Shazzer wrote:
Please allow me to clarify myself: there are reports that foreign tourism to the U.S. is down. Do you feel this is warranted?
Please provide substantiation for your conclusion that foreign tourism to the U.S. is down and state the reasons for the reduction. One cannot judge whether something is warranted without understanding the cause--and even then, individual decisions to engage in tourism in one location to the exclusion of another location are subjective rather than objective. For instance, if Tourism is reduced in New York City and that reduction can be traced to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, that reduction may or may not be warranted based on the subjective views of the tourists or would-be tourists.
Quote:Some of your responses lead me to wonder if you are not only frustrated with an unsolved case, but also infuriated that a crime could happen in a place that promotes itself as an island paradise.
You can go back and read my posts. I have made my position clear enough.
Quote:Since when is the United States an island paradise?
Quote:I am confused about this aspect of your posts. As well as this one:
Quote:Could you please explain why this particular missing person case is indicative of a corrupt culture whereas the missing person cases in the States are not?
Comparing apples to oranges -- Aruba to United States -- is irrelevant because Natalee Holloway disappeared in the perceived vacation island paradise of Aruba. She didn't disappear on the streets of New York City or anywhere else. Accordingly, it's the Aruban authorities who are responsible for solving the mystery and doing justice for Natalee and her family.
I referred to a bungled investigation--now weeks (months) old--and the case has grown cold. There were many things that should have been done from the onset but were not--such as immediately seizing the vehicle that Natalee was last riding in before her disappearance and conducting a forensic examination of the vehicle for evidence before the suspects had an opportunity to sanitize the vehicle. If you choose to interpret my complaint about a bungled investigation as indicative of a "corrupt culture," that interpretation belongs to you. Ineptitude does not equate to corruption.
The fact remains that Natalee disappeared after last being seen in the company of three Aruban residents (whether permanent or temporary), the Aruban authorities have bungled the early investigation which diminishes the opportunity for Natalee and her family to obtain justice, and Aruba is no longer an "island paradise" that I would want to visit nor one that lot of other people would want to visit.
It doesn't matter if crime exists everywhere as a general proposition. That's not the issue. I won't be expending my tourism dollars in Aruba. Don't let that stop you from going there. Have fun.
