Letter to the Editor: What does it matter not being Aruban?

Yesterday there was an editorial printed in the Caribbean Net News from a presumed 14 year old American that sparked some debate in the forums. Among other issues debated and that were puzzling in the editorial was how a 14 year old would or could possibly know the goings on in Carlos & Charlie’s at closing time by simply eating in a restaurant across the way presumably with her family at a reasonable hour.

I went to a Iguana Joe’s, a restaurant right across the street from Carlos and Charlie’s. Please stop stereotyping all of the Arubans as sick-minded people who do not care about U.S. citizens. It actually seems to be quite the opposite.

What is interesting as to the question of whether this was really written by a 14 year old American was the following comment. One wonders whether it really came from Aruba and if so maybe they are starting to see a partial light that many have been stating for quite a time. Many Arubans should take this into consideration when they start to place fault on the cause of a boycott.

Natalee Holloway was drunk when she supposively went in the car with the three men, who by the way, were NOT all from Aruba!

A rebuttal to this editorial was printed today in The Caribbean News by one of our very own. They pose some very interesting questions to the original editorial and to the situation as a whole.

Dear Sir:

I feel that it is only appropriate that I respond to the remarks of Megan Gitter from Chicago, Illinois. I could not help, but laugh at the irony that Ms. Gitter is from Chicago, a city that is notoriously full of governmental corruption and where Michael Posner is originally from.

I guess having said that it would not come as a surprise that she would choose to defend Aruba.

Now to further critique her statement she on numerous points says “you Americans” now that is interesting considering she claims to be an American. Is she one of the “you Americans” or does she choose to place her golden soul above the rest of us? Sorry, Ms. Gitter you are an American and therefore you are included in the “you American” phrase.

It is also interesting to know how you state that Natalee was drunk when she “supposively (sic)” got into the car. You have successful managed to reverse positions. It is debatable as to the question was Natalee in a proper state of mind, drunk or drugged at that time. What there is nothing “supposively(sic)” about is the fact she did leave Carlos N’ Charlie’s in the grey Honda with Joran Van der Sloot, Deepak and Satish Kalpoe.

Now since you state your first visit to Aruba was four years ago and you state that you are now fourteen years old; I will say that you were most likely under the control of your parents and that they monitored what you got to see.

It is interesting how you make reference to the Kalpoes and Van der Sloots not being Aruban by birth. What does that have to do with anything? It does not matter if they are American, Dutch, French or Aruban. The only way it could matter is if being Aruban made you genetically predisposed to commit less crime and therefore other ethnicities would be more disposed to crime. I would hate to think that you are defending Aruba through bigotry.

The problem is Natalee Holloway is the victim of criminal actions of locals on the island of Aruba, the government showed ineptitude that is rarely paralleled in investigations and their government has made such comments as “I am sick and tired of this case” by their Prime Minister Nelson Oduber.

They have failed to make use of many valuable resources that the United States has and Aruba does not. They felt capable of handling this case on their own and admit the FBI has and will not have full access to the case file, so if principle means anything it is you live and die by it.

Eugene G. Bernat
USA