The Myth of Power: Paul Van der sloot

"If you were here, this would not have happened."

This is what Joran told his mother. What is the meaning of "this?" Unless Anita Van der sloot was away very often it certainly didn't refer to Joran's going out and gambling and drinking, he seems to have had no restrictions.

What wouldn't have happened? And just what is Anita so distraught about?

So what wouldn't have happened if Anita was home? Likely, it refers to Paul Van der sloot's going out. Like father like son or like son like father?

Joran appears again to be blaming. Blaming his mother for leaving Paulus home alone, blaming his father for getting him into this. So he's blaming his parents and Natalee. In some ways for someone who has never been held accountable, it's understandable. But is he right?

Was he used by his own father?

The reason the lies pile up and the stories don't stay straight is that these are the lies of his father, scripted for his delivery, and they are hard to remember, when confronted, he flounders.



I have yet to meet a parent that would condone, let alone finance the underage gambling and drinking of their children, except Paul Van der sloot.

If you crosschecked every time Anita left the island, would you find Paulus on the security cameras at the casinos?

The myth of Paul Van der sloot being some sort of well connected power broker is just that, a myth. He's a weak man, a coward beholden to his wife for money. Do you remember him running to his car? Only when she's gone can he go out. An embezzler and not a player. He overreached and the Kalpoe's have the silver bullet.

If he was so connected, a judgeship on Aruba wouldn't have been hard to come by, but he couldn't pull that off even without competition.

He only needed the help of one man, a friend, Jan Van der straaten. If these big fish in a little pond had any "dirt" on the real power players, they would be dead already.



Arubatruth must defend the Van der sloots but only because their goals are parallel and not because the Van der sloots hold any power. The savagery of this crime and how it was covered up will ruin Aruba for years to come and they've made a tactical error. Have they spent alot of money, yes. But not on searching for Natalee. Paying the likes of Pauly, Cohen and Tacopina to do their bidding.

In almost every way Aruba has miscalculated. Why did Dompig find it necessary to show us the radar that monitor's ship traffic if he is convinced she is on the island. Another distraction?

Van der straaten too thought he was doing a favor for his friend, and for Aruba. He never thought it would come to this, his myopia and the self created myth of power is gone. Now it's about his survival, their survival.

We're not nearing the end, only the beginning. The Kalpoe's staying silent is very smart. People focus on Joran not breaking, but he has. It's the Kalpoe's who haven't broken, they are not going on television because the don't have to. They only have one bullet to fire.

To the Aruban police, the only thing they "don't remember" is what exactly was discussed with Paul Van der sloot in the 4 hour meeting. Whether intentional or not, this was brilliant. Paulus cannot write a story around what they have not told police. The discussion, the advice, the prediction of exactly what would happen.

A man with power would not be worried about the Kalpoe's.