I enjoy reading. I wouldn’t say that I’m a voracious reader but I definitely pick up and read things that look interesting to me. I don’t make a conscious choice between fiction and non-fiction, politics or pop-culture, news or nature. I have a wide variety of interests and so it’s easy to enjoy much of what I pick up. I was at the library a short time back and saw a book with a somewhat famiiar face on the cover. I picked it up and the picture was of Natalee Holloway, the girl that disappeared over two years ago in late May of 2005. After I had read a few paragraphs, I couldn’t put it down; it struck a nerve within me. It is written primarily by her father, Dave Holloway, and although it is certainly not a literary work of art, it points to a disturbing reality in our information-filled world: it is still possible for someone of any age to disappear without a trace.

Throughout my adult life, I have enjoyed traveling to the Caribbean and have done so each time with little fear or hesitation when it came to my personal safety. The entire Caribbean, along with other travel destinations throughout the world, depends on tourism as its primary source of revenue. So when Natalee Holloway did not get on her flight home at the end of that May, it is no surprise that posed a potential problem to the tourism industry of Aruba. What IS surprising is the apparent cover-up that came after she did not get on the plane and could not be found!

According to his book (Aruba: The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway and Corruption in Paradise, Nelson Current, 2006), the attitude of the entire Aruban government was one of complete indifference, which led to an eventual attitude of defiance against Americans who disagreed with their stance. An American teenager had disappeared without a trace and the entire Holloway family was met with incompetence and indifference.

Why do I write about this almost three years after the fact? I write about it because I have a strong conviction as a citizen of the world, and more importantly as a parent, that we all have a moral obligation to fight against injusties/crimes commited against other human beings - especially against children. As Holloway notes in his book, his daughter became “everyone’s daughter” and a symbol for thousands of missing and exploited children all over the world. How safe are we when traveling to various parts of the Caribbean and other tourist destinations? I don’t know. But I do know that one day, when someone wants to tell the truth about the actions of the three young men that night, the sad Caribbean truth about this exploited young lady may finally come out. May that truth prevent at least one other child from being exploited. Your thoughts?

As a Post Script item: An excellent book for protecting your children in your home from online predators was written by NBC correspondent Chris Hansen. I HIGHLY recommend it if you have children living at home. It is titled: To Catch a Predator: Protecting Your Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home. Dutton/Penguin Group, 2007. This is an excellent resource/must-read for proactive parents who want to protect their children.