I'm trying to understand what holding a criminal who broke our laws from Holland has anything to do with a young woman being kidnapped and likely murdered on a school trip to the Caribbean. Forgive me if I don't see the similarity. As for why we're so livid with the Aruban government, I'll explain.
1. It should not be so hard for this small island to figure out what happened to this young pretty white woman who would stick out like a sore thumb.
2. The Caribbean as a whole is largely impoverished. Their economy is based on tourism of which the majority is American.
3. "Strange" as you say, Americans are not interested in visiting a country that is not willing to get to the bottom of this case or to communicate all of its details to America.
Now, regarding our country: Europeans seem to find a great deal of pleasure in bashing Americans and declaring us imbeciles. Perhaps its because we have a history of which we can be proud. Perhaps its because our not-so-distant relatives sacrificed their very lives so that we may live freely and enjoy the democracy that we have. I'm not sure how many Americans have tried illegal means to live in Holland this year or any European country. I can bet every dollar in my 401K that such a number would not hold a candle to the number of your citizens trying to become a "strange American." Our constitution is respected by our government and civilians alike. It has been emulated by countless nations and regarded as an ideal government.
Lastly, if your daughter came to NYC and a thuggish American or group thereof kidnapped her, forced her into prostitution, killed her, or any other great number of awful things, my elected president (past, present or future) would not shrug it off or say, "What else can I do?" When you patronize our country legally, and out of leisure, surely, we owe you the assurance that your child will not be "lost" without explanation. I'm horrified that you would find this "strange." Would you not scream from every mountain peak not to visit the USA? When we go to Aruba, a nation that would suffer greatly without us, and we don't return, our nation will scream until it has answers. If yours would not, perhaps your country is the "strange" one and I wouldn't let your children travel if I were you.
