I didn’t even know her name.”

To that, Twitty told Storm, “There have been so many lies that have come out of Joran van der Sloot’s mouth that it’s so — sometimes I think the only facts we have are all of his lies. It’s just incredible that he is going to make a statement like that, that he does — did not even know her name.”

Because of the fact that Joran Van der Sloot has admitted to initially lying to the police in the investigation as to bring Natalee Holloway back to the Holiday Inn, one wonders just which story to believe. This is the problem when one lies. An initial lie that does not seem to have much validity as to why he would have in the first place. This and the fact that Joran Van der Sloot has presumably made statements that he had sex with Natalee Holloway and now is saying that he did not is puzzling. One does not usually use the term “consensual” unless they are referring to sex, not kissing. Joran admits that “the only mistake he made was leaving her at the beach”. Natalee’s mom Beth makes a comment that I think many are questioning as well due to the fact that Joran Van der Sloot has admittedly lied:
Read more

A Current Affair Interview; Joran Van der Sloot and Beth Twitty’s Reaction (“The entire summer has been a lie”)

Current Affair ran the second part of their interview yesterday and although some of it was repetitious there were a couple of parts that were a bit eye opening. As the AP has reported:

The mother of a missing Alabama teen said Tuesday that a Dutch man was lying when he denied that he and two other youths had sex with the young woman before she disappeared during a trip to Aruba.

“He admitted this to the interrogators,” she said. “He admitted this in front of 10 witnesses in the early morning hours of May 31st of the sexual assault that he committed against Natalee. So, yes, that is a fact.”

In the continuation of the Current Affair interview Beth Twitty states she has seen once again references the statements that Joran Van der Sloot made.

Based on statements she said she saw Joran Van der Sloot admitted to the sex. “Drove to his home, wanted her to come in … had sex with her”.

Aruban officials have not released any of the statements to the public.

Beth Twitty then goes on to say in the interview the accounts of the statements down to the graphic and explicit details of Natalee’s undergarments as well as other graphic details that Beth does not get into.

Joran and co-suspects Deepak & Satish Kalpoe. Got Natalee drunk at the bar, took Natalee from the bar and then sexually assaulted her.

Since such documents have never been released and by Dutch law presumable cannot until the entire investigation or trial is over this presents a puzzling problem of verification. If it is true that Joran made these comments and has such detail of Natalee it brings into question again the fact that he claims not to have sex with her whether it be consensual or not.

Beth Twitty is asked about the FBI and where that investigation stands at this point. The comments that Beth makes are startling. Beth alleges the following in referencing the FBI investigation during the Current Affair interview.

VIDEO
Read more

Erik Buran, 4 year old boy, kidnapped by his mother, Karen O’Grady (Amber Alert?)

Father asks for help in finding kidnapped son, Erik Buran, as warrants issued for kidnapping.

A Reno father is asking for the public’s help in finding his 4-year-old son believed abducted by his mother in April. Lyon County issued a warrant June 27 charging Karen O’Grady, 49, with felony kidnapping in the abduction of her son, Erik Buran, on April 25. According to father, Robert Buran, he and his ex-wife have shared joint custody of Erik since their divorce in 2001. Buran had Erik three days a week, and O’Grady had him four days. Just before the abduction, Buran had filed for sole custody of his son and had lodged a complaint with Child Protective Services alleging O’Grady’s boyfriend physically abused Erik. Since then, a Reno judge awarded Buran sole custody.

Erik is listed as missing by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Nevada Child Seekers, Child Find of America and the Vanished Children’s Alliance.

Read more

Police Stop Calling Ben Fawley ‘Person of Interest’ in Behl Case. Really? Or Did They?

In a situation that sounds all too familiar, the AP is reporting that Richmond Police no longer consider a 38-year-old Richmond man a person of interest in the disappearance of Virginia Commonwealth University freshman Taylor Behl.

Richmond police spokeswoman Cynthia Price says police initially called Ben Fawley a person of interest in Behl’s case because they wanted to interview him. But they’ve done that, and NO longer classify him as such.

Last week, police said they had several persons of interest in the case. Price says that now they have none.

Fawley was arraigned Monday on 16 counts of possession of child pornography and ordered held without bond. Police raided Fawley’s apartment last week and took several computers and C-s, according to a search warrant.

As also reported by NBC4 it could be a matter of semantics rather than anything else. No really really believes that Ben Fawley really isn’t a suspect in the disappearance of Taylor Behl do they?
Read more

Dave Holloway; you know, when you lie, it`s really hard to remember what you lied about

Last night on CNN and Nancy Grace, Dave Holloway gave further thoughts and opinions on what he thought of Joran Vander Sloot’s interview with a Current Affair.

Well, apparently he has lied a number of times and, you know, when you lie, it`s really hard to remember what you lied about, so it is apparent that, you know, he`s lying again.

So what good was the statement? I don`t know. I read through it myself. There was one question, what do you have to say to the American people. And he said, I don`t have anything to say to the American people, you know, which tells me that he`s all in it for himself and trying to cover up for the Deepak and Kalpoe brothers.

GRACE: Well, you know, from what I read of it, he seems to be blaming Natalee, like it was her fault that she had too much to drink and then somehow went missing, with him.

HOLLOWAY: Well, I`ve read about criminal pasts and this type stuff, and part of the process is to belittle your victim, demean their reputation and all that kind of stuff, so that doesn`t surprise me. You know, Deepak and Satish did the exact same thing.

The fact that Joran Van der Sloot initially lied about the bringing of Natalee back to the Holiday Inn makes no sense and Dave Holloway picks up on the theme. Its also rather pathetic that Joran would attempt to demean the reputation of a missing girl that is most likely deceased. Harris Faulkner of a “CURRENT AFFAIR makes an interesting observation regarding Joran Van der Sloot and his inability “to the handle the truth”.

At one point in the interview, which, by the way, goes more than 30 minutes, he puts his backpack on the ground and says you know what, there is no need for me to run, let me just talk.

Some of the things that happened during that interview, and you know, because you`re an attorney, you know, you`ve been around the block, Nancy, one of the things that happened during this interview is a glimpse of what investigators must have been seeing all along in this case. Do you know that this kid on camera contradicts himself several times about some really important stuff –

(Full transcript)