I must disagree with Michelle...

I adore Michelle Malkin, but I must disagree with her latest post on Natalee Holloway.  Sorry Michelle, this is a first for me. 

I fully understand what Michelle is saying here:

I just wish there were a way to take this story's magical ingredients and add them to neglected threats that affect far more people--say, new developments on border insecurity or the Islamist infiltration of America. In war time (must we remind TV news execs that we are still at war?), those are the stories that you can never flog enough.

I understand her frustration.  But by keeping this story on the front burner, especially this particular case, it will keep the Aruba judicial system from protecting those privileged individuals who were involved and help to prevent any misjustice.  They know we are watching and are holding them accountable.

I know I would be out there doing what Natalee's family is doing and I truly believe Michelle would be as well.

Lisa

Comments

[Steel Turman]

Lisa ...

There is such a thing as too much focus.

Michelle has a case of that.

Sure, she has an issue. An axe to grind.

But her talents ... she squanders them with such a focus.

I wish she'd go elsewhere with her laser.

She would do so much good if she did.

As it is ... she compartmentalizes herself.

Boxed in. Personally, I think she is wasting her talent on a one trick pony.

BISCOTTI?

[Lisa]

Yes Mr. One Track Mind... your biscotti is coming. What is your preference:

Triple Chocolate
Spumoni
Blueberry Pecan
Honey Oat w/Caramel & Walnuts
or
Key Lime

-Chris's favorite is the honey oat
-Billy's, a frequent commenter, favorite is triple chocolate.
-The Colonel's favorite is strawberry but I don't have any of that right now...sorry. Blueberry would be the closest to that.

Decisions..decisions

[lou]

Michelle Malkin and all the others whining about the attention given to the Natalee case don't get it. We realize there are other important issues, but the Natalee case is a microcosm. It is a parent's worst nightmare happening in paradise. It is good vs. evil. It is a mystery. It is a soap opera. It is a tragedy. It is like the weather (everyone has an opinion). The more things that happen the more things stay the same. Except for the dogged determination of the Holloways and Twitty, two innocent people might have been stuck.

[Billy]

It has got to be the worst nightmare we could have,your child is missing,you are doing most of the police work yourself,it smelled of coverup as soon as the Little Dutch Boy was arrested.I hope she is still alive but time is not on her side.
If about half a dozen Good Ole Bamma boys figure out how to drive their big trucks to Aruba,there will be hell to pay.

[Lisa]

Billy,

That's my whole point about keeping this on the front burner of the media--to prevent a coverup. This whole situation is disturbing. I usually don't resort to this type of thinking but I have to say it at this point:

If I were Natalee's mom...at this point I would be hoping that they would release the Little Dutch Boy...then I'd have about five minutes with him.

[ana]

Michelle is *absolutely" right. The problem of those who answered here is that you are not looking at the big picture.
An old trick of any fascist regime - and I know because I lived in one (btw I am not an American citizen)- is to desensitize the public opinion by feeding folks small stories that are on the air 24/7.

With all due respect for Natalee's family - and I hope they find her safe - let's focus on major problems this country has out there.

I am committed - and ask you all to join me in this endeavor -to circulate images such as this one in blogs out there:
http://crisispictures.org/?p=97
Please focus!!!!!!!!! Do not forget ! This is outrageous and you should be demanding explanations to the leaders of your country!

[Chris]

I looked at your pictures, and while sad I have no problem with what occured in them. US military personnel gave an order to stop the car didn't and they protected tehmselves. I read the about thing on your site--and yes armed conflict has consequences as does not doing anything against bad guys.

Thanks for your comment.

Chris

[Lisa]

Ana,

You will get no sympathy or cooperation from me or this blog. I fully support the actions of our soldiers in this situation. The truth of the matter is that the driver of that car didn't stop. He and only he is the sole cause of that tragedy. What you fail to talk about in your comment on our blog is that the American soldiers immediately took action to protect the children and to get them medical attention. You can best believe that if it were the insurgents who had stopped the car, those children would be dead. Period.

Now, be honest Ana, your comment has nothing to do with Michelle Malkin's post. You are using it to merely promote your anti-American agenda. But I'm afraid you have hit a brick wall here. Our readers support our troops and their actions, especially those actions you present to us.

What I do find interesting about you is that you came to this country from a country you describe as fascist; you enjoy the freedoms that American soldiers have fought and died for yet you promote this Anti-American rhetoric. How dare you. You don't deserve to live in this country.

Maybe a one-way ticket is in order.

[ana]

Lisa,

For God's sake - it's not "if you're not one of us you're against us". That is the sort of mentality that got the situation in IRaq to be what it is now!

Hmmm... And I am not living in "this" country btw. As to the brief time during which I lived "there"- which was post 9/11 -I considered the US anything but a free, democratic country. Which does not mean I am anti-american mind you - rather that you should be doing a lot of thinking and you're clearly are not doing it.

As to "the American soldiers immediately took action to protect the children and to get them medical attention"? HUH? Does that make what you see in those images ok???

And your use of the term "insurgents" just proves my point about the manipulation conducted by the Media - which *is* what Michelle's post is about. You talk of an "anti-american rhetoric..." I speak of a "war rhetoric" carefully planned that uses "sanitized" and sanctioned terms such as "insurgents". You have some reading to do Lisa... i'd suggest you start here (an academic paper btw): "Who are the Insurgents? Washington rhetoric about the war raises many questions."

As to my point that with Natalees and shark attacks your leaders desensitize you on the topics you should be concerned with... Well... they certainly succeeded with you. -Those soldiers were just doing their duty?? Gosh ... they even took care of the children whose parents they had just killed!

As to the brick wall - yeah... no doubts there... that was the perfect image Lisa...

[ana]

oh and my suggestion to Lisa "Who are the insurgents?" is under http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/ethicalperspectives/rhetoric_and_war.html

On blog ethics:

- I appreciated Chris' response: to the point, stating her views, polite.

- As to Lisa's "how dare you", "you don't deserve to live in this country", "a one-way ticket is in order" ... These are totally unacceptable ways to respond to those who disagree with something posted on this blog.

If you have a blog up, just accept the rules of the game. If not don't have one up...

[Chris]

Ana--

It's not nice to instruct people on the rules. This is our blog and we make the rules and while you are welcome to discuss the issues and your points of view, you aren't welcome to decide the rules of our blog. Your pictures, while sad, again are pictures of war. The war in Iraq is not one I would support again. I think our logic and reasoning was faulty, but our guys are there now and have a mission and I prefer dead Iraqis to dead American soldiers. That sounds harsh, but it is true. And while dead people are a symptom of war--it seems to me that while you are living in a war zone you want to stop the car when the good guys tell you to or when a check point appears. If the soldiers hadn't shot the man driving the car, what could have happened? They could be dead, the car could have been full of explosives and killed others--they didn't know and had to make a decision in mere seconds. They made a decision that kept them alive--and for that I am glad. If it were you, what would you have done?

Chris

[Rita]

How about a nice picture of a so-called "insurgent" slowly sawing off a hostage's head? I can show plenty of those pictures, but I guess no one cares. It's called "blame Americans" and even if others do the torturing, killing, suicide bombings killing innocent people, or genocide we take no notice. But God forbide if American solders at war repond to someone who may be a "insurgent" with a speeding carbomb, then damn, blame the Americans. What pity, war is hell and we know that innocents get killed. It is a fact of war and I think most people if faced with an issue of a speeding car running towards a checkpoint would do the same. How come these people who "blame" Americans never had an issue with Bosnia's ethnic cleansing? Or Rwanda's Genocide? Or Africa's bloody civil war, killing thousands upon thousand of people? How about those people not complaining about what Saddam did to the Kurds? Oh, so I guess it is OK, unless you are American's? Bull....so don't say our soldiers are "killers of innocents". Who is more Anti-War then a soldier in battle. My father grew up in a totalitarianism/Nazi state, so I know a little about opression.

[Lisa]

Hey Ana,

You are stuffed full of more shit than a Christmas turkey.

How's that for polite.

[ana]

Lisa,

I wouldn't know because I don't eat turkey for Christmas. But I guess you wouldn't understand pretty limited in your life experience.

From what I read in your bio it looks like preparing turkey for thanksgiving must be the high point in your life. Over and out with you Lisa.

[ana]

Chris,
I'm afraid that owning a blog doesn't give you the power to appropriate and undermine a genre. If this is a site where the authors find themselves in the right to address the community the way Lisa does, you are misusing this form of communication. Call it something else - a portal?

One I read Lisa's totally unethical comments I did a bit of research and realized you're listed on blogs for Bush and babes for Bush. Let's see how FEC's new rules deal with blogs like this- unfortunately I suspect top quality writing blogs such as wonkette are the ones that will suffer from new regulation.

Over and out - won't visit again. Sorry - life is too short. Enjoyed your comments though, Chris - ethical and intelligent.

[Lisa]

OOhhhh Ana... you're just way too intelligent for me. Guess it's all that free education you are getting in the country that you so eagerly ridicule.

Lisa

[Brooke]

Thanks Michelle! I agree 100% this is a none-story that the majority of intelligent people care less about. The constant coverage of a demanding woman with an annoying voice and her missing daughter is NOT news nor is it worthy of any coverage let alone the 24 hr coverage. The narrow-minded people from the small town in AL who are suddenly in the limelight are obnoxious on blogs like SM and will lambast anyone who disagrees with their narrow-minded hick views.