One word: Rent-a-Dread!

That's all I have to say about the missing teenager Nathalee Holloway. I dun wid dat!

So I already spoke about how I'm tired of the mainstream media and their penchant for turning molehills into mountains and how I've been trying to avoid them. Well I've been pretty successful lately, I skim the newspaper, watch a bit of local news and if a story catches my interest I'll go online and see what some of the sources are saying, trying always to get some varied perspectives. Been doing a pretty good job of not being annoyed by the news channels and then yesterday ,while channel surfing instead of watching the pre-game shows before Game 7, I somehow ended up watching Nancy Grace on CNN discuss this missing 18 year old in Aruba and this show pissed me off.

Now I sincerely hope that they find this young lady alive and well and as the days go on the hope dwindles and I really feel for her parents. But still to put this in perspective I'm kind of curious as to why her specific story has been getting so much attention. Is she the only missing American out there? What's so compelling about her story? Is it that she is missing in the Caribbean, in a foreign country? Is it that she is a A student? Why is it that straight A students always seem to be the one's missing don't the dumb ass kids voted most likely to work at Mcdonalds for life get abducted, lost or disappear as well? Is it that Nathalee was last seen with three local men before her disappearance? What is it? Why does the media focus on only certain missing person's stories? Yea all those questions are rhetorical, I'm not that dense.

Ok and they paint this portrait of her as this good God fearing Alabama girl all righteous and virtuous, I believe someone on CNN even mentioned her going to Bible study. Now far be it for me to attack this portrayal seeing as I don't know the girl but wait a minute what was she doing leaving a bar late at night with three I repeat three men? Wasn't it a big class of teenagers that went down to Aruba for this seniors trip? What is she doing (1) all alone (2) in a foreign country (3) a female leaving a bar at night (4) with strange men. Hello! I mean its different to if she was traveling by herself but the report say that she was traveling with 100 other graduates and 7 chaperones. How is it that she ends up out at night all by herself when she was traveling with such a big group of people? Surely she had a friend or two in the group who would go out with her. Nope something doesn't sound right! Something wrong!

I mean I understand that when you are on vacation you tend to be a bit more laid back and you tend to hope that the place you are in isn't a spot where you'll run into any problems but does Immigration and Customs confiscate every last iota of common sense on arrival at the airport?

Immigration Officer:"Anything to declare?"
Tourist: "No."
Immigration Officer: "what's that you have there miss?"
Tourist: "Oh that's just some sound judgment and common sense that I take everywhere with me."
Immigration Office: "Well I'm sorry miss but local statute 5.1 sub-section 6 clearly states that under no circumstances is common sense allowed on the island so we'll have to take that from you but on departure we'll be happy to return it. Have a nice day and welcome to the island!"

And of course now with one American missing in a Caribbean country Aruba is going to be painted in a light worst than if it was Baghdad. Those evil Arubans preying on unsuspecting Americans. Look at how Aruba tourism going to dry up now because one silly teenager wouldn't use common sense.

They got the whole civil service beating the bush looking for the girl. Cuhdear but see me if the government did give me half day off I didn't spending it walking in the sand or going through all sorta gullies and getting plimplers and thorns juck in my hands, while de mosqitoes and sandflies trying to bite me to death, playing that I looking for somebody. Honest to God! Not that I wouldn't help find her but only if she pass by my house and knock on my door and I didn't too deep in sleep.

And I don't want to speculate on what she was doing cause I was not there but someone told me that they keep pushing this whole thing about the girl going to bible study and praying three times a day and all that trying to make her seem as this innocent young thing that was hoodwinked, bamboozled and led astray in Aruba. Now the way I see it aint no bar that I've been into nowhere in the world that duz have a sign saying "come enjoy our half priced wings and stay for our Bible Study Wednesdays." I neva see dat nowhere yet! So unless she walk with her bible and was going to testify and minister to some of the wicked heathens in the bar (wunnah know who I talking to) then she went to that bar for other purposes. True they could make a case that maybe she was lured there by some unscrupulous person or something so but for me I say if a young girl on vacation go out to a bar late at night, in a foreign country, by herself then odds are she didn't leave home with any bible study in mind.

And the two guys they arrested in connection with her disappearance are known to police for frequenting hotels and the like trying to pick up tourists. In other words in local terms they are probably Rent-A-Dreads and no you really don't have to have actual dreads to qualify. So this girl is missing and two rent-a-dreads are held in connection with the disappearance you do the math.

Anyway I truly hope she is found alive if its just because I will hate to see the bad rep that Aruba and the rest of the Caribbean gets if she isn't. Cause yes the rest of the Caribbean will soon be painted with whatever brush is used on Aruba. Cause many North Americans aint too smart on geography (no disrespect to my North American readers, I aint talking about wunnah). They will hear Aruba and ask which part of Jamaica that is or that in the Bahamas or something stupid so and next thing you know we all painted with the same brush and tourism is one industry where bad publicity is not good publicity.